WHAT GUYS MUST DO TO BECOME A NAVY SEAL!

books:


	• Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 Marcus Luttrell Little, Brown and Company, 2007 - 390 pages average customer review:based on 709 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Absolutely Amazing!

Reading over most of the reviews, its hard to find anything that hasn't already been said. This is just an amazing book, and if you have any interest in the military, then you will enjoy this book. It shows what our armed forces are capable of, and even shows a type of compassion that many Americans would never believe could happen in Afghanistan.
If you are trying to decide to read this book, think no further, read it!

A Tragic Loss That Did Not Have To Be

The SAT phone used in an attempt to contact "HQ" for assistance was a Uridium SAT phone. The company went bankrupt in 1999 (try Google search); DOD funded in excess of 300 million dollars to "make the company work" because of the ongoing contracts with the Uridium company. It is well known, the SAT phone was poor and often did not function; the requirement to press in excess of 15 keys to connect made the task even more time consuming.

During Operation Anaconda, the SEAL team atop Takur Ghar could not connect to Bagram AB, but had to call the duty officer in Norfolk, VA. All this while taking fire.

In short, DOD contributed to the disaster by not providing these outstanding Americans with the communication required.

I know, because I used a Thuraya SAT phone during my time working in Paktia and Khwost Provinces in 2003. Others who had the Uridium SAT phone would constantly complain..and as such, would ask to use my SAT phone.

A tragic loss that did not have to happen..

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Inspiring, fantastic

A friend recommended this book to me before I left on a recent vacation. He said it had meant so much to him that he planned to buy 20 copies to give to friends. I bought it and read it in 3 days. I'm very thankful for Marcus and his companions. I'm also thankful for all of our SEALs and those who train them. This book inspired me, not just as a person, but as an American. I'd recommend this story to all Americans.

WHAT GUYS MUST DO TO BECOME A NAVY SEAL!

A friend was reading this book and I picked it up at an airport lay-over having a friend who's son became a SEAL a few years ago.

The odds of completing this most rigorus training among ALL the servies and earning the priviledge of wearing the Navy Trident, are very unlikly.
This writer tells in page flipping detail what they must indure and those few who tolerate the unbelievable 24/7 punishment and make it past Hell Week probably will graduate. Sometimes less than 20% make it and these SEAL recruits are seasoned soldiers and most have made it through other demanding physical training including Rangers, Marine training ...some of the guys are even trying it for the second time! One comes away with the greatest respect and graditude for these Special Operations voluntered American Soldiers. No wonder they are respected around the world. Beyong True Grit.

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Great Story; Not-So-Great-Writing

Let's face it -- reviewing true stories of military heroism is tough; you really have to remember to separate the story from the writing. We are all awed by the first part, because each story of heroism stands on its own and is what makes this Country great. As for the second part, however, I will say this once again: there are great warriors and there are great writers, but great warrior-writers are few and far between. "Lone Survivor" proves to be no exception to this rule.

"Lone Survivor" is the story of Marcus Luttrell, a U.S. Navy SEAL (or Special Forces sailor). While on a mission in Afghanistan in June of 2005, Luttrell and three other SEALs comprising the combat team to which Luttrell was assigned come under murderous fire, killing the other three SEALs and launching Luttrell on a journey of survival that is harrowing, gripping, amazing and just about any other adjective you care to throw in there. I'm not going to spend time telling you about what happens because so many other reviewers have already done that. Suffice to say that the fact that this guy is even around to tell his story is no small miracle. Luttrell's survival is a testament to his training, his skill and his dedication to the mission.

If the whole book was just about the mission, I would give it five stars. Unfortunately, the mission part is tied to a "how did I get here" part, which is mostly a complete recap of Luttrell's training to become a SEAL. This dramatic mechanism -- introducing us to the main character through a formative event -- is old, especially in the military genre. Watch "Full Metal Jacket" if you want to know what I'm talking about and want to see it done well.

If you're not committed to doing it, however, it wears on a reader. The training Luttrell underwent was amazing, but there is not any reflection or enough reflection on how it changed or affected Luttrell to make it a worthwhile part of this book. Basically all we learned is that he wanted to be a SEAL his whole life and he passed the training and guess what -- he became a SEAL. There is no discernable change on Luttrell's outlook on life, himself or what he is about to do. Instead, you get the sense that it's just filler to make this book long enough to be worth the money.

Essentially, you could tear this book in half and you would still have just as good a book, if not better. I don't blame Luttrell for this; he's a Navy SEAL, not an author. And I can't tell you how happy we all should be that we have men and women like him who are selflessly dedicated to preserving our rights to do things like, oh, review books online without having to worry about someone from the government showing up at my door with a bullet for my head. But I think Patrick Robinson, the "Contributing Author" of this book, sort of dropped the ball on this one.

Bottom line -- get this book for the second half alone; you won't be sorry!

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reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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