Stephen TemplinRessenyes

Like reading an Instagram influencers biography. "30 buff guys most of us good-looking, would walk into a bar" Constantly talking about brands of knives, knickers and sunglasses.

SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper by Howard E. Wasdin, Stephen Templin
Enjoy this story because it's action packed with things SEAL's do when they are working. Also enjoy his off hours and spending it with family and friends.
Love terminology that is explained and there is a glossary of the terms as well.
Lots of missions are described to the finest detail, I wonder if these are secrets that nobody knows about but they do now, is that ok with Navy? Never heard of so many of them and appreciate understanding them. Like when they repel from a helicopter and what the aircraft must do to retain length and why.
Also I've seen SEALS's coming out the water locally and never realized what they did with their flippers. So cool to find out. TV shows never show that.
Story starts when he's very young and what he has to endure. Love when he decides to better his life by joining the military. Like hearing about the Forts that he trained at: one being in Clarksville and the other at Benning. both places our son was located.
Like the laughs between the guys and about his son Blake but especially what they did to the dog that was biting them...
Found this book to be outright truthful and the missions are straight forward even if they go sideways. Lots of parts of this book that everybody could enjoy, hope you get a chance to read this one.
I was hoping to find out more about what my son had to survive during his time in the Army when he was not stateside and this story is amazing.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

Let me clarify one thing, this book is not a novel. It is an autobiography. You can't expect a man to treat himself impartially no matter what the event. For the people criticising Wasdin for not towing their own political line or not reflecting their own sociopolitical commitments, guys face the reality: he did what he felt was right. This is not his attempt at a self-exoneration but a memoir of what he achieved during his career as an elite Navy SEAL.

The value of this book lies in Wasdin's ability to achieve what is otherwise lacking from many similar SEAL memoirs. He provides an insight into how a common man becomes a SEAL through a rigorous and thoroughly herculean criterion of mental and physical training-and all this before BUD/S itself.

Regards Wasdin's missions, he underscores his commitment to the ideals and policies which led to them being formed and how he later retrospectively analyzed what could have gone better. His account of Operation Black Hawk Down is as agonizing as it is poignant. Overall this is a great read which offers an insight into two-three decades of American military history from one of the men who made it.

Several books about the elite Navy SEALs have been released since the killing of Bin Laden, but this book wasn't one of those rushed to print to capitalize on those headlines. This book tells the personal story of one of the SEAL Team Six members, Howard Wasdin. Some readers may not like everything about Wasdin, but that doesn't seem to be the purpose of the book. He's not running for office. This book is his story, and provides insights into what it's like to become and serve as a member of the Navy SEALs. You really have to marvel at the dedication and the never-quit, never-say-die attitude of the men who make up these elite fighting teams. The description of his time in Somalia is an excellent description of how difficult the job of the military is in these wartime experiences. At times, the book reads as if it's a recitation of his personal diary rather than a polished professionally written novel, but the style works and keeps you engaged.

Un francotirador de élite nos cuenta en sus memorias cómo es eso del DEVGRU, antes llamado SEAL Team Six. Lo hace ayudado por un escritor profesional, ex SEAL, y le queda muy bien. Cuenta la historia de sus doce años de servicio, dando bastantes detalles sobre el BUD/S, el curso de acceso a los SEAL, que está entre los más duros del planeta. Si tienen unas cuatro horas, aquí está la primera parte de un reportaje sobre el curso en seis cómodas entregas que nos permite entender bastante bien el tormento físico y psicolçogico que supone un BUD/S.
El autor habla de su paso por Irak y Kuwait y de su misión final en Somalia, donde recibió un balazo que le reventó la pierna por debajo de la rodilla, salvándola de milagro. Es muy interesante leer las opiniones del autor sobre los italianos en Somalia. Me extraña que este libro no haya generado algo de conflicto diplomático, porque no he visto críticas más feroces.
Hay muchas partes muy interesantes sobre el trabajo en el campo de un francotirador, con detalles muy curiosos.
Me ha gustado la lectura, me ha parecido muy interesante y se complementa bastante bien con otro libro que leí recientemente sobre el DEVGRU, No Easy Day, sobre la vida y las misiones del SEAL que mató a Bin Laden.
Los últimos capítulos del libro hablan sobre la vida civil del autor, cómo tras dejar el Ejército trabajó de policía local, asesor de seguridad, vendedor de coches... Tienen mucho menos interés, pero el autor quiere que sepamos que tras dejar lo que fue su vida durante muchos años no le ha ido mal.
Recomendable si tiene uno interés en estos temas.

SEAL Team Six is of course the SEAL team that assassinated Bin Laden. This memoir is a page-turner, with descriptions of the author's background, SEAL training and a few of his missions, one of which was the Battle of Mogadishu portrayed in _Black Hawk Down_. I don't think that I would enjoy books just about the SEAL training. Wasdin and his co-author didn't get bogged down in that section -- there was enough to demonstrate the intensity of the experience, without depictions of six horrific, very similar obstacle course runs that start to dissolve into one long story.

I had a little background and connection with the characters in this story having read the first two SEAL TEAM SIX books, but even from an outsiders perspective, I can see this working wonderfully as a standalone read.

Though not a genre I delve into very often, there are a few where the story rules the day. Now don't get me wrong, there are certainly higher political powers at work and aspirations of countries outdoing other countries (not my cup of tea), but you get so caught up in the more focused story that you can choose to acknowledge its existence without it taking over the entire read. We've got a killer story filled with action, espionage, and mayhem hat will keep you on the edge of your seat. The finite details will enchant some, but for me, the characters are where it's at!

Chris (codename Reverand), Hannah (Infidel), and Sonny (Mr. Sunshine) are a lethal trio. Whatever they put their minds to, consider it done....and I mean REALLY done. There's no escaping when they've set their sites on you. Even if they have to go to the ends of the earth, sneak aboard a cruise ship, jump overboard in the dead of night to chase a shadow through the streets of Russia...you are going down. *Hoo Rah* Despite all of that, they aren't just kill and capture machines. Chris is actually a Reverand in his "other life", something that brings him great inner peace and joy. True, he'd love for that world to encompass Hannah a bit more on the regular but he'll take what he can get until her path ties into his (*fingers crossed*). Being our "leading man", we get inside his head much more than those of his teammates, but it allows us to see the human aspect of what they do. As for those mates, Hannah is rather deadly herself. If you don't get knocked out my her looks (according to the reactions of most men surrounding her), she'll easily pick you off with a well placed shot and erase all traces of it occuring with a call to one of her many contacts. Never mistake her for an unassuming woman; she just might have to MMA your butt to the ground. (*high five*) That brings us to Sonny. He's certainly the most crass and loves nothing more than the heat of the mission (well, except his food and women) but we actually see a small crack in that bada** veneer this time around. I won't exploit it (though I should), but it once again brings him back out of the realm of married to his work and everyday dude.

Admittedly, it won't be for everyone, but for those that venture between the pages, you may be surprised just how high it rates on your reading list. Recommended for adult readers due to the story itself and violent content...otherwise, we're clean like the take downs they aim for.




**ebook received in exchange for my honest review, full post can be seen on my site**

Review: Seal Team Six by Stephen Templin and Howard E Wasdin. 03/16/2018

I found this book interesting and educating. People don’t hear much about the Navy Seals because they are a tight group. Howard E. Wasdin is the narrator and he does a great job describing his story that everything is clear and understandable. Wasdin also wrote about the abuse he went through during his childhood. I think because of that is what made him tough and wanting to be a great Seal.

Wasdin’s writing throughout was great detailed insight of their continuous training and how long it takes to become a Seal. In fact I don’t think their training ever stops. They go to so many places for varies training lessons. The environment is also used as a tool. They could have trained six months on one lesson in a blizzard and then do the same training for another six months in a jungle. His story was so informative proving detailed preparation that was done before going on an operation. The undercover incursion into hostile situations and the many types of weapons used were thought provoking and showed how much danger they place themselves in for their Country.

Wasdin wrote about his gruesome and horrific battles experiences and the grief of the loss of one of their own. The life and situations these men and women went through were startling. Wasdin shares the chilling story of the battle of Mogadishu, the Operation Gothic Serpent and how it was carried out in 1993. Their mission was to capture key members of the late Somalian warlord, Mohamad Farrah Aidid.

Seal Team Six were a secret unit are trained with counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and counterinsurgency, which covers gorilla rebellion. One of their curriculum involved practicing land warfare to unarmed Combat. Howard Wasdin takes his readers deep inside the world of Navy Seals, Special Force snipers, and the selected process of Basic Underwater Demolition which, are the toughest and longest military training in the world.

A former SEAL team six sniper recounts how his childhood prepared him for military life and SEAL training and several operations in which he took part. The one featured most prominently is in Mogadishu, Somalia. He also discusses life after the military.

The story was very interesting. The writing was not very good. I didn't care for the extra details on how things were done, but I admit that it did add to the understanding of the complexity of what it is to be a Seal. So, while I found the book quite boring in part, I gave it a 3 for the value of the information it contained. I give the author 10 stars for the contribution he gave in service!

The SEAL part of the story is fun - I love hearing about the SEALs program and what those guys do; what a kick it must be to train as a SEAL and/or a search/rescue Navy guy. But beyond that it amazes me how obtuse these SEAL guys are... and so far they all seem to be cookie cutter one dimensional "bros", railing about the lib'rul media and kickin' ass for their "brothers" while not giving a second thought to *what* they are doing. Great example in the book... the SEAL bros are in a bar drinkin' and have a truly bro bonding experience, when a couple of Tunisian born soldiers exclaim "maybe the USA should mind their own business" so , yup, you guessed it: that can't be allowed, we're the US of A, WE"RE #1! so the SEAL bros whup the Tunisian solciers' asses for saying such an awful thing about their country and their fellow SEALs! How dare they!!?! Never once does he ever ask himself... "hey, why exactly *are* we in this country killing and attacking people?"... or... "what is it we're doing that makes them say that?"... Nope, no need, Wasdin just can't understand why foreigners might not be happy with them... why, they are there to HELP the foreigners! Must kick ass! Hooyah Sargent!

Summary: SEAL stories are sooooo much fun as long as you don't actually think about what's going on in the story. Hence, I loved this book, at least 3/4 of it, and I recommend it to anyone who loves reading about the BUDS program. But if you're trying to understand middle-east politics and war and why the USA is invading countries... then, nah, this ain't it.

ABR's full Trident’s First Gleaming audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Chris Paladin is a member of Seal Team 6 until a mission makes him question his life choices, he leaves the team to become a pastor, something he is very good at. Until one day CIA operative, Hannah Andrade shows up at his church and asks him to consider going back into military action, she has a special mission and needs Chris and his skills on her team. With the threat of failure meaning the U.S. may face a cyber attack of epic proportions, Chris is left with no real choice, he says goodbye to his church and once again heads into the chaotic life of a military man, all the while fighting his inner demons of events he would much rather forget.

If you like military thrillers this audio book is definitely for you. Stephen Templin has crafted an action packed thriller. The military aspects of this audio book are so detailed it’s easy to understand that Stephen Templin is writing from experience, it definitely shows through and enhances the story. The only negative for me personally was that I felt one particular part of the storyline was mentioned a little much, not enough to stop me from listening to it again – I just felt like it was reminding the listener incase they forgot because it is a big part of the character’s storyline, I hadn’t forgot so it felt a little too much, but with that being said I will definitely be looking for more audio books from Stephen.

Brian Troxell does a great job of grabbing the listeners attention and keeping hold of it for the length of the audio book. At times I felt like I was surrounded by enemy combatants and all hell was about to break loose, it was fun to get that immersed in the performance. The production was seamless.

Audiobook provided for review by the publisher.

Wasdin starts with a brief biography of his early life growing up with a brutal step-father. Then he gives a history of how the Seals organization came about. He includes exploits by early Seals in the Vietnam War.

Then he gives the training he went through to become a Seal. Once he graduates as a Seal he accounts the various missions he was involved in which included Operation Desert Storm, As a member of Seal Six, a very secret unit that fights terrorism, does hostage rescue and counterinsurgency. As a member of this group he became one of the best snipers in the world.

This latter skill he used when he became involved in the Battle Of Mogadishu which is covered more fully in the book Black Hawk Down. In this battle, he was seriously wounded which ended his SEAL career. After doing security work around the world and trying other jobs such as car sales, he discovered chiropractic medicine and is now a well respect chiropractor in Georgia.

There is a brief two page bio of co-author Templin who Easdin met during SEAL training.

Szokásos HVG által kiadott könyv: bombasztikus, kissé bulváros anyag. A szerző a címben ígérteknek megfelelően egy elit kommandós, akihez egy vélhetően jobb íráskészségű társszerző csatlakozik. A mű ennek ellenére is eléggé egyenetlen. Néha magával ragad a katona lelkesedése az újabb leküzdendő feladat iránt, de sokszor csak a három betűs katonai rövidítéseket olvashatom oldalakon át. Valószínűleg a katona munkájának jelentős része ez, de ez meg annyira nem érdekes.
A sok kiképzésről szóló rész is egy idő után kezd repetitívvé válni. Tudom, hogy neki ez volt akkor az élete, de az én egyetemi vizsgáim sora sem izgalmas egy külső szemlélőnek (sőt, még nekem sem). A harctéri tapasztalatok sem annyira izgalmasak, mint egy elit kommandótól elvárná az ember. Persze ez lehet a reális, nem pedig a rengeteg film, amit láttunk.
Az egész könyv a Mogadishu-i csatára fut ki, melyet a Black Hawk Down című film is bemutat. Ugyanakkor a csatából viszonylag kevés olvasható, mert a főhős nyilván csak egy helyen lehetett, ráadásul viszonylag az elején súlyosan megsérül, ezért a továbbiakról nem tud beszámolni.
Ettől függetlenül érdekes bepillantást ad az amerikai katonai kiképzésbe, a hülye amerikai vezetésbe, és az átlag hétköznapi (értsd elvált szülők, verekedős mostohaapa, ...) amerikai család életébe.
Külön fájt, hogy a "Szemek Mogadishu felett" fejezet felcíme minden egyes oldalon "Szellemek Mogadishu felett" lett. Lektor nem volt?

Very interesting. Full of information and action. The book gives you and idea of what it takes to be a special forces member. A great deal of work, effort and determinations.

I found this a very interesting book. Navy Seals are the elite warriors of the Navy but if you want the best of the best then you get Seal Team 6. This is the story of Howard Wadin who became a member of the unbelievable military team. The process to get on this team is incredible and nearly impossible. Wadin gives his life story, his journey to get on the team and incredible battle stories. Seal Team 6 is the team that killed Osama Bin Laden. I can't imagine a tougher man than Wasdin. A really great story.

In this reflection on becoming one of the world’s deadliest sniper assassins, U.S. Navy SEAL Howard Wasdin describes how his personal background and SEAL training prepared him for mission successes in Africa and the Middle East. He’s one strong soldier with skill to efficiently kill enemies and survive in harsh, harrowing combat conditions. Yet, his heart and morality are equally strong and repeatedly show up in his story. In short, in this book Wasdin is a role model for other American soldiers.

Definitely outside my usual reading box, but once I read the chapter one excerpt …I was hooked.

It does get technical on the weaponry, locations, and military jargon at times….but not so much so that the story is unreadable or un-enjoyable for a civilian such as myself. For those that are into all the scopes and gadgets and Tangos and the like, you’ll adore that aspect of the writing because it comes from true insiders that have been there before. For me, I was content in summing those sections up in my mind with…okay, they have a gun…and so on. May not be as exciting to some, but it worked for me.

The intensity of the situation despite how quietly it was being carried out is what grabbed my attention in the excerpt. It was a desperately tedious time in an operation that had been planned out for weeks with everything on the line…and it was all about to go down in flames. The moment comes. The order is given. The outcome…not what you’d expect from an upstanding soldier so highly regarded amongst his peers and yet you may have a hard time condemning him.

It’s that unexpected edge, that twist you didn’t see coming that keeps this story moving as the off-the-grid officers check off those on their list. They are an elite group of misfits specially trained by the world’s finest to carry out the dirty deeds those ahead of them would or could not accomplish. It puts them in peril time and again while giving you a party to root for along the way. We’re not talking elephants and donkeys here either…I’m talking about the Outcasts themselves.

Their leader and our narrator is Alex; his partners in crime are Pancho, John, and Cat. Each have a story they could tell that led them to their current assignment, but I will not divulge that here. What I will share is that whilst this motley crew of officers starts off rubbing each other the wrong way, they grow to be a cohesive unit; each watching the others back and for some…even a little more. Yes, there is a bit of a romance as well as bromance but those “human” aspects are what help us to connect even more with them. Alex’s back story of how he came to be a soldier will bring a tear to your eye, while John’s makes you wonder about people sometimes. Pancho is a go with the flow kinda guy but can always be counted on to come through when it counts and Cat, well there’s a lot more to her than meets the eye and that depth was much appreciated. Now, on to the story…

It’s centered in the here and now around events much like those that played out both on American soil and afar. The look it gives you “behind enemy lines” is startling, downright scary at times. To think that some people actually teach their children to be that way, to forgo their fellow man if it doesn’t suit their needs in the present moment…it's mind boggling. The acts carried out without a second glance, without even a spare thought for the countless lives that it would change were astounding. I suppose those on the other side of the coin could be thinking those thoughts right back at us…but that’s not a topic I’m even going to attempt to broach. Moving on…let’s talk about the ending.

That was something I needed to work through before I wrote this review. The rest of the story is so action packed between the plotting and the carrying out of plans, the hits and near misses that the final scene, kinda put me out. Now, don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of chase and suspense filled moments, but the actual face off was just kind of …POOF …one of us is over. It could have ruined the book for me actually, especially since it’s over 300 pages; who wants to read that much and then be let down, you know? BUT...here’s the part I had to consider. This work of fiction was written by those that have been in situations similar to that which is described in the book at some point or another in their careers. That scene, that big build up and then a quick over and out for one of the parties, is probably more realistic than most of those we read. Does it mean it should have been so less dramatic in a work of fiction? No…but it stands to reason, they wrote what they know and with everything else considered, I still enjoyed the work overall.

Definitely one for the boys…AND the girls! If you like stories of good versus evil, stories that introduce you to characters that are a bit rough around the edges but mean well in the end, and stories filled with action that’ll have you on the edge of your seat numerous times …this is definitely one to add to your wish list. With enough military ins and outs to satisfy the guys and enough heart for the ladies, it’s a worldwide trek to the ends of the earth and back in the name of those three things we hold dear; life…liberty…and the pursuit of happiness.

*review copy received in exchange for my honest review

Seal team six was one of the best books i have read in my entire life. I f i could give this book more than five stars i would. i usually dont read memoirs but this had an interesting topic so i read it.

As i said before i dont ussually read memoirs because i dont like them. this book however took me out of my dislike of memiors and made the book awsome.
his increadable story of how he grew up and how he became a navy seal was just amazing.there was nothing wrong with this book.the auther did anawsome job writing it and kepping me interested.

i loved this book and i hope anyone who loves to read will read this book.

