No Easy Day

With the movie Zero Dark Thirty appearing in theaters, you also may be interested in No Easy Day, which was written under a pseudonym by a US service member who was at the killing of Osama Bin Laden. His real name has since been published and he is currently under investigation by the Pentagon for violation of the nondisclosure agreements he signed as a SEAL. That's the background on the author.

The book opens with an author's note explaining why he wrote the book (basically he was tired of all the misinformation that had been put out) explaining that he had an attorney vet the manuscript. He sounds absolutely sincere. Proceeds from the book are going to a fund for SEAL families.

The first chapter has the author and his team flying into the Abbottabad compound on a helicopter that is about to crash. All team members were crowded into the open doors getting ready to rappel down when the helicopter became unstable and started down. The story line then shifts back to 2004.

By 2004 the twin towers had been destroyed and the United States was embroiled in the conflicts in Iraq.  The author is now a SEAL and is starting his final qualifications. He gives some information on the SEAL training for something called the Green Team. This consists of 9 months of  intense training.  From this group comes the infamous SEAL Team 6, which is actually part of the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), the Navy counter intelligence group. Green team training results in the elite group of SEALS.

The book is interesting. He does give information on training, equipment, and missions he was part of. The author mentions names, but assures the reader they are not the real names of his team members. He keeps repeating that these men are actually so focused on accomplishing their missions that "just meeting the standards wasn't good enough."

The book reads like any other thriller starring special forces characters. Filled with blood, honor, mission focus, very cool and expensive weapons  and bad guys. This book just happens to be true. It was interesting to read, but I wish the book had a glossary, because there are acronyms throughout. A true guy book.

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