Book Review: Seal Team Six

[alfsauve]

[I think we all knew it came out after Bin Laden was killed, but I don't think anyone has review it here.   From my summer vacation reading...]

Seal Team Six is the autobiographical story of Dr Howard Wasdin (co-authored by Stephen Templin) who was a member of the real Seal Team Six and was part of the Battle of Mogadishu.  Wasdin received the Silver Star for his actions and was medically discharged after 12 years of service.

The book is well written and takes the reader from Wasdin's not-so-great childhood though all the aspects of seal training.  (Some names and events were changed to protect operatives and to not breech still classified missions.)   His childhood, with a overly strict father, is helped prepare him for the Seals.  By learning to suffer through the beatings his father gave, Wasdin was able to make it through the torturous training regimen of the Seals without giving in.  The details of Seal training, which never really ends, are fascinating.  It is amazing the extent that the trainers go to make life unbearable for the Seals.   "Cold" seems to be one of the main ingredients  (remind me if I ever go there to go in the summer time.)     Trainers will take students to stage 2 hypothermia and offer them a cup of hot chocolate and a blanket if they'll just ring the bell!   The book also covers the battle of Mogadishu, which for the most part is unclassified and it is commonly known that there were many poor decisions by military planners and handlers.  Wasdin's part in this action and the view from his position help add to provide a more complete picture of what happened.

As Wasdin, (now a chiropractor in Georgia) points out a trainee can "opt" out of seals by ringing the bell, but they also can be disqualified for not meeting psychological or intelligence criteria, or by failing physically.  The training in weapons being only a part of what they learn.   Seals must know mechanics, electronics, psychology, you-name-it, because they never know what the next assignment will require.  From sniping to reprogramming a computer network.

What surprised me was that some were failed during the drown proofing course for being too muscular!   It would be like telling Mr America, sorry you've got too much muscle!  Drown proofing requires that you have to ability to float and those whose physique is void of fat tissue can't do this.   I can relate to this in that I went through drowning proofing under Crankshaft (the inventor) and thoroughly enjoyed it, though there were moments of terror.  My partner was a gymnast on scholarship, he sank like a rock.    I guess the ability to pass drown proofing is considered an extremely high priority, more so than sheer muscle.

The book was a good read, and gives a different point of view of Mogadishu than of other stories of that battle.   However, if stories of torturous training keep you up at night this may not be a good choice.