No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden

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No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 13,030 ratings · 2,103 reviews

For the first time anywhere, the first-person account of the planning and execution of the Bin Laden raid from a Navy Seal who confronted the terrorist mastermind and witnessed his final moment

From the streets of Iraq to the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips in the Indian Ocean, and from the mountaintops of Afghanistan to the third floor of Osama Bin Laden’s compound, ope...more

ebook, 208 pages

Published September 4th 2012 by Penguin Group (USA) (first published January 1st 2012)

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Oct 27, 2012 Roger rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-non-fiction

A quick, unimpressive read from a literary point of view. Nearly half the book covers events loosely or not related to the Usama bin Laden (UBL) mission.

If all you want is the account of the preparation for and execution of the raid on Bin Laden's compound, you can start roughly halfway through the book and not miss anything specifically pertinent. The narrative with regard to the raid that killed UBL, as a first-hand account of the events is enlightening in its contradictions to some of the ma...more A quick, unimpressive read from a literary point of view. Nearly half the book covers events loosely or not related to the Usama bin Laden (UBL) mission.

If all you want is the account of the preparation for and execution of the raid on Bin Laden's compound, you can start roughly halfway through the book and not miss anything specifically pertinent. The narrative with regard to the raid that killed UBL, as a first-hand account of the events is enlightening in its contradictions to some of the major details of the "official" reports released to the media by the DoD and administration in the hours and days immediately after the killing of bin Laden.

Specific important discrepancies involve the details of the 40-minute gun battle between the SEAL team and those within UBL's compound. Assuming Matt Bissonnette's eyewitness account, written under the pseudonym Mark Owen, is factual, perhaps its greatest value is that it reveals yet another manipulation of the media and the truth by yet another administration more interested in perception than truth.

Do not get me wrong. I do not have a problem with the conduct of the raid that killed UBL as described by Mr. Bissonnette. BinLaden got what he deserved. I take no issue whether he and his protectors put up a defensive gun battle or not, and I have no issue with the SEAL team killing him on sight - armed or not. Doing so spared the world what would have been a long drawn out political and legal spectacle not unlike the capture, trial, and execution of Saddam Hussein.

What I do have issues with are in the DoD's and Administration's apparent willingness to deceive and alter facts, presumably for diplomatic reasons. I am not naive, I understand the political motivation, especially from an international perspective that drives altering the facts. Americans aren't supposed to gun down unarmed criminals or our war-time enemies. So the official story carried by the media was edited to portray UBL's killing as unavoidable.

I have to believe that Bissonette's and the publishers motivation for releasing the story without first submitting it to the DoD for scrutinization to ensure that no classified information or operational secrets were divulged, was that he knew the truth he wanted to tell would not have survived their review.

Not a great book by any means, but important both from the perspective of getting out the real story and for documenting again the heroic work our dedicated military, DoD civilian, and DoD contractor men and women do every day for us and in our name as Americans. (less)

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Sep 23, 2012 Hadrian rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, west-asia, biography-memoir, war

This is not a well-written book, nor is it even an exciting one, but it brings up several important questions.

The man's exploits are exciting and laudable, but the writing style does them little credit. Only the last few chapters go into any depth on the raid itself. The ghost writer did a rather substandard job at taking the author's stories and turning them into a readable book. There are some interesting technical bits near the beginning, but most of the rest is rather dry stuff. Mr. Owens'...more This is not a well-written book, nor is it even an exciting one, but it brings up several important questions.

The man's exploits are exciting and laudable, but the writing style does them little credit. Only the last few chapters go into any depth on the raid itself. The ghost writer did a rather substandard job at taking the author's stories and turning them into a readable book. There are some interesting technical bits near the beginning, but most of the rest is rather dry stuff. Mr. Owens' interesting life is turned into cheesy B-movie schlock.

The news articles about the book already discuss the good bits of the raid anyway. Most notably, his testimony differs from the official White House version in several places.

In two ways, however, Mr. Owen sets a dangerous precedent. First, in that a military serviceman, in a public venue, criticizes his commander-in-chief during election season. He does this not even from discontent, not from fear for his country, nor for national security, nor revealing a crime - but simply out of minor political differences.