A very raw account of a Seal Team Six member. Interesting and fast paced, feels like a couple of hours of chatting with the guy at the bar.

It probably wasn't fair to Wasdin that I read this book right after I finished reading Krakauer's book on Pat Tillman. Krakauer is a great writer trying to tell the story about a good soldier. Wasdin is a great soldier trying to figure out what it takes to be a good writer.

The other unfortunate comparison is to Bowden's Black Hawk Down. A big chunk of Seal Team Six covers Wasdin's time in Magadishu and his involvement in the same battle described in that book. It's tough to put yourself against such a well-written book.

Wasdin is a warrior, highly trained and highly skilled to kill bad guys. That earns him an extra star. I'm sure he has many great stories to tell about his time in service, but probably can't or won't share them with the public.

SEAL Team Six made headlines recently when they killed the world's most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, in Pakistan. Everyone wanted to know more about this elite team of the miltary's best men, and luckily former team member Howard E. Wasdin, along with Stephen Templin, had written SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper.

The book succeeds because it shares Wasdin's personal story, from his difficult childhood with a stepfather who beat him frequently to his success as a sniper, moving quickly up the ranks in the Navy SEALs. Wasdin tells the story of his stepfather forcing him to pick up all the pecans that fell to the ground from a tree in their yard. If his stepfather came home and found just one pecan on the ground, Wasdin would be beaten. (Never mind that the pecan could have fallen just before he came home.)

From this, Wasdin learned to be thorough and that no excuses would be sufficient. He believes that this upbringing helped prepare him for the rigors and challenges of Navy and SEAL training. This insight brought to mind Jeannette Walls' memoir, The Glass Castle. She had a difficult upbringing with parents who did not know how to raise children, yet she survived and became successful in spite of the way she was raised. The resilience of the human spirit always amazes me.

Wasdin brings the reader right into the middle of his training, which is fascinating. The trials that these men undergo is unbelievable, and many do not make it through. His story of medical training on goats under simulated battle conditions was incredible.

During his time with the SEALS, Wasdin served in Iraq during Desert Storm. When 14 starving Iraqi soldiers surrendered to him and his partner, he had a revelation.
"They were human beings, just like me. I discovered my humanity and the humanity in others. It was a turing point for me- it was when I matured."
Wasdin also served in Somalia, and was involved in the Battle of Mogadishu, which was made into the book and movie, Black Hawk Down. His description of his role in the pursuit of warlord Aidid and that battle are tense and made me hold my breath as I read it. Wasdin was seriously injured in that battle.

His most successful operation in Somalia involved saving a young boy. Next door to the house they were using as a secret base was a young boy who had stepped on a land mine and had a bad case of gangrene. The smell was awful and after being refused permission to help the boy and endangering their operation, Wasdin and his partner broke into the house next door, tied up the family, cleaned the boy's wound and gave him IV antibiotics.

They returned two more times to help the boy and save his life. The once frightened, now thankful, family offered them tea on their last visit. He could not let that boy suffer needlessly.

Seen from his perspective, Wasdin was very angry at the politics that he felt exacerbated the Somalia situation. He has some very harsh words for upper command and the Clinton administration. He believes that Aidid could have been captured, they had him sighted, but the plug was pulled.

Wasdin's words on Somalia echo our current situation in Afghanistan.
"We shouldn't have become involved in Somalia's civil war- this was their problem, not ours- but once we committed, we should've finished what we started ; a lesson we are required to keep relearning over and over again."
SEAL Team Six will appeal to many readers; those who like military books will appreciate the in-depth look at SEAL training, and those who like a more personal story will enjoy reading Wasdin's journey from small town Southern boy to Navy SEAL to badly injured soldier to the man he is today.

Fun info on training. Not so fun info on traditions.

Great discussion of ST6 training and a few operations from a very personal perspective. Enjoyed it