SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper

I watched Howard Wasdin's book presented by C-SPAN on 10/8/2012 about his SEAL experiences. BBB

SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper
by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin

Book Description

When the Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six.

In this dramatic, behind-the-scenes chronicle, Howard E. Wasdin takes readers deep inside the world of Navy SEALS and Special Forces snipers, beginning with the grueling selection process of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)—the toughest and longest military training in the world. After graduating, Wasdin saw combat in Operation Desert Storm as a member of SEAL Team Two. Then the Green Course: the selection process to join the legendary SEAL Team Six--a secret unit tasked with counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and counterinsurgency. As a member of Team Six, sniper school followed and Wasdin became one of the best snipers on the planet.

Soon he was fighting for his life. The mission: capture or kill Somalian warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. From rooftops, helicopters, and alleys, Wasdin hunted Aidid and killed his men whenever possible. But everything went quickly to hell. The Battle of Mogadishu, as it become known, left eighteen American soldiers dead and seventy-three wounded. Wasdin’s tale is one of the most thrilling and inspiring military memoirs in years.

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review

When the Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six

SEAL Team Six is a secret unit tasked with counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and counterinsurgency. In this dramatic, behind-the-scenes chronicle, Howard Wasdin takes readers deep inside the world of Navy SEALS and Special Forces snipers, beginning with the grueling selection process of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)—the toughest and longest military training in the world.

After graduating, Wasdin faced new challenges. First there was combat in Operation Desert Storm as a member of SEAL Team Two. Then the Green Course: the selection process to join the legendary SEAL Team Six, with a curriculum that included practiced land warfare to unarmed combat. More than learning how to pick a lock, they learned how to blow the door off its hinges. Finally as a member of SEAL Team Six he graduated from the most storied and challenging sniper program in the country: The Marine’s Scout Sniper School. Eventually, of the 18 snipers in SEAL Team Six, Wasdin became the best—which meant one of the best snipers on the planet.

Less than half a year after sniper school, he was fighting for his life. The mission: capture or kill Somalian warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. From rooftops, helicopters and alleys, Wasdin hunted Aidid and killed his men whenever possible. But everything went quickly to hell when his small band of soldiers found themselves fighting for their lives, cut off from help, and desperately trying to rescue downed comrades during a routine mission. The Battle of Mogadishu, as it become known, left 18 American soldiers dead and 73 wounded. Howard Wasdin had both of his legs nearly blown off while engaging the enemy. His dramatic combat tales combined with inside details of becoming one of the world’s deadliest snipers make this one of the most explosive military memoirs in years.

An Excerpt from SEAL Team Six

Chapter One

Reach Out and Touch Someone

When the U.S. Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six, the navy's equivalent to the army's Delta Force—tasked with counterterrorism and counterinsurgency, occasionally working with the CIA. This is the first time a SEAL Team Six sniper's story has been exposed. My story.

Snipers avoid exposure. Although we prefer to act rather than be acted upon, some forces are beyond our control. We rely on our strengths to exploit the enemy's vulnerabilities; however, during the war in the Persian Gulf I became vulnerable as the lone person on the fantail of an enemy ship filled with a crew working for Saddam Hussein. On yet another occasion, despite being a master of cover and concealment, I lay naked on an aircraft runway in a Third World country with bullet holes in both legs, the right leg nearly blown off by an AK-47 bullet. Sometimes we must face what we try to avoid.

In the morning darkness of September 18, 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, Casanova and I crept over the ledge of a retaining wall and climbed to the top of a six-story tower. Even at this early hour there were already people moving around. Men, women, and children relieved themselves in the streets. I smelled the morning fires being lit, fueled by dried animal dung and whatever else people could find to burn. The fires heated any food the Somalis had managed to obtain. Warlord Aidid knew fully the power of controlling the food supply. Every time I saw a starving child, I blamed Aidid for his evil power play that facilitated this devastation of life.

The tower we were on was located in the middle of the Pakistani compound. The Pakistanis were professional and treated us with great respect. When it was teatime, the boy in charge of serving always brought us a cup. I had even developed a taste for the fresh goat milk they used in the tea. The sounds and scents of the goatherd in the compound reached my senses as Casanova and I crawled onto the outer lip at the top of the tower. There we lay prone, watching a large garage, a vehicle body shop that had no roof. Surrounding the garage was a city of despair. Somalis trudged along with their heads and shoulders lowered. Helplessness dimmed their faces, and starvation pulled the skin tight across their bones. Because this was a "better" part of town, multilevel buildings stood in fairly good repair. There were concrete block houses instead of the tin and wooden lean-to sheds that dominated most of the city and countryside. Nevertheless, the smell of human waste and death—mixed with hopelessness—filled the air. Yes, hopelessness has a smell. People use the term "developing countries," but that is bullcrap. What developed in Somalia was things such as hunger and fighting. I think "developing countries" is just a term used to make the people who coined it feel better. No matter what you call them, starvation and war are two of the worst events imaginable.

