SEAL Warrior

May 18, 2009
This testosterone-laced memoir depicts an admirable member of an elite navy SEAL unit and his service in Vietnam. Volunteering in 1963, Keith underwent the ruthless training designed to eliminate candidates lacking the ability to endure pain, exhaustion and humiliation, or sufficient luck to avoid injury. Once he deploys to Vietnam in 1968, military buffs can settle back to enjoy over 200 pages of intense, small-unit action as Keith and his comrades wreak havoc among the Vietcong and relax by engaging in adolescent horseplay. The author delivers a superb, nuts-and-bolts account of the weapons, gear, preparation and tactics his unit employed; he includes frustrations along with triumphs. After three six-month tours, Keith was aware that the Vietnamese still did not trust their government to protect them, but blames America’s withdrawal on self-serving politicians. Experts agree that killing insurgents never defeats an insurgency, but despite the lack of insight, this is an excellent chronicle of superbly skilled warriors at work. 8 pages of b&w photos.