Navy SEALs: The Combat History of the Deadliest Warriors on the Planet

by Don Mann, Lance Burton

New York Times bestselling authorDon Man and Lance Burton tell the history of the most respected and feared fighting force every created—The US Navy SEALs.“For those brave souls—past, present, and future—and those who wish to honor them—their story is in the pages that follow.”From their birth in World War II as combat swimmers clearing the beaches of Normandy to their evolution into fighting men who could operate anywhere in the world by sea, air, or land, the intrepid story of the US Navy SEALs is one of courage, sacrifice, and world-renowned toughness that echoes of other great military units of history—the Spartans, the Roman legions, or the samurai. Take a look inside to find out what makes the SEALs America’s deadliest warriors.This is a narrative history; stories based on either direct experiences or exhaustive research. Mann and Burton take the reader through the inception of the Naval Combat Demolition Teams (NCDU) and Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) during World War II, their testing and development in Korea and into the Vietnam War, where the SEALs truly laid the groundwork for their legendary status, and on into the present day. The authors highlight the major steps and operations along the way, discuss the training and what it takes, and explore some of the most important moments in SEAL history.

Genres: Military Fiction, History, Nonfiction, War, Military History

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2019

About the author

Don Mann is a decorated combat veteran, motivational keynote speaker, athlete, and author.

Reviews

[Charlene Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could have been so much better! The information about how one becomes a SEAL was woefully short. A more in depth piece would have been engrossing and readied the reader for the anecdotes provided by the authors. However, even the anecdotes had their shortcomings. While understanding the need for certain bits to be "redacted", the trite dialogue could have been omitted without losing content. If the authors were going to add dialogue, they also could have added a little excitement to their stories which would have alleviated some of the sense that we were trudging through the the desert of a words composed by people who didn't want to be there. All in all, a boring book that could have been so much more.

[Diane Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very interesting as it traces the very beginning of the SEALs through to today. It explains in great detail what training is necessary to become a SEAL and the mindset all of them have to be warriors and accomplish their missions. Any book written by those who have "talked the talk and walked the walk" deserves 5 stars, in my opinion.
This book is a very lovely book. By that I mean it is visually very pretty and nicely laid out, printed on top-quality paper [it's HEAVY], with photographs throughout.
The stories are some I've heard or read about previously in my obsession with all things Navy SEAL, and some new ones. Both authors are former SEALs so bring gravitas to their retelling of some of these special operations.
There are errors abounding, of course, "captive" rather than "captor", the endless split infinitives, and the possessive "s" rather than the plural, but hey, as I have said before, they are SEALs not English majors.
It was a great read and full of details not always on display in other publications.

[Jojo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly appreciate the time and honoring the soldiers that have helped our country. This book was with no question interesting, i did noticed that some the the redacted information is public knowledge and should be updated. This book is mostly detailed (specially by the end) to military personal looking to get helpful info about the navy seal program. I really enjoyed the re-enactments and the history of warfare i was not even aware of. Recommend as a entry book to understanding the navy seal program.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read a ton of SEAL books. The first half of this one was great. Loved that it touched on things back the the WW2 and UDT origins since most SEAL books tend to be more recent. It might have been because I was listening to it as an audiobook rather than reading a physical book but the sections on the Medal of Honor and How to Prepare to be a SEAL were very difficult to follow along with and were repetitive. I assume part of it was just a loss in translation but I zoned out on a good portion of the end.

[Anthony Wahlberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you really want to understand the process in which these men become America's most deadliest warriors, this is the book. The book creates vivid images as it recalls how the frogmen of WWII became the SEALs we know today. It captures stories from every war fought since WWII and really brings together the will and determination of warriors to fight in the shadows, where most people would never go.

[Wendell H Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable

The USS Rushmore LSD 14 on which I served 58-61 we carried UDT and Marines from time to time. The UDT swam seven miles each morning in the ocean! Impressive you bet.
At his a well written and researched book. I sincerely hope there are many more SEALs. These guys (and gals?) as wells as the other special forces Green Beret, Air Force are the back home of our military.

[craig hurdle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

I gave it a five
It was a good read about the history of the navy seals
From WW2 to Afghanistan the heroes of fighting
There exploits of what is involved to becoming a Navy SEAL

[Will Neeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very educational book on the Navy SEALs. I went into this book not knowing very much about the SEALs history or much about the teams or training. It was a very good book, and the stories give you the feel like you are there in the battles. Fighting along side the SEALs.

[Kelley Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good look into the history of the Seals. The only downside was the section on Medal of Honor wilnners in which each account of the Valor of these men was repeated twice. Other than this, it was well worth the time. And Robertson Dean is an excellent reader.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woorah

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read many books and watched many movies about the Seals and this interesting book filled in when variants of Seals started and how they have become tougher over the years.

[Dee]

Really dry. Very deep and informative history. Did not finish. Left unrated.

[Alex Proper]

I liked this book a lot! It had a lot of great descriptions throughout this book. It was as if I was actually there training for the navy seals. It was also exhilarating during this book. Because you never knew what was going to happen next. One of the best part throughout the book was when it was talking about the amount of training they have to do and how long they have to do it for. Also another thing I enjoyed about the book was the setting and characters because it was all over the world. Talking about different countries they’ve visited and etc.