Navy SEALs

November 17, 2014
Despite the title, much of what former SEAL Couch (Sheriff of Ramadi) and historian Doyle (American Gun, with Chris Kyle) cover has been shared elsewhere, but they fill a niche among the voluminous, recent accounts of Navy SEAL operations by linking the pre-9/11 history of the SEALs to the extensive combat operations conducted since. The authors claim that this is the only history of the SEALs that covers the entire period of the SEALs' existence, and they tell the story through a series of vignettes selected to capture the essence of the SEAL combat experience. Beginning with the SEALs' WWII predecessors, the Navy Underwater Demolitions Teams, Couch and Doyle present personal experiences of individual SEAL unit veterans, often through interviews with the authors. The authors also highlight historical aspects of SEAL operations and training that continue to be important today, such as explaining the origin of the relationship between SEALS and the CIA. Though serious students of special operations warfare will find little new material here, it is an entertaining and informative read for a general audience.

November 1, 2014

Billed as the complete history of this special forces group, retired SEAL Couch (Always Faithful, Always Forward) and historian Doyle (coauthor, American Gun) detail the evolution of the SEALs from World War II through the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan with stops along the way in Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, Grenada, and Panama. Told chronologically, the work reads more like an oral history than a complete chronicle. The authors provide little analysis and don't spend enough time contextualizing events within a larger framework. Nevertheless, once the narrative moves toward the present, their writing gains focus and the text is more compelling, if at times still choppy and disjointed. Couch and Doyle do an admirable job in portraying the demanding training, highlighting the wide range of hazardous situations, and underscoring the bravery that Navy SEALs have engaged in with each operation. VERDICT Published to coincide with a PBS documentary of the same name scheduled to air on Veterans Day, this title will be essential reading for military buffs. Documentary watchers and interested general readers will also enjoy this work. [See Prepub Alert, 6/2/14.]--Chris Sauder, Round Rock P.L., TX

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