The second point is the possible, yet presently unconfirmed leak of classified information, again under questionable circumstances, and the refusal to sign any Non-Disclosure Agreements. The Pentagon considers legal action as I write this. Now that Fox News has revealed the author's real name and that death threats are set up by Al Qaeda against him, I am suddenly reminded of Valerie Plame. Again information spread too quickly at the wrong time can become dangerous.

A book which relies on controversy and provocative timing to turn a profit for the publisher. The author aimed to donate the money to veteran support charities, but it seems even they have rebuffed him.

I, a mere outsider, might not have any say in this, but is it right to have our most secret individuals selling their secrets? No doubt they do their jobs impeccably. But something's been infecting perceptions of the military recently, and it's hard to explain what comes next.(less)

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Sep 14, 2012 Auntee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of memoirs, current events, or even romance readers who enjoy reading about military heroes

Shelves: biography-memoir, 2012_reads

Every now and then I like to take a break from reading romance, and since I do enjoy a good military romance, I thought I'd be interested in getting the low-down from a real military hero. No Easy Day is an autobiography/memoir from retired Navy SEAL Mark Owen (his alias) that largely deals with the operation to capture/kill Osama Bin Laden.

The author (in disguise) being interviewed on "60 Minutes"...

The book was always interesting, and it grabs you from the first chapters as members of SEAL Te...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Jeff Emanuel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: personal-library

FEW BOOKS HAVE generated as much buzz in as short a time as No Easy Day by Mark Owen,* a former Navy SEAL who participated in the mission that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. While media have understandably focused on the bin Laden narrative, and the differences between it and the Obama administration's story of the raid, it's important to note something about this book at the outset: While Operation Neptune Spear (ONS), the bin Laden mission, is the hook (and a singularly effective one...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Dave Schultz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nook, history

very good read....the chapters about the raid on bin laden are off the charts. highly recommend

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Sep 17, 2012 Jarrod Jenkins rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

No Easy Day tells the tale of a Navy SEAL’s life. This particular author, who uses an alias in an ultimately futile attempt to hide his true identity, was a SEAL for about ten years. As part of his career, he participated in the mission that successfully killed Osama Bin Laden, codenamed Operation Neptune Spear.

After years of training and hundreds of missions, “Mark Owen” entered a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan along with 23 other SEALs, an interpreter, an explosives guy, and a combat dog nam...more No Easy Day tells the tale of a Navy SEAL’s life. This particular author, who uses an alias in an ultimately futile attempt to hide his true identity, was a SEAL for about ten years. As part of his career, he participated in the mission that successfully killed Osama Bin Laden, codenamed Operation Neptune Spear.

After years of training and hundreds of missions, “Mark Owen” entered a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan along with 23 other SEALs, an interpreter, an explosives guy, and a combat dog named Cairo. At around 12 AM on May 2, 2011, under the cover of night, the team flew from Jalalabad, Afghanistan “to the X,” which means directly over their target location, in two Black Hawk helicopters. The first Black Hawk inexplicably crash-landed inside the compound, but none of the Americans aboard were injured. The team proceeded with their mission and cleared a guest house and then the three-story main house, killing 3 armed men in the process.

The last man killed was Osama Bin Laden. He didn’t even put up a fight or raise his gun despite the fact he must have heard the helicopters and explosions prior to winding up on the receiving end of a bullet to the face. Owen calls him a coward, and I’d like to believe it. The SEALs took photos, DNA samples, and the body itself onboard the remaining Black Hawk and another helicopter that flew in when the first Black Hawk went down. They also grabbed as much intel in the form of photos, computers, cds, dvds, flash drives, etc. as they could in the planned 30-minute and actual 38-minute operation. The mission was a complete success with zero casualties.

I remember President Obama delivering a speech am week after that evening and experiencing an unexpected, uncontrollable spike of excitement and happiness as I received the news. Facebook lit up with comments such as “Yes! We got that fucker,” links to Team America’s song “America, Fuck Yeah,” and Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.” This was smack in the middle of exam time at the University of Virginia School of Law, and the speech was delivered at around 11:30 PM Eastern Time, but hundreds of students nonetheless spontaneously gathered on The Lawn to celebrate and sing patriotic songs like God Bless America. I can’t speak for the undergrads, but I specifically remember sitting in my high school classrooms as a junior watching television coverage of the 9/11 attacks and feeling very pissed off. Almost ten years later, the good guys got some revenge.

It was a good day made possible by Mark Owen and his brothers.

As he says in the book, there is a lot of credit to go around. There are thousands of soldiers in all branches of our military, pilots, support personnel, CIA agents and other intelligence providers, translators, and non-U.S. citizens that work against al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. Everyone deserves to celebrate Bin Laden’s death. Mark Owen happened to be directly involved. He and his SEALs conducted themselves with valor and precision. They deserve to be commended. As I’ve said before, thank God they’re on our team.

The book is entertaining, much like a Tom Clancy novel or Howard Wasdin’s similar “SEAL Team Six.” The details strike me as accurate--no matter how angry the Pentagon or certain media outlets may be over its publication. Nor does it seem to give away any vital strategic or tactical secrets or other information that couldn’t readily be obtained from other widely available sources.

After finishing this book, I’m left with two lasting thoughts. 1. Man, dude, your life is pretty worthless. 2. You shoulda tried to be a SEAL.(less)

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Sep 13, 2012 Rhianna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I Know the controversy. I've also been on the fence about whether I wanted to read it, but curiosity won. What can I say? It was a short fence.

I was captivated by the story and didn't want to put it down. In fact, I had just made it to the point where they were about to hit the third floor of the compound when the pilot mentioned we were beginning our final descent and all electronic devices needed to be turned off. NOOOOOoOoOOoOoOoOoOo! Did I mention it was a three hour flight? Yeah. Captivate...more I Know the controversy. I've also been on the fence about whether I wanted to read it, but curiosity won. What can I say? It was a short fence.

I was captivated by the story and didn't want to put it down. In fact, I had just made it to the point where they were about to hit the third floor of the compound when the pilot mentioned we were beginning our final descent and all electronic devices needed to be turned off. NOOOOOoOoOOoOoOoOoOo! Did I mention it was a three hour flight? Yeah. Captivated, I tell you.

If the book is 100% truth, that's cool. If its 100% fabrication, I'm disappointed but at the same time, I still enjoyed it. I'd like to believe its true, especially since the big message staring me in the face at the end of the book was how much of a coward Bin Laden was. He was great at rallying those around him to fight to their death, but in the end he gave up without a fight. Interesting, but not surprising.

Of all the books I've read so far on various aspects of being a SEAL, this was the easiest read as far as language goes. It wasn't as technical as other military accounts, so I think it will be easier for people to read. I got a good idea of what was going on and the key players without having to reference things or flip through pages to make sure I was thinking about the right acronym.

A quick comment about some other reviews that kind of surprised me (without getting TOO political):
1) why are people surprised that an elite military force dislikes the idea of a president who is hellbent on reducing military spending (translates to loss of jobs and equipment to run missions like these) using this mission to his advantage/possible reelection?
2) I also don't understand why people had an issue with hearing some of the other missions that showed the training and style of warfare that the SEALs excel at. Maybe it was reading other military books that helped me appreciate these anecdotes rather than the expectation of just getting into the story, but if this is the only book you've read about SEAL missions, isn't the background helpful to understand their MO?(less)

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Sep 09, 2012 Remittance Girl rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Navy Seal Buffs, People who Hate Obama

This is a review of the book, not of the author

I feel I have to title my review this way because although I'm very glad this event happened, and I have boundless admiration for the people who participated in the raid, including the author, I can't honestly say it was a great book.

To be fair to 'Mark Owen', his ghostwriter, Kevin Maurer, does bear some responsibility for taking a tired, pseudo-action-thriller approach to the story. The first half of the book is a very mediocre, dramatized 'monta...more This is a review of the book, not of the author

I feel I have to title my review this way because although I'm very glad this event happened, and I have boundless admiration for the people who participated in the raid, including the author, I can't honestly say it was a great book.

To be fair to 'Mark Owen', his ghostwriter, Kevin Maurer, does bear some responsibility for taking a tired, pseudo-action-thriller approach to the story. The first half of the book is a very mediocre, dramatized 'montage' approach to what it takes to be a Navy Seal and rise up through the ranks to do the type of special operations detailed in the book. As heart-pounding action-thrillers go, it's lacking in the kind of tangible, humanizing elements that elevate good stories of this kind out of the G.I. Joe stereotype.

The second half of the book deals with the raid itself in a very dry, accurate and factual way. It paints a clear picture of the anti-climactic demise of Osama Bin Laden. It probably would have taken a ghost writer with superior skills to Maurer's to forge the rising anticipation, the fear, the frustrations into a more gripping read.

I need to make it clear that I'm not dissing the Navy Seal. I'm just saying a better ghost writer might have done more to bring his story to life.

Many critics have questioned this author's motives for writing the book, and I think the end of the story really exposes them. He's clearly not in it for the money - since most of the profits from this book are going to veteran's charities. I think he's a man who is bitter about the 'spin' the media and the administration gave the killing of Bin Laden, because having been an eye-witness to it, he feels the factual truth was good enough and didn't require embellishment.

But he's also a man, like many in front line positions, who holds tremendous animosity towards anyone with a say in military policy and decision-making who isn't sitting beside him in combat gear, holding a firearm. I think most people who experience war on the front lines feel this way. But it sours the end of the book rather badly. Because the author is clearly not a fan of Obama, and says so often and, at times, in disparaging ways.

This book is a) a first hand account of the raid, b) a portrait of what these admirable and brave people go through to serve their country and c) a concerted effort on the part of the author to deny the present administration any share in the glory of Bin Laden's final demise.

(Note to future administrations: If you say you're going to have a beer with the guys you're pinning medals on, you'd better keep your promise. Otherwise they end up bitter and write books like this one.)

And although I thoroughly commiserate with the author's 'walk a mile in my shoes' feelings, I also think it does damage to the nobility of an account of what was a brave, courageous and well-implemented military action. I wouldn't want to walk in Owen's shoes, nor would I want to be responsible for making decisions about the fate of a whole country, its security, its economy and its place as superpower.

I think it may be a central flaw in attempting to write a first person account of this sort of experience too close to the actual event, without the distance of some time and consideration to put the events in proportion. There have been some outstanding first-person accounts of war, but rarely are they written so soon after the event.

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Sep 20, 2012 Robert Kloosterhuis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Many may disagree with this book being written, with Matt Bissonnette breaking his oath of secrecy as a Seal and a member of the US Armed Forces. I am in no doubt that he has indeed done so. He has publicly stated, and does so in the book, that his reasons are first and foremost that he felt such an important mission should be documented and in the public domain. He knew he would catch a lot of flack for it. He decided to sacrifice his own honor for the public good - the good of reminding all of...more Many may disagree with this book being written, with Matt Bissonnette breaking his oath of secrecy as a Seal and a member of the US Armed Forces. I am in no doubt that he has indeed done so. He has publicly stated, and does so in the book, that his reasons are first and foremost that he felt such an important mission should be documented and in the public domain. He knew he would catch a lot of flack for it. He decided to sacrifice his own honor for the public good - the good of reminding all of us the work these men and woman do and the sacrifices they have to make themselves, over and over again, because they believe in a higher purpose. I believe they are role models for that reason.

I agree with him. I feel this story does indeed deserve to be in the public domain. To be a part of the public written record of a significant part of our recent history. I found it very doubtful the book and its contents present any kind of security risk to US policy and personnel. There is nothing in the book that was not already well known and understood about how the US special forces operate, anyone who likes to read about this kind of thing understands this. And I take him at his word this this is his primary motive. His heart seems to be in the right place. If anything, the way he has spoken about his book, he sometimes comes across as a little naive, which I find blameless. This is not a complicated man to understand. Those who are going out of their way seeking anterior motives for his "betrayal" might well be wasting their time. To quote Hitchens: "It is a frequent vice of radical polemic to assert, and even to believe, that once you have found the lowest motive for an antagonist, you have identified the correct one."[sic]

The presentation of the events in the book is pretty matter-of-fact. A lot of it is told in flashback form, with looparounds and digressions until we come back to the actual mission. Much of the book covers his relationships to his comrades, and their shared experiences. You can tell he has a deep love and loyalty for his friends in the teams, if not always a great respect for the chain of command and the high-er ups. What surprised me the most is the level of freedom these operators are given to do their jobs. Very few regulations relating to their dress, appearance and kit.
What struck me most is his apparently level-headedness. You get the feeling he is of a very calm temperament, and so are his colleagues. I also got that impression from his interview on 60-minutes (see youtube), which prompted me to read the book.

