Enemies, Foreign and Domestic

July 11, 2016
In this brief chronicle, Higbie (Battle on the Home Front: A Navy SEAL's Mission to save the American) describes his nine-year career as a Navy SEAL, including his two tours in combat and his forced dismissal from the service. This book is less overtly political than his previous work, which had caused trouble with the military brass. There is good information on military service here, but much is missing or left unsaid. The book's best parts are Higbie's descriptions of his SEAL team training and the story of his somewhat wild youth before his time in the Navy (otherwise there is little on his personal life). The descriptions of SEAL combat in Iraq are short but well done. The last quarter relates the tribulations Higbie endured at the hands of the Navy and his SEAL chain of commandâincluding being dischargedâafter publishing the controversial book Battle on the Home Front. Their response was arguably heavy-handed, and Higbie demonstrates the power of the military bureaucracy and how it can be used to intimidate and suppress bad news and dissent in the ranks. The book is somewhat disjointed, but readers interested in special operations and SEAL history will find it informative.