Down Range: Navy SEALs in the War on Terrorism

I liked this book for a couple of reasons. First, I was in the Navy, I saw the BUDS classes at Coronado when they went to eat at the mess hall. My buddies and I would wonder what it was that these guys were trying to do. Now, I have found out. It is hard to believe that we were all in the same service. This is like a different world to what I know of the Navy.I also enjoyed it because it gave me a glimpse I think, of the world that the SEALS work in. I was amazed at the amount of training that takes place before a new member goes into the field.My thanks to the author; Dick Couch, I appreciate the detail and the information without making it some type of gung ho drama.BZ

Anyone wanting to read this book should absolutely read Warrior Elite & The Finishing School before reading this. I have seen several reviews speaking poorly of the author because he doesn't reveal some kind of classified information in this book. There are two main reasons this type of criticism should never be written. The first is that revealing classified information will get you a very quick trip to federal prison. The second and to me more important reason is that he is writing a book about some of the most elite and greatest warriors the world has ever known. To reveal any classified or sensitive information could & probably would put these great warriors at greater risk than they are already in. To do so is not only irresponsible but outright cruel to these great warriors and there families who pray for there safe return. This book is a great read though.

Dick Couch gas dine a great job not just relating or repeating exciting SOF missions; but has taken us behind the scenes as it were in to the heart, mind, rules, and continuing adaptation of warfare that Seals are the best at.

Dick seems to be living off his reputation from Warrior Elite. That book was tightly written, well edited, and felt like it came from the heart. This book, like his sequal to Warrior Elite, seems like a bit of a rush job. The topic is certainly interesting and relevant, but the writing lacks depth and color. The wording tends to be repetive and while most stories are entertaining, I didn't feel the same level of emotion from the author as W-E. This is not to take anything against the men on the front-line that put their lives on the line for us. The book just doesn' quite do their work justice. It could have used better editing as it reads more like a good rough draft. I would have rated the book lower then 3 stars if it was just on the writing, but I notched it up for the story line.

Detailed descriptions of SEAL missions along with their military support personnel in Afghanistan and other locations. It always amazes me that there are soldiers willing to go through the grueling training to then go out on high risk missions while facing harsh conditions. Dick Couch’s writing style puts you there as if you were on the missions.

This is great stories about the seals. Always nice to read books written by someone who has been there. Those involve are keen to given more details on ops to one of the own.

I bought this book hoping to learn something new about Seals and their missions. What I ended up reading was a cheerleading manual on Seals and SOF in general. I will call that the "rah-rah-rah" factor. There was lots of "they (SOF,USMC,CCTs) are our brothers", "they are real professionals", "we are proud to work with them", and "we'd go to war with them anytime". I even caught a mistake: MOPP (military protective chemical suit) stands for Mission-Oriented Protective Posture. The author gave the wrong info for the acronym. I expect the author to have his facts straight. As usual I recommend the following books: C. Pfarrer's Warrior Soul, E. Haney's Delta Force, Walker's At the Hurricane's Eye, Orr's series on Navy Seals (I think there are 2 worth reading, but don't get the most recent one with all the interviews--uhhh), and Waller's The Commandos. I guess if you are new to the subject of Seals and other SOF this book is ok, but otherwise save yourself the money and get more in-depth info from the above books I mentioned.

Really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. This is a close up look at what world looks like from the eyes of some of the best and brightest warriors on the planet. If you have any interest in this subject I recommend this book.

Navy SEALs in the war on terrorism. Dick Couch is a SEAL of the Vietnam era who has remained current with the present SEAL population. Indeed, he has written previous books about their training and some of those featured in this book were men he followed through from training. The comparisons with the Vietnam experience are interesting but the point of this work is to illustrate just what these extraordinary men are doing in this continuing conflict. A truly valuable insight by a respected insider. If you are interested in SEAL deployments, you will not want to miss this.

I found this book to give a good overview of current Seal operations. Written in a manner that holds ones attention quite well...it never gets technical to the point of boring.I do have one issue though. The author mentions how at times the Seals have worked with the military forces of other countries in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet he never mentions the Canadian contingent which has borne the brunt of operations in the Khandahar region of Afghanistan since 2004.A bit of the case of the Yanks save the world yet again with no credit to the others who assist them.

L'auteur s'est tellement auto censuré de peur de mettre en danger la vie de personnes sur le terrain que l'on n'apprend que peu de chose. Il est néanmoins intéressant de voir la guerre en Afghanistan du côté USA.