First published 2014
Richard Miniter takes readers inside the secretive world of Navy SEALs through firsthand accounts from active and former operators. The book exposes major operations that shaped American military history, from the formation of SEAL Team Six under Lt. Cmdr. Richard Marcinko to the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. SEALs describe the failed Operation Eagle Claw in Iran, devastating losses in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Benghazi attack where a retired SEAL sniper and his small team fought off one hundred terrorists while their calls for backup went ignored. Miniter and co-author Scott McEwen conducted extensive interviews with SEAL leadership, including SEAL Team Six founder Marcinko and former commander Ryan Zinke. One chapter recounts the only instance in US military history where one Medal of Honor recipient saved another. These warriors operate by their own demanding code, ready to bypass politics and bureaucracy when American lives hang in the balance. The book reveals how SEALs maintain their reputation as the world's most feared anti-terrorist unit through unwavering commitment and refusal to surrender under any circumstances.
Genres: military-fiction, action, non-fiction, military-history
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: insider-account, true-story
Setting: Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Benghazi
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
400 pages · Hardcover · Center Street
Content warnings: violence