I calculated the exact distances to certain buildings. There are two primary considerations when making a sniper shot, windage and elevation. Because there was no significant wind that could throw my shot left or right, I didn't have to compensate for it. Elevation is the variable considered for range/distance to the target. Since most of my potential targets were between 200 yards (garage) and 650 yards (intersection beyond the target garage), I dialed my scope in at 500 yards. This way I could just hold my rifle higher or lower depending on range. When the shooting began, there would be no time to dial in range corrections on my scope between shots.

We started our surveillance at 0600. While we waited for our agent to give us the signal, I played different scenarios over in my mind: one enemy popping out at one location, then another popping up at another location, and so on. I would acquire, aim, and even do a simulated trigger pull, going through my rehearsed breathing and follow-through routine while picturing the actual engagement. Then I simulated reloading and getting back into my Leupold 10-power scope, continuing to scan for more booger-eaters. I had done this dry firing and actual firing thousands of times—wet, dry, muddy, snowbound, from a dug-in hole in the ground, from an urban sniper hide through a partially open window, and nearly every which way imaginable. The words they had drilled into our heads since we began SEAL training were true, "The more you sweat in peacetime, the less you bleed in war." This particular day, I was charged with making sure none of my Delta Force buddies sprang a leak as I covered their insertion into the garage. My buddies' not bleeding in war was every bit as important as my not bleeding.

Our target for this mission was Osman Ali Atto—Warlord Aidid's main financier. Although Casanova and I would've been able to recognize the target from our previous surveillance, we were required to have confirmation of his identity from the CIA asset before we gave the launch command.

The irony wasn't lost on me that we were capturing Atto instead of killing him—despite the fact that he and his boss had killed hundreds of thousands of Somalis. I felt that if we could kill Atto and Aidid, we could stop the fighting, get the food to the people quickly, and go home in one piece.

It wasn't until around 0815 that our asset finally gave the predetermined signal. He was doing this because the CIA paid him well. I had learned firsthand while working with the CIA how payoffs could sway loyalty.

When we saw the signal, Casanova and I launched the "full package." Little Bird and Black Hawk helicopters filled the sky. During this time, the Delta operators literally had their butts hanging out—the urban environment provided too much cover, too much concealment, and too many escape routes for the enemy. All a hostile had to do was shoot a few rounds at a helo or Humvee, jump back inside a building, and put his weapon down. Even if he reappeared, he was not considered hostile without a weapon. Things happened fast, and the environment was unforgiving.

Delta Force operators fast-roped down inside the garage, Rangers fast-roped around the garage, and Birds flew overhead with Delta snipers giving the assault force protection. Atto's people scattered like rats. Soon, enemy militia appeared in the neighborhood shooting up at the helicopters.

Normally, snipers operate in a spotter-sniper relationship. The spotter identifies, ranges the targets, and relays them to the sniper for execution. There would be no time for that on this op—we were engaged in urban warfare. In this environment, an enemy could appear from anywhere. Even worse, the enemy dressed the same as a civilian. We had to wait and see his intention. Even if he appeared with a gun, there was a chance he was part of a clan on our side. We had to wait until the person pointed the weapon in the direction of our guys. Then we would ensure the enemy ceased to exist.

There would be no time for makeup or second shots. Both Casanova and I wielded .300 Win Mag sniper rifles.

Through my Leupold 10-power scope, I saw a militiaman 500 yards away firing through an open window at the helos. I made a mental note to keep my heart rate down and centered the crosshairs on him as my muscle memory took over—stock firmly into the shoulder, cheek positioned behind the scope, eye focused on the center of the crosshairs rather than the enemy, and steady trigger squeezing (even though it was only a light, 2-pound pull). I felt the gratifying recoil of my rifle. The round hit him in the side of the chest, entering his left and exiting his right. He convulsed and buckled, falling backward into the building—permanently. I quickly got back into my scope and scanned. Game on now. All other thoughts departed my mind. I was at one with my Win Mag, scanning my sector. Casanova scanned his sector, too.

Another militiaman carrying an AK-47 came out a fire escape door on the side of a building 300 yards away from me and aimed his rifle at the Delta operators assaulting the garage. From his position, I'm sure he thought he was safe from the assaulters, and he probably was. He was not safe from me—300 yards wasn't even a challenge. I shot him through his left side, and the round exited his right. He slumped down onto the fire escape landing, never knowing what hit him. His AK-47 lay silent next to him. Someone tried to reach out and retrieve the weapon—one round from my Win Mag put a stop to that. Each time I made a shot, I immediately forgot about that target and scanned for another.

Chaos erupted inside and outside of the garage. People ran everywhere. Little Birds and Black Hawks filled the skies with deafening rotor blasts. I was in my own little world, though. Nothing existed outside my scope and my mission. Let the Unit guys handle their business in the garage. My business was reaching out and touching the enemy.

This wasn't the first time I'd killed for my country. It wouldn't be the last.

A few minutes passed as I continued scanning. More than 800 yards away, a guy popped up with an RPG launcher on his shoulder, preparing to fire at the helicopters. If I took him out, it would be the longest killing shot of my career. If I failed...

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

By Chris Jaronsky TOP

I was honored to get a pre-release copy of this book and I was very excited to read it. Then I read the news a couple of days later that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. Killed by SEALs from Team Six! Damn, now I could not wait to get my hands on this book! Talk about great timing.

