Hunters & Shooters: An Oral History of the U.S. Navy SEALs in Vietnam [Mass Market Paperback]

Bill Fawcett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1996

"There was a mentality in the leaders at the C-Team that they were there to help the Vietnamese fight and that there wasn't going to be a U.S. eyes-only mission . . . As SEALs, we didn't operate with that mentality, and taking the fight to the enemy was our bread and butter."

Commander Richard Marchinko, USN (Ret.)

The U.S. Navy SEALs have long been considered among the finest, most courageous and professional soldiers in American military history -- an elite fighting force trained as parachutists, frogmen, demolition experts and guerilla warriors, and ready for combat on the Sea, Air and Land. Born out of a proud naval tradition dating back to World War II, the first SEAL teams were commissioned in the early 1960s. Vietnam was their proving ground.

In this remarkable volume, fifteen former SEALs share their vivid, first-person remembrances of action in Vietnam -- brutal, honest and thrilling stories of covert missions and ferocious firefights, of red-hot chopper insertions and extractions, revealing astonishing truths that will only add strength to the SEAL legend.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fifteen former members of the elite SEALs share their memories of combat in Vietnam.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In this worthwhile addition to oral history, 15 SEALs tell their stories, concentrating on their combat experiences in Vietnam. The 15 include a few reasonably well known Vietnam veterans, such as combat author Richard Marcinko and Rudy Boesch, who has served in special operations probably longer than any other American, and also officers and men who spent only a few years with the SEALs but remember them ineradicably. They are definitely men who have walked a little or a long way apart from where most of us go, and their stories are not for the weak of stomach or the politically correct. The strong stomached and incorrect, especially those interested in the SEALs, will, however, find the book eminently readable throughout, for it adds considerably to our knowledge of those amphibious warriors. Roland Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Avon (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038072166X
• ISBN-13: 978-0380721665
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,059,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to accompany SEAL military histories, November 8, 2003

By 

Lowrey Brendan (Kochi, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hunters & Shooters: An Oral History of the U.S. Navy SEALs in Vietnam (Mass Market Paperback)

The great thing about this oral history is that you get a personal feel for the characters as they talk about their experiences. The wide range of experiences are reflected in the wide range of personalities that the history is drawn from. The accounts are honest and sincere. Each account begins with a brief editorial introduction and summary of a different aspect of the SEALs unit formation and operational history in Viet Nam. This helps the reader to understand the subject as a broad total of experiences rather than just a bundle of yarns slapped together. The editor did a great job of putting the accounts in an informative sequence which gave this reviewer a greater background understanding of the following accounts as I progressed through the book.
I bought my copy during a visit to the SEAL/ UDT Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida and I strongly recommend other interested military buffs to buy this book and check out the museum. Well worth it.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book about SEALS in the Vietnam War, July 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hunters & Shooters: An Oral History of the U.S. Navy SEALs in Vietnam (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a great book about 15 SEALS and their experiences from training to the Vietnam war and life in the teams. It is interesting to read about the different personalities of this elite group and the things that make them alike. Highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hunters & Shooters, March 5, 2008

By 

Kevin Paster (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hunters & Shooters: An Oral History of the U.S. Navy SEALs in Vietnam (Paperback)

I love the fact that this story was written with 15 different voices. Often times people would try to shell out 15 separate books instead, but I like the weaving interplay of the stories as they go into around and through one another.

This truly does (as another reviewer said) give the impression of an oral history and stories as they'd be told around a camp fire, very enjoyable.