Released right after the capture of Osama bin Laden by SEAL Team Six, this memoir of a SEAL Team Six sniper became extremely popular and is a well-written, detailed account of Howard Wasdin's life before, during, and after his participation in this elite force. The best navy officers become SEALs and elite SEALs join SEAL Team Six which was created after a failure to rescue American hostages in Iran in 1980. The motto oft-repeated in this book is "The more you train in peace, the less you bleed in war."
Members of SEAL Team Six go through rigorous training, barely sleeping four hours per night and are subject to twenty hours of physical training per day. However, Wasdin's account of the team isn't just about the physical training; it's also about the mental preparation, something that he was already equipped for as a result of having an abusive stepfather when he was a child. If Wasdin didn't pick up all the pecans lining their driveway, he was whipped with a belt, even if the pecans had fallen after he got done cleaning them up. As a result, he learned to cope with fear and keep his feelings under control even in extremely strenuous situations.
As a member of SEAL Team Six, Wasdin was involved in the operation in Mogadishu which formed of the basis of the Ridley Scott film, Black Hawk Down. He describes how brutal the conditions were and how even this elite corps was taken by surprise. Wasdin was shot in both legs during this operation and was afraid he might have to have them amputated. After leaving SEAL Team Six, Wasdin got a degree from Life University in Marietta, Georgia and currently works as a chiropractor.
SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper was jointly written by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin. Wasdin is a former member of SEAL Team Six who underwent an abusive childhood before his foray into the navy. He was involved in the SEAL Team Six operation in Mogadishu and currently works as a chiropractor.
Download SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper now and get an in-depth look at the training necessary to join this elite corps and the dangerous missions they are sent to tackle.
Stephen Templin was also a member of the navy before going to Japan where he practiced the martial art aikido. Currently, he lives in Dallas-Fort Worth and teaches English, applied linguistics and intercultural communication. He has a Ph.D. in Education and has written three books in collaboration with Howard Wasdin.
"This was a great book that took you inside Seal Team Six before they really became famous. Wasdin did a great job describing Team life from BUDs to real world operations on current battlefields. I was hooked from the start and couldn't pull myself away until I was finished."
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Jay (5 out of 5 stars)