Book Review: No Easy Day - The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden by Mark

After the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, and after the details of that raid

were released to the public, the name Seal Team Six, became a household name. Everyone knew about Seal Team Six. But beyond the name, what exactly is Seal Team Six? Seal Team Six is one of the elite military Special Forces teams that gets the bad guys who are out to hurt the nation.

No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden gives a step-by-step account of entering the Navy Special Forces training and progressing through the ranks, up to the elite. The details about the training and preparation are fascinating. The description of the actual raid puts the reader right there with the team members. For anyone interested in the details of the manhunt to get the mastermind of the 9/11 terror attack, this is the book.

There was one aspect of the book that I found interesting. The book was authored by the men who were flying into the raid on the helicopter that crashed as it was attempting to land in Bin Laden’s walled compound. I was always curious about the details of the crash and how the team members got out. I got my answers in the book.

However, I began reading, expecting to be right there as the team pushed open the door, saw Bin Laden and took him down. There was a great deal of information about the buildup to, and the events following, the actual takedown. However, there was no discussion of the actual shooting or the person who did the actual shooting -- Robert O'Neill.

Was there a post raid problem among the team members concerning who made the headlines and who got the credit? I don’t know the details, but, I have read that to some extent, a bit of a rivalry has grown out of the raid.

That distraction aside, the book, No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin, is a very interesting read.

Review by William K.