No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden

I'm going to have to change my stance on nonfiction. I'm a very strict "fictionarian" and it takes a lot to pull me from my comfort zone. They hype on this book did a lot to help push me over to the dark side, but the main reason was; I wanted to hear a true narrative from a real-life SEAL. I read books by Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, Ted Bell, and Brad Taylor (to name a few) and enjoy their books immensely! However, while their books are based on true accounts and true warrior-heroes, they aren't the real true stories. THIS is a true story and there was no way I wasn't going to read it. And damn, what a story!Let me be clear about one point from the start: I don't think "Owen" should have told this story. My mantra is simple: "serve and shut the hell up". Soldiers are people like the rest of us and are prone to the same mistakes we all trip over. Sometimes we talk too damn much, hell I know I do. But to write a book and go through the process of telling us about one of the most important missions in the history of the U.S.? Something about that doesn't sit right. Of course in the paradoxical world in which live, I was the first one in line to buy (download) and if I had ANY conviction at all, I wouldn't be supporting the author by doing so. Despite my feelings about "Owen" running off at the mouth, I enjoyed every minute of this book and I don't feel the least bit guilty in saying so.'No Easy Day' is a VERY good book! Any story that gives you a "fly on the wall" perspective into an operation that we only hear (and only in snippets) about is a thrill. This is extremely well written and not choppy or staccato like someone just trying to rush out a tale. `No Easy Day' starts out with a note from the author covering his bases. "This books won't tell you about any secrets", "this book has changed the names of all involved", "this book has been checked by a special attorney", "this book was endorsed by Ronald Reagan in a séance"... whatever. If you have the stones to put out a story like this then don't bother with covering your butt. We get it and we don't need it OK? And the people that need an explanation won't believe anything you have to say anyway.After those few pages we get what we came for: the mission. "Owen" starts off with the team being on a Blackhawk one minute out from the compound on the mission to kill Osama. This story switches from the past to the present but not in a confusing way. In the first part of the book we get a taste of what drove him to want to be a SEAL and the absolute agonizing vetting process these guys go through. Physical doesn't even begin to describe it. Grueling doesn't either. Matter of fact; just throw out every adjective that comes to mind because you won't even come close. These guys are the guys that Alpha Males want to be.We learn about SEAL training, we read about "Owen's" first missions, and we also learn about two million and one military acronyms. You wanna see what Sesame Street would be like if everyone was on crack?! Good heavens! We are taken on missions and we see, in a small way, how SEALs run their operations, and it was a good buildup to why I wanted to read this book in the first place. "Owen" mentions more than a few times about how Hollywood gets these types of movies wrong all the time. Reading about the missions in this book I can see that. One of the best parts of this book was the mission was when they went after the pirates that kidnapped one of our. Remember that? I do. The precision in which they did their job is chilling. And even though I had nothing to do with that mission, I was proud. Borderline giddy.As I alluded to earlier, this book goes from past to present and it does so because "Owen" is setting the foundation for the big story. Bin Laden. As "Owen" says in this book, "this is the mission they all dream about". Not necessarily Bin Laden, but one with implications that will be felt for years, even decades later. After years of tracking and misinformation, the U.S. gets lucky with a bit of Intel and that little bit turns out to be the golden ticket. Enter the SEALs and start the death timer for that animal. In the earlier missions we didn't hear much about the political mumbo-jumbo that must be dealt with. With the hunting of this animal the American PC machine is in full useless bloom! It's so bad the SEALs didn't even believe they would get the green light.One of the most sickening parts of this story was when they were planning the mission with the VIP's, and in the room with these elite, professional, war tested and war proven soldiers... was a lawyer. A freaking lawyer!! This is a quote from this idiot: "If he doesn't pose a threat you will detain him". WHAT?! I was literally yelling at the book, "this is Bin Laden you moron!! What do you mean "if he poses a threat"? "This guy's very life is a threat!!" Typical Washington BS.Stupid comments like that as well as other things done for the betterment of politics, rather than for the betterment of the mission was why the SEALs didn't believe Washington had the courage to say "go". In this case they did and the SEALs did what they do best. This part of the book just flew by because I wanted to know what happened. OK fine, I already knew what happened, but I wanted... more. Make time for this part of the book folks... you'll need it. I reread and highlighted more in the last 1/4 than I did the entire 3/4 of this book. Parts of this mission have their own chapter and the most arresting one was the one entitled "Geronimo". All of the (so called) controversy is worth it when you read this section. That's all I'm going to say about that.Because I usually read the fictional stories I had to tell myself that this was a true and these were real people. Jen was a woman who really stood out. She had a small part in this book but a big part in our real world. And I know that we are talking SEAL this and SEAL that, but "Owen" paints a very detailed picture about the number of people working behind the scene. Of course SEALs usually work behind the scenes (ouch)... I've never served even as I was/am surrounded by people who do. As a layman I didn't see any secrets being given up. True I wouldn't know what to look for, but I do admit that the bigger issue is he spoke, not what he spoke about.Another big issue being bantered around was what "Owen" said about President Obama. Ummmmm... I finished the book and didn't see any disparaging remarks about our President. There are some remarks that were made by teammates that I'm sure were private (again, shut up "Owen") but I didn't see anything disrespectful at all. The only thing I saw were soldiers being soldiers. Soldiers, who were tired of politicians making laws from behind a desk while they put in the work. Tired of burying friends while they bury earmarks. Tired of fighting and detaining the same enemy every thirty days because they are very versed on our laws, and has taken to running and hiding under the constitution of a country they profess to hate and actively seek to destroy. Yeah I see the frustration there and some things will be said in the heat of the moment.That being said, no soldier should publicly say anything negative about the Commander in Chief. Privately... go at it. (Holy crap, am I really at three pages for this review?) OK I better wrap this up. Look, bottom line; if you are looking for a quick very good non-fiction read then I highly, highly recommend this book. Ignore the hype, and to be fair, ignore the good AND bad hype. This is a book that you will need to read personally to draw your own conclusions. No matter your feeling on Mr. "Owen" and his yammering jaw, we can at least agree that the SEALs are an elite and extremely brave type of soldier that America is honored to have on her soil and who will forever be in debt to these men.

2012 will be remembered as the year of Navy SEALs autobiogrpahies. In January there was "American Sniper," the story of Chris Kyle who is America's sniper with the most confirmed kill in military history. Then there is "Seal of God" about a West Coast SEAL who became a Christian. But no SEAL autobiography has been able to generate so much interests and controversy in a short amount of time as this book, the story from one of the SEALs in DEVGRU (more better known with it's old name, SEAL TEAM 6) that was involved in the Operation to get Osama Bin Laden. There's no need to rehearse every detail of that controversy (which is still ongoing and brewing) and surely by writing this book the author has taken a lot of risks. Even as I read other reviews, there is no doubt controversies continues even with how people read and appreciated it (or not appreciate it). I thought some of the reviews of the book tells more about the reviewer's background and values more than the book itself--no doubt my review will reflect a bit of who I am too, but I hope this review will also cause us to reflect more deeply about the last decade of warfare since 9/11, and about our society/culture and perhaps also the question of God and faith too even if you disagree with me.I think to fully appreciate a book at times require one to ask how does it relate and fill a niche in relations to other books of the same subject or genre. So I suppose my review will keep that in consideration and from this angle, "No Easy Day" was definitely a different yet fascinating book. For starters, typically in SEALs biography, everyone gives an account of BUD/S (for the "lay" reader, we can call this SEAL boot camp of six months). This book does not, breaking the mold of the canon of SEALs autobiography. That's because the book goes deeper and further into another world that is rarely mentioned or understood among all the SEALs books out there--the world of DEVGRU, the Navy SEALs highly secretive counter-terrorist group. Sure there is Richard Marcinko's books, who was the founder of DEVGRU back in the 1980s when it was still known as SEAL TEAM 6. But there is little published in book form from an insider about the 21st Century, post 9/11 DEVGRU. The author describes in one of the early chapters of the book his unexpected physical try-out for DEVGRU, his acceptance into Green Squadron (the selection training in order to enter into DEVGRU's command) and his acceptance into the team. His description of the selection and elimination process in Green Squadron is fascinating such as how candidates are required to write down whom they think are the five best candidates and five weakest candidates.Though the author has been deployed around a dozen times this last decade of warfare suprisingly the book does not go into all the blood and gore details of most of his operation prior to the mission to get Osama. You would expect more--but then no doubt that would take away from the main story about the Bin Laden Raid--not to mention that he had to do it all in 336 pages. Readers who have been in the military would have appreciated his account of OIF 1--and things going array in their first mission. It reminds the rest of us in the military that did not serve in a SOF capacity that Navy SEALs are humans also. His account of working with DELTA was also a great insight into the other TIER 1 unit, though I suppose one might get a fuller account with Dalton Fury's book. Going back to this book, the author also revealed his involvement in the Maersk Alabama hijacking rescue operation and his account of it indicate that this kind of operation was welcomed by the SEALs since it was a break from the routine of deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. What I found most intriguing in the author's account of this operation was the fact that he parachuted into the Ocean with a Navy communication guy attached to him who has never done a parachute jump before. One can imagine how frightening that is--and the thought, "No one back home is going to believe this..." I've seen some reviews that complained about all these back story leading up to the Bin Laden raid in the book--you can tell they are pure civilians with no grasp of operational history or biography. But for the readers who are willing to look long and reflect harder, the first half of the book should make you appreciate the incredible amount of sacrifice, skill and dedication of people like Mark Owens who worked so hard to be the best of the best in their job in order to protect us. The account of the amount of sleeping pills these guys take and the weird hours they operate during deployment (what the author calls "Vampire hours") should make us appreciate the toll it takes on these guys--and we are not even yet discussing about the lives and injury involved in what they do.Of course, most of the book was devoted to the raid itself. I learn from this account that it was not any one of the existing four squadrons in DEVGRU take took part in the raid but rather a special gathering of different guys who have been around the block that was gathered. From the standpoint of a military biography with an operational history bent, I thought it was good (but not good to those reviewers who are looking for some existentialists need for "feelings" to be described). Here is where I could not put the book down. The description of him being on the helicopter that crash and the amazing description of him almost falling out since he was hanging out with his legs outside the crammed blackhawk. The amazing miracle of the helicopter handing on it's strongest point on the wall which ended up not causing the rotars to hit the dirt and chaos that would have followed. The raid itself was incredible. Here is where I suppose this review tells more about me than perhaps the author or the book itself. I couldn't help but to note all the things that went wrong or could have went wrong but turned out to have worked miraculously as something amazing enough to provoke in me an awareness of God's providence throughout the raid. It's a reminder that sometimes the bad guys do get their justice here on earth right now--and that skill isn't enough but the providence of God as well.Just as interesting as the raid itself is the author's story of the raid afterwards. His account of Obama and Joe Biden is worth the read. To read of a real member of "Team Six" laughing at the silly things that has been said about them is quite entertaining; he even take on some misconception the ROUGE WARRIOR and the founder of SEAL TEAM 6 himself has said to the media, revealing that Richard Marcinko's comment about DEVGRU being the most arrogant SEALs might be a little out of touch with contemporary DEVGRU.Overall this is a good book. It is a historical account of an important part of history--not just the Navy SEALs, the U.S. military, but to close a chapter for so many Americans who have lost loved one since that fateful day on 9/11 and from the two wars stemming from it. If you ever had shed tears on 9/11 or if you have lost people in this long war--I think this book ought to be on your shelf.

No Easy Day is a book that has possibly attracted the most pre-release media hype during 2012. But does the book meet the expectations of that hype? In this case it does!Without spoiling the read for any future readers, the book is well written and engaging for even readers who do not usually reach for this genre on the bookshelves. The author has attempted to avoid the pitfall of constantly using lots of military abbreviations and jargon.A great deal of the book is devoted to the authors entry into the SEALS, SEAL training, and missions in Iraq and Afghanistan prior to the raid of Osama Bin Laden's compound. Why this part of the book may not address the primary reason why most people will select this book, the raid on Bin Laden's compound, it does give an insight into how the SEALS are selected, train and work.For obvious reasons this book does not provide a great deal of information about all the intelligence community work that went on to actually trace Bin Laden's compound. Quite rightly, as this part of the work was outside the authors sphere of involvement in the mission, and this is part of the story that will have to wait to be told so not to damage the work being undertaken by the intelligence community.The epilogue of the book is quite unusual. It is a statement justifying the author releasing the story of the raid. It almost appears to be an opening statement that would be read at the opening of defences case at the beginning of a court case - will this book land the author in court? Watch this space!

As most people have said, I read this in a couple of days. It is easy to read and doesn't leave you bamboozled with lots of technical jargon. Before its release, a lot of people connected to the Armed Forces in the US, especially Navy Seals and Pentagon, seemed to think that this was the act of a traitor and would reveal 'secrets'. I would like to know their opinions now as the book does nothing but show us how proud the author was to be a Seal and how much respect he has for his fellow Seals. Yes, his account of the actual moment of killing Bin Laden differs slightly from that of the 'official' version but there are no real surprises/revelations of a sensitive nature here that should worry those people in the DoD/Pentagon/Seal community. This book just makes you have respect for these men and their abilities/skills even more. This is just a great 'first-hand' account and I recommend it to anyone interested in this sort of book.

I would recommend "The Operator" rather but ok written. The book lacks the raw humor of The Operator and many times seems to reveal an unecessary amount of detailed information which is less relevant for the generic reader but more relevant for someone actually looking for information, in my personal non-professional opinion. The "jumps" in the timeline can be big and sudden and leave you with the feeling of "ok, how did we end up from there to here in the timeline?".But absolutely an interesting read in general but I l miss the humor and sometimes some background-explanatiom would have been nice in some situations the writer tells about. Well worth the money though.

This is a very accessible account of the author's time as a US Navy Seal, spanning much of his career, and not just the raid to kill UBL.An interesting account of life in the Seals, a little light on detail which can leave the discerning reader, with more questions than answers, though as the author acknowledges, this is in part down to operational necessity. Purposefully does not cover the politics behind the operation, which is arguably the more interesting part.Overall an interesting read for anyone interested in the demise of UBL and / or the Navy Seals.

Extraordinary superheroes they say they are not, i have to disagree. This book is incredible reading, with a constant drive throughout depicting the arduous training, drilling and preparation that requires the ultimate polish and dedication to succeed.