Book Reviews

I picked up this book because of a recommendation by Chris Kyle in his book, published just before his murder. Did not know what to expect except another Navy Seal story. However, this book is so much more.

It begins on the way to the action, the mission that would change many lives and take away many as well. Then we flash back to training and he covers quite a lot of the Navy Seal phases, which are very interesting to read about. You definitely learn the meaning of a truly challenging ordeal. Doing Mud Runs is nice, but I’m certain it is a cakewalk compared to real SEAL training.

You also learn that Lattrell is not pleased with the media or the politicians that pass laws making military personnel quite paranoid about carrying out their missions. Granted, people have to ensure murder isn’t carried out, but if it’s done to the extreme, then the soldiers fighting for their country end up getting prosecuted for doing their jobs. What’s admirable is that they still are willing to go out and risk their lives, even with very one-sides rules of engagement. What frustrates Lattrell and others is that the enemy has no such rules.

The situation with the goatherds is probably the most debatable. That’s the big Catch-22 of the book. And it’s really hard to say what the best decision would have been. Luckily, nearly all of us back home will never face those kinds of life or death ordeals.

Overall, you really get an idea, however brief, of what sort of sacrifices military volunteers make to protect this country’s freedom. We owe them a great deal. Thus, I highly recommend this novel.

I hear the movie is good, but the book is needed to really understand the author’s positioning on matters both abroad and at home.