This book is the memoir of Howard Wasdin, a sniper from SEAL Team Six, and co-authored by Stephen Templin, who met Howard when the two of them were going through BUD/S training together. While neither of the authors were on Team Six at the time of the OBL takedown, the book does give an excellent account of SEAL training and is one of the few books that actually talks about SEAL Team Six, which is an elite team inside the already incredibly elite world of the Navy SEALs.

The book is very exciting, written well, and gives in-depth accounts of Wasdins childhood. You can feel the pain he goes through at the hands of an abusive step-father. While that is a bad situation, you can see how Wasdin internalizes that pain and suffering and uses it to help him get through BUD/S training, which is hands-down the toughest training on this planet.

The chapter titled "The only easy day was yesterday" tells about a portion of Wasdin's time at BUD/S training. It goes into details about the rigorous training but can only cover some of it because the training is so intense and varied that it takes whole books to even come close to detailing it. If you are interested I highly recommend The Warrior Elite: The Forging of SEAL Class 228 and The Finishing School: Earning the Navy SEAL Trident by Dick Couch. Those two books will give you an inside look into what it takes to become a Navy SEAL. After you read them you will never again question the dedication that these men have and you will be humbled in their presence because they are pretty amazing people.

Wasdin walks us through his Navy career, tells about his time in SEAL Team Two, and how he tested and interviewed to become a member of Team Six. It then goes on to give detailed accounts of his time at Marine Corp Sniper school, almost too much detail because the "deer tic" story is a visual I could have lived without. But I Guess that is something you never really think about when you are crawling into position to take a shot. Taking hours to crawl a hundred yards has got to be intense, when even the slightest movement can be picked up by the enemy. It is just another look into the intensity and dedication these professional operators have.

This book kept my attention from cover to cover, but the sections on Somalia were especially riveting. Wasdin was a key member in the Battle of Mogadishu which many of you know from the book Black Hawk Down and the movie by the same name. In this intense battle he was shot three times, almost losing a leg, but as a testament to his professionalism and training he continues to fight to save his fellow warriors.

The book wraps up with a few chapters detailing his recovery and re-insertion back into civilian life. He also tells how he finally came to peace with his retirement from the SEALs and has been guided into doing what he feels he is destined to do, helping others. I highly recommend this book.

Another great book you will enjoy is Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell which details Operation Redwing in Afghanistan. Another amazing book.
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Fast Moving, You Will Love It - Here's Why? - FIVE STARS !!!! May 10, 2011 By A Customer

You read a book like this because you love the action, the scenarios and the pure learning curve it provides about one of the deadliest combat forces in history. Author Howard Wasdin was an actual member of Seal Team Six and retired out on a medical discharge after he sustained severe injuries on a mission.

This book simply gives you details of the life of a Navy Seal that you will not find anywhere else, and I believe I have read most of what is on the market. Wasdin was involved with missions such as the Battle of Mogadishu, and the first Gulf War. He pulls no punches and he minces no words. What is is, and he is unafraid to tell you about it within the bounds of protecting his fellow Seals.

As an example, he mentions that during the first Gulf War he thought it was reasonable that the Seals should have been put in charge of protecting the Kuwaiti oil fields from the retreating Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein. The generals in charge thought otherwise. As a result Hussein's troops set fire to the fields during the retreat. Some 600 oil wells were fired up. Kuwait lost 5 to 6 million barrels per day. Five percent of the physical country was a mixture of land and oil, and it cost $1.5 billion to clean up, and nobody talks about it.

Wasdin is also very clear about what service to his country does to a marriage - it simply destroys it. It does not take long for a wife to realize that a Seal is more married to his team than he is to a woman. Most marriages suffer as a result, including his own, but training and the mission come first and as Seals like to say, the more you sweat in peacetime, the less you bleed in war.

The book contains 307 pages in 17 chapters plus an epilogue. My favorite chapters were:

7) Desert Storm

8) Seal Team Six

13) Battle of Mogadishu

If you have an interest in the training and specific operational procedures that these professionals face, then this is the book for you. Whether it is learning to operate a .300 Caliber Win Mag sniper rifle or H&P MP-5 Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun, this book is full of absolutely fascinating state of the art information. From swimming in high seas to doing high altitude-low opening jumps from airplanes, these men are among the best trained warriors in history. Yes there are others such as the Army's Delta Force, or Air Force Search and Rescue, but now with the death of Bin Laden, Seal Team Six will enter into the stuff of legends.

If you have any interest in war and special operations groups than I urge you to read Seal Team Six, and thank you for reading this review.

Richard Stoyeck

Post Script:

When I was learning to shoot weapons many years ago, I sought out the best shooter in the world. I found him in Florida, and he was a former world champion. I traveled down from New York and upon arrival, I met a handful of Navy Seals who were training with this gentleman as well. Over a period of days we all hit it off. What I noticed which has never been written about anywhere is the brainpower that these warriors possess. Any of these individuals could have been doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers. They are extremely bright, and handle themselves in a highly professional and at the same time in a private manner. No braggarts in this group.