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| Source: Amazon.com |
From the book’s cover:
For the first time anywhere, the first-person account of the planning and execution of the Bin Laden raid from a Navy Seal who confronted the terrorist mastermind and witnessed his final moments.
From the streets of Iraq to the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips in the Indian Ocean, and from the mountaintops of Afghanistan to the third floor of Osama Bin Laden’s compound, operator Mark Owen of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group--commonly known as SEAL Team Six-- has been a part of some of the most memorable special operations in history, as well as countless missions that never made headlines.
No Easy Day puts readers alongside Owen and the other handpicked members of the twenty-four-man team as they train for the biggest mission of their lives. The blow-by-blow narrative of the assault, beginning with the helicopter crash that could have ended Owen’s life straight through to the radio call confirming Bin Laden’s death, is an essential piece of modern history.
In No Easy Day, Owen also takes readers onto the field of battle in America’s ongoing War on Terror and details the selection and training process for one of the most elite units in the military. Owen’s story draws on his youth in Alaska and describes the SEALs’ quest to challenge themselves at the highest levels of physical and mental endurance. With boots-on-the-ground detail, Owen describes numerous previously unreported missions that illustrate the life and work of a SEAL and the evolution of the team after the events of September 11. In telling the true story of the SEALs whose talents, skills, experiences, and exceptional sacrifices led to one of the greatest victories in the War on Terror, Mark Owen honors the men who risk everything for our country, and he leaves readers with a deep understanding of the warriors who keep America safe.
The Review:
Taking things backwards, I especially liked what the author of No Easy Day, Mark Owen, said at the end. About the two things people can do to "support the cause." The first one especially, which was "Live a life of meaning." That isn't exactly what was said, but it went something to the effect that people should not just live, but live with a purpose. Give something back to the society and country that gives so much on your behalf. The other thing was to donate financially to organizations that support the families of fallen Navy Seals, which is a nice gesture as well.
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| Since the author of No Easy Day uses a pseudonym, I chose to use this image that shows the cover of the book (slightly different than the one from Amazon) and the main topic of the story, Osama Bin Laden / Source: alarabiya.net |
How was the book though? No Easy Day was fairly engrossing. The young man who narrates his tale (his name changed for security and privacy, he says) has a lot of fascinating things to say. The stories of getting into "Dev Gru" (Seal Team Six) and the missions afterward were colorful. It is certainly exciting stuff. The operation to get Bin Laden is especially eye-opening. If these things are to be taken at face value, Bin Laden did not stand up for himself when the SEALs raided his compound. In fact, it appears he had little intention to do so, as two nearby firearms were not loaded. Bin Laden was shot in the head when he poked his head around a corner. If anything, the account of this attack proves the value of those incredibly expensive night vision systems that Spec Ops guys use. It would seem clear that being able to shoot a bad guy who pokes his head out is invaluable, when you are trying to keep friendly casualties at a minimum.
The stuff about the mission and the men who were caught at the compound on that particular night reads as good as fiction. If you didn't know this was based on the actual recalled memories of those present, and the semi-official accounts given, you'd think it was just somebody's idea of a good "Super Terrorist" hunting thriller novel.
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| As stated, the account of the actual raid on Bin Laden's compound was nail-biting stuff. / Source: Independent.co.uk |
The book's language use is coarse, as could be expected, but only when referencing events. One thing I could understand but found rather disgusting was the part where the SEAL team leader begins pranking his men by placing a sex toy found during a practice session (in a U.S. urban area) inside people's gas masks and then in their food and such. The locker room humor is understandable, and I know it was included to show the human side of these machine-like warriors, but the sheer disgusting nature of the item and the way it is used on the soldiers turned my stomach a bit. Not subtle at all.
The stories of missions themselves is the most interesting part of the book, and here is where you get your money's worth. The author describes the hardships it took just to get into Dev Gru, and then a variety of missions that he was a part of prior to the one in 2011 which resulted in Bin Laden's death. As for the details of this harrowing mission, this is worth the price of admission alone. Having read No Easy Day, I would like to also see the recently released (as of my notes, that is) Zero Dark Thirty film and see how it compares.
[Author's note: I did go ahead and rent Zero Dark Thirty, and the subsequent review is included in this blog. Check it out for my comparison.]
Learn more about No Easy Day: The Autobiography of a Navy Seal: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden on Amazon.com
The parting comment:
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| Source: LOLSnaps.com |
Kids at the school I work at sometimes ask me if I play Call of Duty. I respond that I don't have time for video games anymore. Truth be told, I actually would say two things in response, if they'd fathom what my reply meant. First of all, paintball beats any online video game. After all, paintballs sting if they hit you right. Almost no question as to whether it's a fair hit or not. And two? Real life is much weirder than any video game.
A two-for-one parting comment for today. I know the following music video has nothing to do with the book reviewed, but hey - who says everything has to make sense?
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