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SEALs at War : The Story of U.S. Navy Special Warfare
A look at the Navy SEALS describes their use by the military and discusses their experiences in such "theaters of operation" as Omaha Beach, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf.
From the Paperback edition.
From the Paperback edition.
246 pages, Paperback
First published January 2, 1993
4 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Edwin P. Hoyt
237 books30 followersEdwin P. Hoyt was a prolific American writer who specialized in military history. He was born in Portland, Oregon to the publisher Edwin Palmer Hoyt (1897–1979) and his wife, the former Cecile DeVore (1901–1970). A younger brother, Charles Richard, was born in 1928. Hoyt attended the University of Oregon from 1940 to 1943.
In 1943, Hoyt's father, then the editor and publisher of The Oregonian, was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as the director of the Domestic Branch, Office of War Information. The younger Hoyt served with the Office of War Information during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. In 1945 and 1946, he served as a foreign correspondent for The Denver Post (of which his father became editor and publisher in 1946) and the United Press, reporting from locations in China, Thailand, Burma, India, the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and Korea.
Edwin Hoyt subsequently worked as an ABC broadcaster, covering the 1948 revolution in Czechoslovakia and the Arab-Israeli conflict. From 1949 to 1951, he was the editor of the editorial page at The Denver Post. He was the editor and publisher of the Colorado Springs Free Press from 1951 to 1955, and an associate editor of Collier's Weekly in New York from 1955 to 1956. In 1957 he was a television producer and writer-director at CBS, and in 1958 he was an assistant publisher of American Heritage magazine in New York.
Starting in 1958, Hoyt became a writer full-time, and for a few years (1976 to 1980) served as a part-time lecturer at the University of Hawaii. In the 40 years since his first publication in 1960, he produced nearly 200 published works.
While Hoyt wrote about 20 novels (many published under pseudonyms Christopher Martin and Cabot L. Forbes) the vast majority of his works are biographies and other forms of non-fiction, with a heavy emphasis on World War II military history.
Hoyt died in Tokyo, Japan on July 29, 2005, after a prolonged illness. He was survived by his wife Hiroko, of Tokyo, and three children, Diana, Helga, and Christopher, all residing in the U.S.
In 1943, Hoyt's father, then the editor and publisher of The Oregonian, was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as the director of the Domestic Branch, Office of War Information. The younger Hoyt served with the Office of War Information during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. In 1945 and 1946, he served as a foreign correspondent for The Denver Post (of which his father became editor and publisher in 1946) and the United Press, reporting from locations in China, Thailand, Burma, India, the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and Korea.
Edwin Hoyt subsequently worked as an ABC broadcaster, covering the 1948 revolution in Czechoslovakia and the Arab-Israeli conflict. From 1949 to 1951, he was the editor of the editorial page at The Denver Post. He was the editor and publisher of the Colorado Springs Free Press from 1951 to 1955, and an associate editor of Collier's Weekly in New York from 1955 to 1956. In 1957 he was a television producer and writer-director at CBS, and in 1958 he was an assistant publisher of American Heritage magazine in New York.
Starting in 1958, Hoyt became a writer full-time, and for a few years (1976 to 1980) served as a part-time lecturer at the University of Hawaii. In the 40 years since his first publication in 1960, he produced nearly 200 published works.
While Hoyt wrote about 20 novels (many published under pseudonyms Christopher Martin and Cabot L. Forbes) the vast majority of his works are biographies and other forms of non-fiction, with a heavy emphasis on World War II military history.
Hoyt died in Tokyo, Japan on July 29, 2005, after a prolonged illness. He was survived by his wife Hiroko, of Tokyo, and three children, Diana, Helga, and Christopher, all residing in the U.S.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 16, 2012
I picked up this book, interested to learn about the history of the US navy SEALs. This book talks about their conception in WWII as beach reconnoissance teams for upcoming beach assaults. It talks about their involvement in Vietnam and Korea.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants the details, but not much of the story. I did like the book because of its history, but it told no story and had no characters. That is the reason why it does not get more stars. It was a little dry I must confess but still very informative about the founding and evolution of the navy SEALs.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants the details, but not much of the story. I did like the book because of its history, but it told no story and had no characters. That is the reason why it does not get more stars. It was a little dry I must confess but still very informative about the founding and evolution of the navy SEALs.
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December 5, 2019This book has been sitting on my TBR pile since 1993. That's right - over 25 years. (Some of the current batch of SEALs serving in the military werent even born when I got this book).
That being said - the book is a bit... behind the times. Well, up to the end of Operation Desert Storm. But really, this is a history book. A specialized history book, about the earliest days of the Naval Special Operations teams. Before Kennedy helped to create the SEALs in the early days of the 1960's, there were the frogmen and the UDTs (Underwater Demolitions Teams) of WWII. These early teams had a hit and miss approach to things - they took some of their training from existing special forces teams (Commandos, Rangers, SAS, Etc), and threw in their own approaches to learning how to gather intelligence, disrupt enemy tactics, and other things needed to help win the war.
Later, the UDTS were involved in the Korean conflict, where their past strategy was put in action. But it wasnt until Vietnam that the SEALs came into their own - and gained a reputation among the enemy of the Men with Green Faces. They were feared, respected, and there to try to win the war.
Sadly, the waning years of the 1970's and 80's saw their need lessen - gone were the wars of foreign lands, and instead, it was the actions of terrorists and pity dictators that would cause the teams to jump into action. But, before long, they were once again given the opportunity to show their strengths while helping with Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
And thus the book ends.
These days, society knows more about the SEALs then we did in the early 90's - both the successes and failures, as well as the ongoing scandals that seem to plague the teams these days. But back when this book was published, there were so few books about the Teams, that this was one of a handful.
That being said - the book is a bit... behind the times. Well, up to the end of Operation Desert Storm. But really, this is a history book. A specialized history book, about the earliest days of the Naval Special Operations teams. Before Kennedy helped to create the SEALs in the early days of the 1960's, there were the frogmen and the UDTs (Underwater Demolitions Teams) of WWII. These early teams had a hit and miss approach to things - they took some of their training from existing special forces teams (Commandos, Rangers, SAS, Etc), and threw in their own approaches to learning how to gather intelligence, disrupt enemy tactics, and other things needed to help win the war.
Later, the UDTS were involved in the Korean conflict, where their past strategy was put in action. But it wasnt until Vietnam that the SEALs came into their own - and gained a reputation among the enemy of the Men with Green Faces. They were feared, respected, and there to try to win the war.
Sadly, the waning years of the 1970's and 80's saw their need lessen - gone were the wars of foreign lands, and instead, it was the actions of terrorists and pity dictators that would cause the teams to jump into action. But, before long, they were once again given the opportunity to show their strengths while helping with Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
And thus the book ends.
These days, society knows more about the SEALs then we did in the early 90's - both the successes and failures, as well as the ongoing scandals that seem to plague the teams these days. But back when this book was published, there were so few books about the Teams, that this was one of a handful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2016
This was a very good history of the navy seals. I enjoyed that it wasn't written like a typical history book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews