Latest Read: No Easy Day

The book by former Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette, who was a team leader on the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden. As you may know, the book is controversial since special operations people maintain a “code of silence” about their missions. Bissonnette said he wanted to “set the record straight” once and for all as to what actually happened, without giving out any compromising information about tactics, weaponry, etc.I read it when it first came out, in early September.

Also, he says in the book that most proceeds are going to military charities (he lists them), and has since said that all proceeds are being given away.

No Easy Day is an easy read – took me a bit over 3 hours to read on my kindle. And it’s quite compelling with much of it autobiographical as Bissonnette writes about his background, motivation for joining the SEALS, the training, and information about prior missions.

Some interesting dilineations/pointers from the book

1. The SEALS are a close-knit community (but you already knew that)
2. The author was on the helicopter that crash-landed on the bin Laden mission, and as it went down, he thought they’d all be killed. Only a great job by the pilot prevented a catastrophe.
3. Many of the CIA analysts who spent years on the search for bin Laden were women. Bissonnette has an interesting vignette about one of the woman. 
4. The cameras on drones are amazing. The author was in charge of the team that was going to take the guest house. He asked if the front door opened in or out. The analyst said “give me a few minutes”, checked the data and then was able to give him the answer (read the book for the answer).
5. The SEAL (unidentified, as are all the operatives) who killed bin Laden’s son Khalid, also was the one who mortally wounded bin Laden.
6. Whatever compunction Special Forces operators had about killing people – well they left the compunctions behind and made peace with killing when they joined Special Forces. The author describes his shooting of several people on prior missions, and is clearly personally responsible for the deaths of plenty of “bad guys.”
7. Bissonnette and another SEAL put a couple of extra shots into the dying bin Laden “he was still twitching and convulsing” with blood and brains spilled out.
8. Bin Laden used “Just for Men” to cover the gray in his beard.
9. The SEALs were very concerned that the mission success would help Obama get re-elected.

At the end of the kindle edition is a listing of Special Forces men who’ve lost their lives in various operations, a list of “confirming sources”, and the photos and diagrams that presumably are in the proper places in the hard copy edition (A disadvantage of the kindle edition; I didn’t know there were pictures, diagrams and maps until I got to the end. My bad.).

I’m glad the author wrote and published this; I can understand the objections, but getting the story out I think is important.

I’ve posted a modified version of this review on Amazon.