Customer Reviews

Hell Week: SEALs in Training

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A lot of good information is available on Navy SEALS, and this book adds to that. It gives detailed information on expectations to make it through HELL WEEK from an insiders view point. Dennis Chalker has a way of writing that is subtle, but powerful. This book may be an autobiography of his BUDS experience, and is a valuable resource for any person who wants to understand HELL WEEK from someone who has been there. From his writing style, I found myself struggling with the Class 78 to get thru every evolution described and immense relief when they were declared "secured". I also enjoyed Dennis Chalker's first book "One Perfect Op". Some readers may expect some kind of movie glitz when they read about Navy SEALS, but the true effort is described in this book- pain, determination, tenacity, stress beyond ordinary imagination, but ultimately the immense pride and respect that comes with the accomplishment of completing Hell Week.

While I have only a passing interest in military matters, this book has given me a whole new appreciation and respect for anyone made of the human steel that could survive Hell Week--especially when the only thing keeping you in is your own will power. I find that the principles of persistence, teamwork, and devotion to ideals apply to many aspects of life, so I wholeheartedly recommend this book to readers, military or not.

This book might appeal to SEAL wannabes, but anyone else should skip it. This is advertised as a novel, but there is no plot or storyline anywhere in sight. It is another of the many books recently published along the line of "See how tough the SEALS are". While I have the utmost respect for the US Navy SEALS, this book is simply another recitation of BUD/S and Hell Week.
SEAL wannabes and SEAL fans might apppreciate it because the author is well-known in the SEAL community. This book appears to be a thinly disguised autobiography of the author's own BUD/S experience. There are a lot better SEAL books out there.

CMC Chalker tells the story of Hell Week from both the perspective of a student and an instructor. While at times the book seems chaotic and disjointed, it works, given that Hell Week itself is chaotic and disjointed. I would have liked to have read more about Hell Week from the point of view of an instructor, but understand that the book is supposed to be about the students.

Some editing could have been done on the book, as some details are repeated in different places.

I would recommend this read to anyone interested in the Seals or the Teams Training in general. The 5 1/2 days of hellweek are described day by day, and done so wonderfully. I would have liked to read more about the rest of the training; however, as the title implies "hell week" is the narrow subject. I plan on enlisting soon and am tryign to gather as much 1st phase of BUDS information as possible. This is a good one. Its also a good read to get you going and motiviated as well.

This book reads like a novel from the point of view of a Master Chief with flashbacks to his own experiences in BUD/S. This provides a more balanced look at the evolutions, which just seem like crazy stunts and torture to anyone who hasn't understood the reasons for them. It also provides a more realistic look at the trainees; they are not glamourous heroes yet; they're students who are so dirty, they can get someone sick by breathing on him.

If one person can write an entire book on Hell Week alone, I question its validity.

No reason to buy a book...Hell Week merely sucks.

Save your money, you wannbe's