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Frogman Stories: Life and Leadership Lessons from the SEAL Teams
A compelling look at US Navy SEALs through a true-to-life lens focused on the triumphs and challenges of the elite warriors of the Special Forces community. Master Chief (SEAL) Rick Kaiser (Ret.) captures over 45 years of events in and around the SEAL Teams. It is not a blood-and-guts portrayal of battlefield victories and losses, but an authentic view of how things are done in the Teams. The SEALs truly are silent professionals and the most memorable stories often don’t feature combat but are the moments that shape these exceptional warriors.
A Silver Star recipient for his leadership during the battle of Mogadishu—“Black Hawk Down”—and a prominent member of both SEAL Team TWO and SEAL Team Six, Rick has been recognized throughout his career for his courage, commitment, and fortitude. Continuing to serve the SEALs as Chief Operating Officer of the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, Rick is the perfect person to tell the Navy SEAL story the way it really is, sharing the life and leadership lessons he learned along the way.
A Silver Star recipient for his leadership during the battle of Mogadishu—“Black Hawk Down”—and a prominent member of both SEAL Team TWO and SEAL Team Six, Rick has been recognized throughout his career for his courage, commitment, and fortitude. Continuing to serve the SEALs as Chief Operating Officer of the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, Rick is the perfect person to tell the Navy SEAL story the way it really is, sharing the life and leadership lessons he learned along the way.
216 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2023
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25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 16, 2025
Kaiser served in the TEAMS in the 80s and 90s and then worked as civilian support for several more years. At the time of writing these book he is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum and is working to preserve the history of Navy special forces community.
Why I started this book: I love a good Navy SEAL biography and I do seek them out.
Why I finished it: I'm drawn to the Navy SEAL genre because I love the insistence that anyone can be a SEAL; it just takes mental toughness and patriotism. And then they follow it up with the casual mention that 60 people dropped out of their BUDS class. The complete disconnect between these widely held beliefs plus the crazy stories are what make this genre great.
But I was less enchanted by the juxtaposition of that it was just fine to have a public demonstration of a military working dog unleashed on someone wearing a Kaepernick jersey to force them to stand at a Navy SEAL museum without considering where else police dogs had been used to enforce political compliance on Americans... say like in Birmingham. And don't worry, Kaiser never mentioned the name Kaepernick so it was all just hypothetical and over blown wokeness that prompted an online reaction to these videos in 2020. You can take it from him, and the stadium full of people cheered at the live demonstration in 2018. Sidenote: Claiming that you weren't/aren't racist because a stadium full of people cheered for you is not the definition of racism. Not to mention the countless pictures we have of cheering stadiums in 1930s Germany.... so...
I did appreciate Kaiser's talking about SEALs exercise no matter the circumstances and maintain their fitness no matter the food supply. Which is something that I will be thinking more about as I restart my own exercise routine once again. I was also interested in his story with the TEAMs pre-9/11 and how much time he spent on cold weather training because they were preparing to fight the USSR.
Why I started this book: I love a good Navy SEAL biography and I do seek them out.
Why I finished it: I'm drawn to the Navy SEAL genre because I love the insistence that anyone can be a SEAL; it just takes mental toughness and patriotism. And then they follow it up with the casual mention that 60 people dropped out of their BUDS class. The complete disconnect between these widely held beliefs plus the crazy stories are what make this genre great.
But I was less enchanted by the juxtaposition of that it was just fine to have a public demonstration of a military working dog unleashed on someone wearing a Kaepernick jersey to force them to stand at a Navy SEAL museum without considering where else police dogs had been used to enforce political compliance on Americans... say like in Birmingham. And don't worry, Kaiser never mentioned the name Kaepernick so it was all just hypothetical and over blown wokeness that prompted an online reaction to these videos in 2020. You can take it from him, and the stadium full of people cheered at the live demonstration in 2018. Sidenote: Claiming that you weren't/aren't racist because a stadium full of people cheered for you is not the definition of racism. Not to mention the countless pictures we have of cheering stadiums in 1930s Germany.... so...
I did appreciate Kaiser's talking about SEALs exercise no matter the circumstances and maintain their fitness no matter the food supply. Which is something that I will be thinking more about as I restart my own exercise routine once again. I was also interested in his story with the TEAMs pre-9/11 and how much time he spent on cold weather training because they were preparing to fight the USSR.
March 19, 2025
This quick but interesting read is full of stories from Frogman history, especially the author’s own time in the SEAL teams. Some of the account might cause people to roll their eyes if portrayed in film, but it’s “just another day in the life of the SEAL teams.” Kaiser gives his opinion on several past and present issues facing the military and politics. It’s helpful to hear about these things from someone on the inside. Most helpful are the leadership lessons he highlights throughout the book. Many of these are transferable to other occupations and everyday life.
July 30, 2024
I have gotten to know Rick the past 6 years by volunteering at a family friends charity in New Hampshire, Swim With a Mission, which serves to support veterans. He wrote this book and gave me a signed copy which I’ll have, proudly displayed on my bookshelf, forever.
REVIEW:
Through writing about his time in the United States Navy Seals, Rick paints a picture of the sacrifice and selflessness it takes to be great at what you do and thrive in a team setting. For anyone looking to learn a bit more about the Seals, this book is for you, but where I think the book truly thrives is for people that can garner the lessons embedded within the pages to apply to their daily life. Discipline, patience, teamwork, communication, and hard work are all traits that are talked about and are traits that aren’t exclusive to the Seals but also apply to everyday civilians looking to be successful.
Great read and inspiring man.
REVIEW:
Through writing about his time in the United States Navy Seals, Rick paints a picture of the sacrifice and selflessness it takes to be great at what you do and thrive in a team setting. For anyone looking to learn a bit more about the Seals, this book is for you, but where I think the book truly thrives is for people that can garner the lessons embedded within the pages to apply to their daily life. Discipline, patience, teamwork, communication, and hard work are all traits that are talked about and are traits that aren’t exclusive to the Seals but also apply to everyday civilians looking to be successful.
Great read and inspiring man.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews