Matthew Cole

Author manages to give as-real-as-possible picture of SEAL Team Six by portraying their history from conception in 1980's, Marcinko and Red Cell days to waging almost constant war for two decades since 2001. Only people that got surprised by the not so legal actions T6 started getting involved with I think were politicians, lawyers and journalists.

Higher ranking officers and more experienced operators knew why things happened the way they happened. Because this is something that happens with troops of highly qualified and capable people through ages, given secrecy and carte-blanche of national security. Without supervision these types of troops are walking a thin line and can very fast get bent. Look at the Britain's SAS during Northern Ireland campaign (Black and Tan before that), Rhodesian SAS, Selous Scouts and South Africa security apparatus that degraded with Vlakplaas death squads in late 1980's and early 1990's (and US armed forces post Vietnam, but this is something that does not need any special mention). What is common with all of these situations? Very, very, long wars, chained together until they blur in the one big constant never-ending fire fight, politicians willing to look the other way as long as they get political points, military not willing to lose people, good at eliminating enemy under most difficult conditions, by disciplining them and (unfortunately this is something that is most devastating element) idea of great destiny, acting as chosen ones to defend their country against savages, spreading the democracy (replace it with any political view popular at times), dehumanization of the enemy to the crazy levels after which army starts to observe their enemy as anything but human being. Moment people get desensitized from effects of killing and mass destruction these people need a break or change of career. And unfortunately crack units are most susceptible to this and suffer the most (life at the tip of the spear is not easy one) and this is what exactly happened to T6. Without longer rotations and larger pool of replacements it is just matter of day when units like these get closer and closer to that invisible line leading to corruption - and then they cross it and find out they can do it with impunity.

If this was troubling in the past, today, with advent of social media, never satiated mass media always looking for more blood and gore and shock effect issue gets out of the proportions. Books, ability to say everything and anything knowing that nobody will correct them, work as PMCs or with arms industry (ever present dollar stamped everywhere) - all these elements encourage troubled operators to look at their service as training grounds, jump-board to lucrative after-service life. Seen by the outside world as heroes and protected by their peers troubled operators start with publicizing their view of the world - usually just simplified to "savages and us" - and just deepen the problem by attracting other troubled people to join the fight. And so circle closes, or better said, starts again.

Only way out of this in my opinion is limiting the wars, stopping with putting every brush to flames in name of the politicians who will be there for 4 years and will never look back once. Military needs to say something and stop just stoically accept that their people are generally unappreciated and just used to the breaking point and then discarded. They need to say that breaking point is near and something needs to be done before all is left are highly traumatized forces. Also process of looking at war as something that is acceptable needs to stop. Once war is no longer looked at through casualty rates politicians will always push for it - and lets be honest they are not the ones paying the price.

One can only hope military will start thinking about their people and stop acting just as a service to amorphic political body.

Most terrible thing is that action of the few stain the lives and careers of others in the teams and people working with them (martial arts instructor Dieter's contribution was truly great). This is the greatest tragedy in this entire story.

Very interesting book, highly recommended.… (mais)

This is an entertaining book that allows people to arrange for certain wildlife, and the occasional pet, to take park in stunts / experiments. I would say most of the stunts require quite a lot of patience and some have a need for wildlife in your back garden. Teaching your goldfish to play football certainly looked interesting as shown by the video on amazon. I have seen the squirrel stunts played out on TV, but most of the other ideas are all new to me. I have to say I can’t imagine myself entering my local wood with a battery powered drill! Read the book to find out more about this.

I would recommend this book as a stocking filler at this time of year and I believe it will entertain and amuse, dare I say, quite a few nature loving men, as I don’t see many ladies wishing to race slugs over razor blades. It’s written in a very humorous way and will lead to a few chuckles, but I would have liked a few more cute animal pictures, however I feel it’s a book more suited to the practicalities of playing out the stunts. One fact I did learn along the way was that if another woodlouse happens upon an upturned woodlouse he will help flip his pal over. It’s good to know even the bugs help each other out!

Overall an enjoyable fun book!

Review also here:
http://bookannelid.wordpress.com/… (mais)