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The Unit: My Life Fighting Terrorists as One of America's Most Secret Military Operatives
Ameen al-Gammal immigrated from Egypt at age 19 speaking no English, joined the Army to pay back the debt he felt he owed his new country, and rose through the ranks to join the military’s most secret unit to successfully fight and eliminate the same terrorists he had faced as a child—and who hurt the people in his new home.
304 pages, Paperback
Published July 22, 2025
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5977 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
March 1, 2024
Not the book I was expecting, however, it’s a good story and it’s well written . It’s not a book that focuses on door kicking and gunfights , although there’s some of it , it’s more about an individual’s American Dream .
March 27, 2024
Fascinating book.
I enjoyed the entirety of this book, and looked forward to being able to pick it back up, when I stopped listening. The author walks a fine line of background with his childhood and youth in Egypt, emigrating to the US, and his life in the US Army.
I was impressed by how few details he gave us about his actual work and training in "The Unit", without making it feel like it was all empty words and a story with no meat on it. He threaded in quite a large amount of childhood stories, religion, and personal philosophy without making it feel like filler. It just fit well with the narrative.
I'm adding this guy to my list of "people I'd like to go on a run with".
The narrator of the audiobook did a great job bringing the story to life, so a recommend for the audiobook, if that's available to you.
I enjoyed the entirety of this book, and looked forward to being able to pick it back up, when I stopped listening. The author walks a fine line of background with his childhood and youth in Egypt, emigrating to the US, and his life in the US Army.
I was impressed by how few details he gave us about his actual work and training in "The Unit", without making it feel like it was all empty words and a story with no meat on it. He threaded in quite a large amount of childhood stories, religion, and personal philosophy without making it feel like filler. It just fit well with the narrative.
I'm adding this guy to my list of "people I'd like to go on a run with".
The narrator of the audiobook did a great job bringing the story to life, so a recommend for the audiobook, if that's available to you.
March 9, 2024
A fantastic memoir! Well-written, well-told, and just a great read altogether.
The best part? The Unit explains the reasoning behind some of the less told and least understood missions we have ongoing today. Well worth the read.
The best part? The Unit explains the reasoning behind some of the less told and least understood missions we have ongoing today. Well worth the read.
March 24, 2024
The Unit is one of the best books I’ve read this year. A gripping account of one man’s fight against terrorism and of service to his country. A story about an Egyptian Muslim immigrant looking for the American Dream.
The writing flows beautifully, like a conversation with a friend. The author tells his own story of the lessons he learned from his father, his journey to America, joining the Army, and his selection into ‘The Unit.’ Authenticity comes through every page as he describes some of his deployments with honesty, humanity, tolerance, and sprinkled with humor.
The Unit is a human story. One of sacrifice, courage, inclusion and forging bonds among military teammates. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
The writing flows beautifully, like a conversation with a friend. The author tells his own story of the lessons he learned from his father, his journey to America, joining the Army, and his selection into ‘The Unit.’ Authenticity comes through every page as he describes some of his deployments with honesty, humanity, tolerance, and sprinkled with humor.
The Unit is a human story. One of sacrifice, courage, inclusion and forging bonds among military teammates. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
February 24, 2024
Excellent glimpse into the life of an immigrant coming from humble roots to the tip of the spear.
February 24, 2024
Inspirational American with an amazing story
A “foreigner right off the boat” with hardly any knowledge English, struggling to adjust to his new home country and then defending it with his own life. That’s a story of a true patriot. He gives a very insightful perspective of a Muslim Arab American, who became a special operations soldier and fought for the United States following 9/11. He is an example of how effective our military and federal agencies can be when integrating the immigrant community in national defense. His is a story worth reading and I highly recommend this book.
A “foreigner right off the boat” with hardly any knowledge English, struggling to adjust to his new home country and then defending it with his own life. That’s a story of a true patriot. He gives a very insightful perspective of a Muslim Arab American, who became a special operations soldier and fought for the United States following 9/11. He is an example of how effective our military and federal agencies can be when integrating the immigrant community in national defense. His is a story worth reading and I highly recommend this book.
September 7, 2024
Less meathead than a lot of similar genre books, and with a good message about how to address some of the remaining / enduring challenges the author encountered. Humanizing in a way that resonates if you’ve been around this community and instructs if you have not. There are many people with strong convictions doing difficult things. Their experiences build beliefs that are self-reinforcing and can result in imbalances afterward. This book shows what maintaining that balance might look like, while also demonstrating the cost at which it comes. If it looks interesting, read it.
February 22, 2024
Incredibly boring and exhausting life story. Awful flow.
April 1, 2024
It was hard to balance between protecting national interest and writing a story appealing to the readers. I hope we did a good job. AG
May 8, 2025
An interesting and gripping memoir that details the jounery of an Egyptian imigrate from his childhood in Alexandria to a member of the U.S. military’s most secretive special operations unit, referred to only as "the Unit" due to its classified nature. Written with humor, humility, and suspense, The Unit is both a thrilling war memoir and a thought-provoking look at immigration, patriotism, and the sacrifices of America’s special forces.
March 31, 2024
The Unit was an excellent listen from start to finish. It tells the story of pride, conviction, resilience and love of family - all of life’s relationships, regardless of race, religion and culture. So inspiring. I wish more Americans were of his mindset and elk.
April 15, 2025
A well-written and engaging work.
Much of the book deals with Gamal’s human experience as an immigrant in America. He also notes that he sometimes frequented the mosque led by the “blind sheikh,” Omar Abdel Rahman. I’m sure many readers will be more interested in the details of his career in the Activity, and details about that unit’s training course or operations, given how secretive that unit is, but, there’ll probably be less about this than you like.
If you’ve read up on the limited source material out there about the Activity, however, you’ll be interested in reading firsthand accounts of certain episodes you may be familiar with, like the hunt for Saddam Hussein, and JSOC operations against certain jihadists in Somalia, such as Aden Hashi Ayro and his successor Ali Saleh Nabhan. There’s also some vague descriptions of operations in Africa, presumably including Somalia. Also, interestingly, Gamal was the Activity operator who was shot in the abdomen in Somalia, an episode you may have first read about in Sean Naylor’s Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command.
As some may expect, his storytelling about these aspects can be rather vague. He does, however, do a good job conveying the danger of his line of work, operating on your own in some of the world’s most dangerous places, and in describing the sorts of people who perform it. Gamal does do a good job describing what intelligence operations are like in the real world, and how they can be hampered by lack of knowledge about local cultures. The style is self-deprecating, and the narrative is organized well.
A nuanced and interesting work, although it’s less about the Activity than some readers will prefer.
Much of the book deals with Gamal’s human experience as an immigrant in America. He also notes that he sometimes frequented the mosque led by the “blind sheikh,” Omar Abdel Rahman. I’m sure many readers will be more interested in the details of his career in the Activity, and details about that unit’s training course or operations, given how secretive that unit is, but, there’ll probably be less about this than you like.
If you’ve read up on the limited source material out there about the Activity, however, you’ll be interested in reading firsthand accounts of certain episodes you may be familiar with, like the hunt for Saddam Hussein, and JSOC operations against certain jihadists in Somalia, such as Aden Hashi Ayro and his successor Ali Saleh Nabhan. There’s also some vague descriptions of operations in Africa, presumably including Somalia. Also, interestingly, Gamal was the Activity operator who was shot in the abdomen in Somalia, an episode you may have first read about in Sean Naylor’s Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command.
As some may expect, his storytelling about these aspects can be rather vague. He does, however, do a good job conveying the danger of his line of work, operating on your own in some of the world’s most dangerous places, and in describing the sorts of people who perform it. Gamal does do a good job describing what intelligence operations are like in the real world, and how they can be hampered by lack of knowledge about local cultures. The style is self-deprecating, and the narrative is organized well.
A nuanced and interesting work, although it’s less about the Activity than some readers will prefer.
March 30, 2024
Outstanding! Highly recommended.
March 16, 2024
I haven’t read many military autobiographies recently but I’m glad I took a chance on this one. Egyptian immigrant to military career with a lot of insightful commentary on the cultures our nation has been at war with over the last many years. Longer than we know. I appreciated the perspective.
March 11, 2024
Excellent war memoir. I usually hesitate to read these because they seem to lean into the rah-rah, "Murica, F*ck Yeah" viewpoint. Which can be fine, albeit homogeneous.
However, "Gamal"'s viewpoint is really unique and interesting. I appreciated his opinion of NATO involvement in Bosnia (perhaps because I agree with it). He's an extreme realist in regards to US military involvement and strategy. There aren't many nitty gritty details regarding action/missions, which is to be expected from the title.
He's a patriot in the truest sense of the word. One star off because the writing wasn't anything exceptional, and it maybe could've been longer. But well worth the read.
Won via GR giveaway.
However, "Gamal"'s viewpoint is really unique and interesting. I appreciated his opinion of NATO involvement in Bosnia (perhaps because I agree with it). He's an extreme realist in regards to US military involvement and strategy. There aren't many nitty gritty details regarding action/missions, which is to be expected from the title.
He's a patriot in the truest sense of the word. One star off because the writing wasn't anything exceptional, and it maybe could've been longer. But well worth the read.
Won via GR giveaway.
April 11, 2025
Easy and engaging read. The author’s immigration to the US provides a unique perspective to frame the story telling of his military career.