Bissonnette is not a professional writer, so do not expect all too much from the quality of the writing style. However, having said that, I found the book riveting and hard to put down.
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Sep 10, 2012 Morgan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book in one sitting. It is both short and hard to put down, which was an excellent choice on the part of the authors. While not great, the writing style is just passable enough to not get in the way too often (although I didn't really need to be told seven times that SEALs wear 60 lbs of gear--once was enough). But this is a book that you read because it is topical, historical, and eye opening, not because of the writing quality.

The book is also well structured to give as detailed an...more I read this book in one sitting. It is both short and hard to put down, which was an excellent choice on the part of the authors. While not great, the writing style is just passable enough to not get in the way too often (although I didn't really need to be told seven times that SEALs wear 60 lbs of gear--once was enough). But this is a book that you read because it is topical, historical, and eye opening, not because of the writing quality.

The book is also well structured to give as detailed an account as practical of the operation that killed Bin Laden. There's a minimum of other material--just enough to understand and appreciate what is happening on that one mission. I think that was the right way to do this, especially because the world doesn't need another SEAL training book or military buddy story.

This is about the absolute extreme of the military experience. SEAL Team Six isn't composed of action movie stars, Tom Clancy characters, or superheroes. They are real people who are so far off the end of the physical scale and so well trained and equipped that they have become weapons. They fly anywhere in the world on a few hour's notice, jump out of airplanes into active war zones, climb up the face of a mountain, and then crawl into a bunker of hostile soldiers in the middle of the night--and somehow shoot all of them without hurting the civilians in the same room. They kill quietly, intelligently, efficiently, and unrepentantly. They probably see more hostile action in one week than most soldiers in a career. The operations described are impressive not for their perfection, but for the way that the team maintains control whenever things go wrong. Their only regret is that the Whitehouse (under any administration) doesn't take them off the leash to kill more often and with fewer questions asked.

The "good guys" are much, much scarier than the "bad guys" in this book. There is no question that they are the most effective fighting force that has ever existed, and that they are at the bare edge of humanity. You don't want to be on Team Six while reading this book. You don't want to be their friend, or in the same room as them. You want to be hiding under a blanket safe in the knowledge that they are not coming to take you down, because there's nothing that you could do if they were.

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Sep 10, 2012 Kate August rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After finishing the book, I can honestly say that there was nothing revealed in this book, that I haven't already seen on the History channel a dozen times. The person who revealed the details to the mission, was our own President and his band of merry minions. I know the SEALs have a code about not discussing their work, but I'm curious as to what the expiration date on that silence is. Many SEALs have told their stories in books and never garnered such negative reactions.
The book is very inter...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Samantha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think this is an important book that needs to be read, the same way the Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell needs to be read. With that said, it started off a little rough for me. I felt like I was in a debriefing room, very cold and no depth. That changed at the 40% mark and his personality came through. I also think you can't say or type this isn't political. It's all political no matter the party in the White House.

I read this book not so much to read the 'facts' about the mission, I wanted to...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Mitch added it · review of another edition

Shelves: to-be-reviewed

Pretty informative so far...

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Dec 25, 2012 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

The most elite and well-trained group of soldiers on the planet is a select squad of Navy Seals called DEVGRU, sometimes inaccurately called Seal Team Six.

No Easy Day is a firsthand account of the training and life as one of these Seals, culminating with the killing of Osama Bin Laden. This book has apparently been controversial in military circles, and has been denounced by the Department of Defense for revealing confidential information. Written under a pseudonym, the author claims all of the...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Dustin Lonero rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Better than I expected. This story was very straightforward and I obviously knew the ending, but it drew me in and was very suspenseful. As corny as it was, this book made me proud by describing the operation that exemplified America settling its debts. This country may seem weak at times, but at the end of the day we're a nation that was one day away from dropping an atomic bomb on Tokyo and sent a SEAL team into Bin Laden's bedroom and shot him In the head in front of his wives and kids. It ma...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The media has hyped this book up to be more than it is... It was an okay read, but no more information is shared than has been covered by the media. SEAL Team Six is a covert team for a reason so do not expect this book to expose any secrets. Being a military spouse I could identify with parts of this book, but I think it might lose those who are not integrally involved with a military member.

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Apr 05, 2013 Komal rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Komal by: Amit Tyagi

Mark Owen writes - "We are all Type A guys who liked to be in control".True to his word, he is very much in control of the book, and has ensured that it is not Operation Neptune Spear,but the SEALs who remain in the spotlight.He has left no stone unturned in making the reader accept the fact that no day is an easy day when one is a SEAL, each day is a battle to be fought, a battle to be won. Owen has highlighted how the decade was well-spent training and planning, till they finally encountered t...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Bruce rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

loved this book. couldn't hardly put it down.

If you've read and liked any of the Green Team books by Richard Marcinko, I'd highly recommend this one too.

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Feb 23, 2013 Ben rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, united-states, middle-east

I picked up this book because I was interested in learning more about the mission that killed Bin Laden. It's description of said mission and the political maneuvering before and after the operation was fascinating. However, I guess the author realized there wasn't enough material for a whole book in that, so the first half of the book is focused on other unrelated missions, training exercises and heavily cliched descriptions of his life growing up in Alaska. I didn't find these sections particu...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Dave rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A good read, interesting but not especially well written. There is relatively little new presented here, and not just because of the media leaks regarding the Bin Laden mission that the author rants about. Still, there are enough details about the mission and life of an elite soldier to make it a worthy read.

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Mar 22, 2013 Odysseus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

No Easy Day Goes Hard in the Paint

Everyone has read about the death of Osama bin Laden by now, but how many people know what led up to that, and how it all went down? No Easy Day by Mark Owen is a great story that shows how American forces strike back against terror. It is a non-fiction, first hand account of the raid on Osama bin Ladens compound, and many operations before that.
No Easy Day is a book of Navy SEAL Mark Owen’s odyssey to becoming a part of SEAL Team Six who took down al-Qaeda le...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Al rated it 4 of 5 stars

For the first time anywhere, the first-person account of the planning and execution of the Bin Laden raid from a Navy Seal who confronted the terrorist mastermind and witnessed his final moment

From the streets of Iraq to the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips in the Indian Ocean, and from the mountaintops of Afghanistan to the third floor of Osama Bin Laden’s compound, operator Mark Owen of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group — commonly known as SEAL Team Six — has been a part of

...more

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May 08, 2013 Alex Edwards rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone interested in military.

I thought the book No Easy Day by SEAL member Mark Owen was a great book. It's definitely made for anyone that has interest in the military and/or special operations. The book was a descriptive narration about Mark Owens' experience in the raid of the compound that Osama bin Laden was in when he was assassinated. The theme was the raid on the compound. The book definitely kept me reading all the way until the end without getting bored, but then again I am interested in special operations, becaus...more

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May 06, 2013 Jeffrey Owens rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I only give this a book a 3 star because as many know, there is an unwritten rule in the special forces community that you do not go public and try to gain publicity for yourself by doing interviews and writing books on your special forces experiences. “Mark Owen” violated both by not only publishing a book without getting it vetted by the DOD, as he certainly knew that he should do, but also by giving a full interview to 60 minutes on the bin Laden raid.

All in all though it was a good book wit...more I only give this a book a 3 star because as many know, there is an unwritten rule in the special forces community that you do not go public and try to gain publicity for yourself by doing interviews and writing books on your special forces experiences. “Mark Owen” violated both by not only publishing a book without getting it vetted by the DOD, as he certainly knew that he should do, but also by giving a full interview to 60 minutes on the bin Laden raid.

All in all though it was a good book with some interesting details on DEVGRU training as well as some vague biographical information on himself as well as multiple other DEVGRU team members. I was especially interested in some of the details about CQB (close quarters battle) training as this is a form of battle which seemingly defies all typical military training logic. In close quarters enemies can be behind, in front, below or above you and operators have to constantly readjust their strategy or position to compensate.

Certainly the most interesting part of the book was his description of the raid itself, which Owen was a member of Chalk 1, whose helicopter crashed at the onset of the mission. Upon seeing Chalk 1 helicopter go down, and not knowing the reason for the crash, the pilots of the helicopter baring Chalk 2, which was to have fast roped onto the roof of A1 duplex, landed to on the outside of the wall. It was more important to get the SEAL’s on the ground versus placing them on the roof of A1 at the risk of another crash. Meanwhile, Chalk 1, whose helicopter had crashed on the inside of the wall, quickly recovered and almost immediately assailed the C1 guesthouse where they killed bin Laden’s currier Abu al Kuwaiti.

Unable to gain entry to the compound via explosives, a member or Chalk 1 then opened the main gate from the inside to allow Chalk 2 into the compound. Both Chalks then assailed the A1 duplex where they killed al Kuwaiti’s brother Abrar on the first level, bin Laden’s son Khalid on the second and then Osama bin Laden himself on the third. Abrar’s wife was killed only because she had used herself as a human shield for her husband, and one of Osama’s wives was shot in the leg as she charged the SEAL’s entering bin Laden’s room, one of whom was Mark Owen.

Putting all of their CQB training and experience to good use, Owen says that the SEALs methodically took down the compound in complete silence while remaining completely calm and cool. The point man for example who advanced up the spiraling staircase to the third floor landing set the pace, with each step being slow, steady and methodical.

Owen’s description of the tear down of the compound and the seizure of computers while under a time crunch since the Pakistanis were beginning to respond was intense. Additionally I found it very interesting that the SEALs took two DNA samples from bin Laden and placed them on two separate helicopters, just in case one crashed or was shot down by the Pakistanis.

Overall a good book, but Owen should have gone about it in a better way. Undoubtedly he has sacrificed a lifetime of comradery and friendship with fellow special operators for fame and publicity.
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May 03, 2013 Joy Schwabach rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This isn't great literature, but it definitely makes you aware of how difficult it is to be a Navy SEAL.

The training is intense and relentless. Given the level of risk and constant deployment, most SEALS use sleeping aids. The comradeship is easily the best part.

Bit of trivia: Mark Owen, who wrote this memoir, was surprised to see that Osama Bin Laden used black hair dye; there's a bottle of it in his compound and his beard looks newly darkened.

Bin Laden is already dead by the time Owen gets t...more

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May 01, 2013 Ryan Erickson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of my favorite quotes from the book: "When operations get too complicated, it tends to slow things down." It all too much reminds me of my Army days.

First things first, here is my short version of the official synopsis for the book No Easy Day: The Autobiography of a Navy SEAL:

No Easy Day puts readers alongside Owen and the other handpicked members of the twenty-four-man team as they train for the biggest mission of their lives. The blow-by-blow narrative of the assault, beginning with the h

...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Jay rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

I read Dakota Meyer's book "Into the Fire" about a firefight in Afganistan, and I thought that this book would be quite different. On the face, it really isn't. Both books cover a bit of the history of the author as a soldier, then goes into detail on the fighting. But unlike Meyer's book, this story is told from an elite soldier's perspective, covering their ongoing specialized training and the tools of their trade. NED gives background of the author's assignments prior to the raid on bin Laden...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Theerasak Maneeneim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, crime, mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ผมนึกย้อนไปถึงวันที่ผมได้อ่านคำนำของ Mark Owen (นามปากกาของซีลที่อยู่ในปฏิบัติการครั้งนั้น) เขาต้องการถ่ายทอดความจริงที่เกิดขึ้นในปฏิบัติการครั้งนั้น ความจริงที่ถูกต้อง แม่นยำ เที่ยงตรง และกว่าจะสำเร็จลุล่วง หลายๆ คนต้องทำงานอย่างหนัก เป็นเกียรติยศที่พวกเขาควรจะได้รับ

โอเวนได้เล่าเรื่องต่างๆ ผ่านตัวเขา ตั้งแต่ทำไมเขาถึงสมัครเข้าทีมซีล ได้รับคัดเลือกเข้าฝึกกรีนทีม และถูกคัดเลือกเข้าทีมซีลซิกซ์ พวกเขาต้องฝึกอย่างหนัก ทำงานร่วมกันเป็นทีม ไว้ใจกัน ทุกคนสามารถทำหน้าที่ใดๆ ก็ได้แทนกันได้หมด

ปฏิบัติการที...more ผมนึกย้อนไปถึงวันที่ผมได้อ่านคำนำของ Mark Owen (นามปากกาของซีลที่อยู่ในปฏิบัติการครั้งนั้น) เขาต้องการถ่ายทอดความจริงที่เกิดขึ้นในปฏิบัติการครั้งนั้น ความจริงที่ถูกต้อง แม่นยำ เที่ยงตรง และกว่าจะสำเร็จลุล่วง หลายๆ คนต้องทำงานอย่างหนัก เป็นเกียรติยศที่พวกเขาควรจะได้รับ

โอเวนได้เล่าเรื่องต่างๆ ผ่านตัวเขา ตั้งแต่ทำไมเขาถึงสมัครเข้าทีมซีล ได้รับคัดเลือกเข้าฝึกกรีนทีม และถูกคัดเลือกเข้าทีมซีลซิกซ์ พวกเขาต้องฝึกอย่างหนัก ทำงานร่วมกันเป็นทีม ไว้ใจกัน ทุกคนสามารถทำหน้าที่ใดๆ ก็ได้แทนกันได้หมด

ปฏิบัติการที่ แอ็บบอตตาบัต(ปากีสถาน) ไม่ง่ายนัก เพราะพวกเขาจะต้องบินเข้าไปในดินแดนของปากีสถาน ต้องรีบปฏิบัติการให้เสร็จสิ้นก่อนที่กองทัพปากีสถานจะส่งเครื่องบินขับไล่ F16 มาถล่มพวกเขา .... เขามีเวลาปกติบัติการอย่างเงียบเชียบที่สุด เพียง 40 นาทีเท่านั้น .... ซีนุก 2 ลำ กับแบลคฮอคหนึ่งลำพาพวกเขาเข้าสู่อาคารที่เชื่อว่าเป็นที่อยู่ของบิน ลาดิน พวกเขามีเซอร์ไพรซ์อยู่ในมือ กุมความได้เปรียบเอาไว้ ... เตรียมเด็ดหัวศัตรูก่อนที่พวกเขาจะรู้สึกตัวแล้วหยิบอาวุธมาต่อสู้

แต่เรื่องที่ไม่คาดฝันก็เกิดขึ้น แม้ว่าการซ้อมหลายสิบครั้งไม่มีปัญหาอะไร แต่พอปฏิบัติการจริงซีนุกลำแรกตกที่ข้างบ้านบินลาดิน ... ชาวบ้านแถวนั้นก็ตื่นกันหมด ศัตรูคงรู้ตัวแล้ว .... เซอร์ไพรซ์ไม่มีแล้ว ...

ผมรู้สึกทึ่งมากหลังจากได้อ่านรายละเอียดของปฏิบัติการ (ที่สามารถเปิดเผยได้) พวกเขาทำงานอย่างหนัก ทั้งก่อนปฏิบัติการและหลังปฏิบัติการ เป็นมืออาชีพที่ผมไม่คิดมาก่อนเลยว่าพวกเขาทำงานได้โคตรเจ๋งเลย

ลองอ่านดูครับสนุกดี รายละเอียดมีอะไรน่าสนใจเพิ่มเติมจากหนังเรื่อง Zero Dark Thirty เยอะมาก(less)

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Mar 26, 2013 Lisa Skabrat rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Regardless of your view of the War on Terror and the continued American Military presence in Afghanistan, No Easy Day is a must read. Why? Because those men put their life on the line for you. You don’t have to agree with them, but you need to respect them. In order to do that, you need to know the sacrifices they have made and continually make on your behalf. For that reason, I hope you will read No Easy Day.

As the author tells the story, he allows you to feel the emotion that he faces as he p...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Joshua L rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book NO Easy Day is a first hand account on how to train for the Navy Seals. It takes you through SEAL training and how there is no minimum requirements but constantly giving your all. They are constantly being forced to improvise in every situation. There is no by the book philosophy, its all judging the senario and knowing what to do with it. "We were forced to name the lowest 5 guys, the plan was to eliminate the gray man." The gray man was someone who accomplished the minimum just to get...more

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About Mark Owen

Mark Owen is the pseudonym of Matt Bissonnette, a former Navy SEAL.

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“There is no honor in sending men to die for something you won't even fight for yourself” — 6 people liked it

“[to Navy SEALs] Quite frankly, I didn't even want to use you guys, with your dip and velcro and all your gear bullshit. I wanted to drop a bomb. But people didn't believe in this lead enough to drop a bomb. So they're using you guys as canaries. And, in theory, if bin Laden isn't there, you can sneak away and no one will be the wiser. But bin Laden is there. And you're going to kill him for me.” — 1 person liked it

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