NAVY SEALS

Interviews with Vietnam-era Navy SEALs about their elite training and demanding military service.

Drawing on interviews conducted by Bud Brutsman, veteran soldier and experienced military affairs author Dockery (The Teams, 1998) follows up Navy SEALs: A History of the Early Years (not reviewed) with this oral history of the teams’ harrowing combat duties in Vietnam. Loosely organized around the chronology of the conflict in Southeast Asia, the book at its heart is a tribute to the collective spirit exhibited here. Lieutenant Commander Scott R. Lyon introduces readers to the ad hoc nature of early SEAL training, which consisted of qualifying select groups of Navy personnel in any and every military skill that might be potentially useful in covert combat operations. Interviews with other early team members trace the evolution of SEAL training and its effectiveness under the stresses of combat in Vietnam. The same spirit that enabled him to survive Hell Week, Lieutenant Michael Thornton finds, also inspired him to swim his seriously wounded team members to safety during a botched combat insertion. Lieutenant Philip Martin reveals how unsuccessful search-and-rescues of American POWs often turned into important intelligence-gathering opportunities for alert SEALs. A commitment to teamwork and excellence echoes throughout, perhaps explaining how former SEALs from Senator Bob Kerry to Governor Jesse Ventura have continued to serve, lead, and inspire the nation long after they left the Navy. Dockery’s collection captures the SEAL teams’ can-do spirit.

An entertaining and informative volume that will appeal to general readers interested in military history or high adventure. (Maps and photos throughout)