March 6, 2024
Although I came to this book for the military memoir, what I stayed for was the story of an immigrant’s experience of his American dream. His experience of being a Muslim Egyptian American during OEF/OIF stood out among military memoirs and really got me thinking. I appreciated his opinions and thoughts on diversity and inclusion.
April 9, 2024
This book should instead be called "The Immigrant: One Man's Journey from the Middle East back to the Middle East as an American Operative." A lot of focus on his upbringing and culture, and not a lot of interesting stories from his time with The Unit.
I understand this book needs to limit the details, but even the stories he did tell were lackluster. It was a lot of internal conversations with himself, and not a lot of descriptions of the things people want to read to keep them interested.
I don't really understand all the hype around this book, but I'd read more from the author (if he could tell more stories).
I understand this book needs to limit the details, but even the stories he did tell were lackluster. It was a lot of internal conversations with himself, and not a lot of descriptions of the things people want to read to keep them interested.
I don't really understand all the hype around this book, but I'd read more from the author (if he could tell more stories).
March 30, 2025
This book was not quite what I expected, but in reflection it was so much better. While learning about the author’s unique path through the global war on terror, I was knocked back by his profound and thoughtful insights throughout and especially toward the end of the book. I hope many more people read this book and learn from Adam the lessons of tolerance, the positive impacts of diversity, and the importance of “tending to the grass” while being pragmatic about having to pull a few weeds. Well done.
January 31, 2025
Interesting take from an interesting point of view. Makes a great case for diversity in the military. Could have been cooler if not for the pentagon-redacted stuff.
May 28, 2024
Adam Gamal is not the authors real name. He uses this name to protect him and his loved ones from harm. The reason he needs protection is because he spent his career on mirage missions in the Middle East gathering intel and helping take down some of the nastiest terrorists in the world. Adam’s (for lack of knowing his real name) story is Slumdog Millionaire-esque.
Adam came overseas to the United States as a 1st generation Islamic Egyptian with nothing and worked his way to becoming part of one of the most exclusive groups in the world- like the special forces of the special forces in the US military. Adam shares his story of growing up in the Middle East, his journey to the United States, learning English, joining the military, being selected to this ultra-secretive group, and serving our country.
I found Adam’s early stages of being in America and selection process into “the Unit” being the most fascinating parts of the book. The times served on special missions and chasing after terrorists lacked detail for me. Perhaps it was because some of the information and detail had to be left out for classification purposes.
Much of the book felt as if the author was trying to persuade readers that Islam is a peaceful religion- I was fine with the pushing of this agenda but it felt forced and was quite over-saturated throughout. He somewhat bashed other religions and mindsets in the process. This may or may not have been intentional.
There is no question that Adam is a great man and great American! I love stories and examples of immigrants showing patriotism in favor of United States. The way Adam has served our country gives credence to the notion that the United States is the greatest country in the world due in part to the fact that immigrants can come over and being recognized as heros. Our differences and freedom to think differently sets us apart.
I am really glad I read this book, but due to the lack of detail on much of the stories and missions throughout that I desperately craved- I must give only 3 stars.
Adam came overseas to the United States as a 1st generation Islamic Egyptian with nothing and worked his way to becoming part of one of the most exclusive groups in the world- like the special forces of the special forces in the US military. Adam shares his story of growing up in the Middle East, his journey to the United States, learning English, joining the military, being selected to this ultra-secretive group, and serving our country.
I found Adam’s early stages of being in America and selection process into “the Unit” being the most fascinating parts of the book. The times served on special missions and chasing after terrorists lacked detail for me. Perhaps it was because some of the information and detail had to be left out for classification purposes.
Much of the book felt as if the author was trying to persuade readers that Islam is a peaceful religion- I was fine with the pushing of this agenda but it felt forced and was quite over-saturated throughout. He somewhat bashed other religions and mindsets in the process. This may or may not have been intentional.
There is no question that Adam is a great man and great American! I love stories and examples of immigrants showing patriotism in favor of United States. The way Adam has served our country gives credence to the notion that the United States is the greatest country in the world due in part to the fact that immigrants can come over and being recognized as heros. Our differences and freedom to think differently sets us apart.
I am really glad I read this book, but due to the lack of detail on much of the stories and missions throughout that I desperately craved- I must give only 3 stars.
March 16, 2024
Not something I thought I'd be reading as this isn't really my thing. But I found this available on my library's Overdrive, and impulsively borrowed it. It's not bad. He doesn't speak much of his life fighting terrorists as one of America's most secret military operatives, that's all. Which is understandable as I'm assuming almost all of it is classified, but then all that remains is the rigors of army albeit on a much larger scale as he's in this elite unit. The only difference is that he is Egyptian born and went into the army as someone who wanted to a) pay back to his adopted country and b) it's also a means to citizenship, even if it's dangerous. It is interesting, but not as much as it would have been if it was about the unit. He also does not talk about what it was like to be in the army when invading Iraq searching for WMDs. He doesn't make it sound like they were Iraq's saviors or anything, it's just completely unanalyzed. The same way everything in the army is unanalyzed - he mentions Abu Ghraib but in terms of how bad it is optics wise (he doesn't confirm or deny or sugarcoat, but there isn't much else of substance either). But then again, it's an army memoir, and like I said it's not my genre and I just picked it up because it was available.
November 30, 2025
Compelling story about overcoming hardships, especially given the author's background and story. It gave interesting insights into what it's like being a minority (a muslim minority at that) within the US military. The writing was also very accessible. I also found it quite refreshing to read a perspective of life within the military that was filled with more grace and cultural nuance than other books in the same genre.
Although I understand that given the nature of his work, lack of details really made the book feel vague. Like it wasn't sure what it was trying to do. Because of the lack of detail, the author instead wrote a lot about his personal experiences divorced from any meaningful information about his nature of work. The pacing and organization of the book also made the tone confusing. The book bounces from one topic to another, almost like if the author had a lot to say but unable to paint it clearly.
Although I understand that given the nature of his work, lack of details really made the book feel vague. Like it wasn't sure what it was trying to do. Because of the lack of detail, the author instead wrote a lot about his personal experiences divorced from any meaningful information about his nature of work. The pacing and organization of the book also made the tone confusing. The book bounces from one topic to another, almost like if the author had a lot to say but unable to paint it clearly.
August 12, 2024
The Unit: My Life Fighting Terrorists as One of America's Most Secret Military Operatives is one of the best military memoirs that I have ever read. I expected the same ra-ra BS that I have read in other SF memoirs, but was pleasantly surprised at the humble tone of this book.
The author and I served in the same branch, although I am as far away from being SF while still being a soldier as one can get, I have a lot of respect for the SF guys - but I never wanted to join them.
The author does a good job of pointing out (without being an a-hole) the failures within the US government when dealing with Arab cultures. He makes good arguments about how we should proceed and how we could help better the Arab nations - without bombing them back to the Stone Age or tuning them into US colonies.
If the author writes another book I will certainly read it.
The author and I served in the same branch, although I am as far away from being SF while still being a soldier as one can get, I have a lot of respect for the SF guys - but I never wanted to join them.
The author does a good job of pointing out (without being an a-hole) the failures within the US government when dealing with Arab cultures. He makes good arguments about how we should proceed and how we could help better the Arab nations - without bombing them back to the Stone Age or tuning them into US colonies.
If the author writes another book I will certainly read it.
July 19, 2024
This is less play-by-play of a secret military unit—that part is classified—and more of a rumination on America, being an immigrant, life in the military, and the need for greater diversity and cultural understanding in and out of the ranks. There’s plenty of action, to be sure, but this book is so much more. The author’s life story as an immigrant from Egypt who has fought in the US Army in conflicts across the globe and his insights into what works and doesn’t work in America are much needed.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
August 5, 2024
Thoughtful, honest, nuanced, and some refreshing perspectives one often doesn’t see in memoirs like this. It’s a good quick read and listen if you’re interested in such things. It’s not your book if you’re a war porn consumer.
August 28, 2024
Amazing book.
What a different perspective on an operator’s missions and lifestyle.
Opened my eyes on many different topics.
A true American.
I salute him, and the others that give so sacrificially.
Highly recommended book.
What a different perspective on an operator’s missions and lifestyle.
Opened my eyes on many different topics.
A true American.
I salute him, and the others that give so sacrificially.
Highly recommended book.
December 27, 2024
I don't know what got me into reading the occasional book on the military, but I always find them to be interesting and informative. This book was no different.
What I liked about this book was that it gives you an idea of what was going on in the Middle East in the early 2000s and how it trickled into today. Even though its the military and we can't have all the info, it was still interesting to read and learn about something that I wouldn't necessarily think to research on my own, at least not right away.
What I liked about this book was that it gives you an idea of what was going on in the Middle East in the early 2000s and how it trickled into today. Even though its the military and we can't have all the info, it was still interesting to read and learn about something that I wouldn't necessarily think to research on my own, at least not right away.
June 12, 2025
Amazing story on how a man came to the United States, joined the Military and made his way on to a elite Military unit
December 1, 2024
Every once and awhile, you read a book that meets you at the perfect point in your life journey. This is one of those books for me. Gamal shows the true power of our military in the diversity throughout our ranks...those against it call the military a social experiment, those who have experienced it understand there is a higher middle achieved when professionals are united by defending the values of our democracy. This will be mandatory reading for all my senior cgos and young sncos so they can understand that tactical brilliance brought by a mix of folks at the bottom is what is vital at the higher levels. Adam, thank you for sharing your story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews