Service: A Navy SEAL at War by Marcus Luttrell
Kirkus Reviews –
A Navy combat veteran showcases the deadly operations in Iraq,
promoting American military duty as ennobling in the service of humanity. In
something of a sequel to his first book (Lone Survivor,
2007), Luttrell chronicles his missions preserving democracy for America. Much
of this book, co-authored by Hornfischer (Neptune's Inferno: The U.S.
Navy at Guadalcanal, 2011, etc.), is set in Ramadi, an especially
bloody Iraqi outpost. During their time in Iraq, his SEAL combat brothers
killed perceived enemies, suffered countless wounds, and died at a rapid pace,
making the narrative occasionally difficult to follow. In some chapters, battle
tactics predominate, and the sentences are quick and graphic. Other chapters
aren't as violent, as Luttrell explains why some men answer the call of war no
matter the risk to themselves or their loved ones. The author seeks to explain
the honor of military service to the vast majority of readers who have never
experienced it. Luttrell is mostly silent about questions of whether inserting
U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan ever made sense in terms of American
foreign policy. He followed his military commanders because of his belief in
their knowledge and motivation. Though George W. Bush appears in the book
multiple times, Luttrell seems unable to grasp the ferocity of the opposition
the president faced at home and abroad. Toward the end of the book, the author
departs from Iraq and expands on his earlier book by discussing the war in
Afghanistan, and he devotes a chapter to military wives, who understandably
worry every day about their men in combat. An action-packed, occasionally
reflective saga of contemporary military service.
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It
Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership by Colin Powell
Kirkus
Reviews –
With
the collaboration of Koltz (co-author: Leading
the Charge: Leadership Lessons from the Battlefield to the Boardroom,
2009, etc.), Powell picks up the thread of his life story. The author rose in
the military to become "the first black Army officer to have a four-star
troop command." He was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the
first Iraq war and served as secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. The release
of his first book, My American Journey(2003), fueled a groundswell
campaign to nominate him for president in the upcoming election. However, he
recognized that he was not cut out for the job despite his proven leadership
strengths. He describes how, as he advanced in rank, his military training also
prepared him for his role in government. He learned the importance of always
focusing on the mission, being resolute in the face of danger and setbacks, not
being governed by ego and maintaining a can-do spirit (with the proviso, "I
try to be optimistic, but I try not to be stupid"). A good leader, he
writes, accepts responsibility for the failure of those in his command, but
makes sure to reward them for their successful missions. Unlike the corporate
world, the Army recruits from within its ranks, which makes recognizing
potential and providing continuing education a primary concern. Powell reviews
his profound disagreements with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice
President Dick Cheney on the handling of the war in Iraq, while taking full
responsibility for mistakes made on his watch--e.g., his "infamous speech
at the U.N. in 2003" claiming that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass
destruction. An inspiring and useful memoir from a significant figure in
21st-century American politics.
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Fearless: The Undaunted
Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown by Eric Blehm
From the publisher –
Fearless takes
you deep into SEAL Team SIX, straight to the heart of one of its most legendary
operators.
When Navy SEAL Adam Brown woke up on March 17, 2010, he didn’t know he would die that night in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan—but he was ready: In a letter to his children, not meant to be seen unless the worst happened, he wrote, “I’m not afraid of anything that might happen to me on this earth, because I know no matter what, nothing can take my spirit from me.”
Long before Adam Brown became a member of the elite SEAL Team SIX—the counterterrorism unit that took down Osama bin Laden—he was a fun-loving country boy from Hot Springs, Arkansas, whose greatest goal had been to wear his high school’s football jersey. An undersized daredevil, prone to jumping off roofs into trees and off bridges into lakes, Adam was a kid who broke his own bones but would never break a promise to his parents.
But after high school, Adam fell in with the wrong crowd and his family watched as his appetite for risk dragged him into a downward spiral that eventually landed him in jail. Battling his inner demons on a last-chance road to redemption, Adam had one goal: to become the best of the best—a US Navy SEAL.
An absorbing chronicle of heroism and humanity, Fearless presents an indelible portrait of a highly trained warrior who would enter a village with weapons in hand to hunt terrorists, only to come back the next day with an armload of shoes and meals for local children. It is a deeply personal, revealing glimpse inside the SEAL Team SIX brotherhood that also shows how these elite operators live out the rest of their lives, away from danger, as husbands, fathers and friends.
Fearless is the story of a man of extremes, whose courage and determination was fueled by faith, family, and the love of a woman. It’s about a man who waged a war against his own worst impulses and persevered to reach the top tier of the US military. Always the first to volunteer for the most dangerous assignments, Adam’s final act of bravery led to the ultimate sacrifice.
Adam Brown was a devoted man who was an unlikely hero but a true warrior, described by all who knew him as fearless.
When Navy SEAL Adam Brown woke up on March 17, 2010, he didn’t know he would die that night in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan—but he was ready: In a letter to his children, not meant to be seen unless the worst happened, he wrote, “I’m not afraid of anything that might happen to me on this earth, because I know no matter what, nothing can take my spirit from me.”
Long before Adam Brown became a member of the elite SEAL Team SIX—the counterterrorism unit that took down Osama bin Laden—he was a fun-loving country boy from Hot Springs, Arkansas, whose greatest goal had been to wear his high school’s football jersey. An undersized daredevil, prone to jumping off roofs into trees and off bridges into lakes, Adam was a kid who broke his own bones but would never break a promise to his parents.
But after high school, Adam fell in with the wrong crowd and his family watched as his appetite for risk dragged him into a downward spiral that eventually landed him in jail. Battling his inner demons on a last-chance road to redemption, Adam had one goal: to become the best of the best—a US Navy SEAL.
An absorbing chronicle of heroism and humanity, Fearless presents an indelible portrait of a highly trained warrior who would enter a village with weapons in hand to hunt terrorists, only to come back the next day with an armload of shoes and meals for local children. It is a deeply personal, revealing glimpse inside the SEAL Team SIX brotherhood that also shows how these elite operators live out the rest of their lives, away from danger, as husbands, fathers and friends.
Fearless is the story of a man of extremes, whose courage and determination was fueled by faith, family, and the love of a woman. It’s about a man who waged a war against his own worst impulses and persevered to reach the top tier of the US military. Always the first to volunteer for the most dangerous assignments, Adam’s final act of bravery led to the ultimate sacrifice.
Adam Brown was a devoted man who was an unlikely hero but a true warrior, described by all who knew him as fearless.
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