One Perfect Op: An Insider's Account of the Navy Seal Special Warfare Teams [Hardcover]

Dennis Chalker (Author), Kevin Dockery (Author), Richard Marcinko (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 2002

Considered one of the most elite fighting forces in the US military, Seal Team Six specialises in counter-terrorist operations. In this comprehensive first-person history, Master Chief Boatswain Mate Dennis Chalker reveals the missions and perils he encountered as "plankowner" - a founding member of this elite unit - over the past two decades. A Perfect Op is an operation in which a mission is completed without discovery of intervention. Chalker tells of one such Perfect Op where his team successfully penetrated enemy territory, completed their objective, and left without trace - a story unknown until now. An action-packed true tale, this riveting first-hand account illuminates the dedication, guts, and phenomenal drive it takes to be a special warfare soldier.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dennis Chalker says "the greatest challenge offered by the U.S. military [is] to become a Navy SEAL." A former SEAL himself, Chalker tells of his life and times in one of the military's most elite units. Much of One Perfect Op describes the extensive training each SEAL goes through, not only to become a SEAL but to remain one: "Our training had been hard and dangerous for a reason: you train as you fight." And the training certainly was hazardous--Chalker describes how one of his teammates was killed during an exercise. About half the book goes by before Chalker sees his first real combat, during the invasion of Grenada in 1983. His unit was tasked with protecting the island's governor. He also saw action in Panama and on a number of other operations, though he often leaves out the names of places and dates because these remain classified. His career was certainly varied. He was once part of "Red Cell," a special SEAL team whose job was to play the part of terrorists and test the security of naval facilities. At another point, he stormed a hostile beach to help a family escape. His equipment included all the standard SEAL hardware--guns, night-vision goggles, etc.--as well as a baby carrier and pacifier. Richard Marcinko writes the introduction (Chalker served under him), and his fans will easily become Chalker's fans as well. --John Miller

From Publishers Weekly

Command Master Chief Chalker, a former Navy SEAL, tells the story of his personal involvement with one of the U.S.'s most secretive military organizations, formed to counter terrorism and perform operations in hostile territory. Writing with Dockery (Free Fire Zones), Chalker guides the reader through a three-year stint with the army's 82nd Airborne in the early '70s and a college football injury, quickly moving to his navy career, from getting himself into BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition, SEAL) training to hazing rituals and continued training to ensure that each mission can be a "perfect op" pulled off without discovery by the opponent. In the early 1980s, Chalker became a founding member of SEAL Team Six, which played a prominent role, described in riveting detail, in the U.S. invasion of Grenada. Readers who find the following sort of sentence poetic will not be able to put the book down: "If I had to dump the M4 and switch to my secondary weapon, I would be well served by my SIG P226 loaded with a full fifteen-round magazine of hot copper-jacketed serrated 9mm hollowpoints." But the perfect op is one where the SEALs do not have to fire a round, which is clearly Chalker's preference. After serving with Team Six, Chalker volunteered for one of the new Red Cell units, formed to test American bases for security often entering and leaving a facility without being spotted, which a base commander does not want to happen. Those looking for a larger-scale history of this secret branch of the service should turn to Orr Kelly's Brave Men, Dark Waters, but by the time Chalker's 20 years are up, he has indoctrinated quite a few of his own "enswines," and special ops buffs will be satisfied. (Apr. 1)Forecast: Our current operations in Afghanistan will cultivate interest in this title, of course, but Tom Clancy's Shadow Warriors, an overview of special forces due out in February, may steal many of Chalker's potential readers.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (March 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380978040
• ISBN-13: 978-0380978045
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #992,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sea stories, and not badly told, April 26, 2002

By 

T. E. Vaughn (Chattanooga, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Perfect Op: An Insider's Account of the Navy Seal Special Warfare Teams (Hardcover)

SEALs have gone from being the least known of the quiet professionals of Special Operations to the most publicized. So much so that far too many wannabes claim to have been SEALs; before Marcinko's original book, they all claimed to have been Special Forces troopers! This book is by a man who served honorably and well and was "the real deal."

The book is a chronological account of Command Master Chief Chalker's service and is basically a collection of sea stories. He saw combat in Grenada and his account of it is good, straight-forward and unembellished. One of the refreshing things about this book is that SEALs are not presented as infallible, invincible warriors. However, if they foul something up, they rarely repeat the mistake. CMC Chalker's account of blowing a dynamic entry on a hostage rescue has the absolute ring of authenticity, and shows that you can overcome initial mistakes. He also worked with the Navy Mammal Project, where he tested his ability against "attack" dolphins. What an experience! The only minor gripe is that dates are frequently wrong. The shootings at Kent State happened in 1970 not 1972, for example. Better editing could have prevented mistakes like that.

I have been privileged to know and work with many SEALs and even went through counter-insurgency school with one of CMC Chalker's boat crew mates from BUD/S. The real value of the book is in its recounting of special operations and warrior philosophy -- the things that make SEALs, SWAT cops and other spec ops operators do what they do. There's some good leadership messages there too, not to mention sound advice on security measures that are particularly relevant to this post 9/11 world.

"Here's to it..." Hoo-yah!

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, November 27, 2002

By 

a SEAL wannabe (Ciudad de la Furia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Perfect Op: An Insider's Account of the Navy Seal Special Warfare Teams (Hardcover)

I was disappointed with this book. Firstly, all `real' missions with the exception of the Grenada invasion are described only in the vaguest terms, apparently to preserve operational secrets. It's lowers the drama and credibility when Chalker describes a mission without even naming the continent on which it took place. Even harmless details like how many SEALs where on a particular raiding team are absent from the accounts of `real' missions.

The breadth of the book is devoted to describing training missions that Team 6 undertook against U.S. Naval bases to test their security. Playing hide-and-seek with security guards and rent-a-cops in training exercises hardly makes for a riveting read.

Chalker also mentions in only passing his experience at SEAL training, or BUD/S, which in the hands of a real writer would easily be worthy of a full book itself. Predictably, he refuses to shed any light on the controversy that landed his mentor Richard Marcinko in jail.

And this isn't an emotional account. We have no real insight into what makes warriors like Chalker tick or the pressures they face. All we know about life outside the Teams is that they drank and brawled a lot. And, oh yet, he got a divorce. (That's almost the way Chalker described it.)

For a more thoughtful and profound look at what it takes to be a member of the U.S. Special Operations community, take a look at Mike Yon's Danger Close. To learn what it takes to become a SEAL, read The Warrior Elite. For an action-packed thriller, stick with one of Marcinko's books.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hoo yah, Master Chief Chalker, March 31, 2002

By 

ktrmes "ktrmes" (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Perfect Op: An Insider's Account of the Navy Seal Special Warfare Teams (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book, the story of an incredible carreer told with intelligence, humility and humor. If you have read the story in Richard Marchinko's excellent Red Cell et al., this book provides a fascinating opportunit to hear the same stories from another perspective. In the same spirit as Marchinko's books, "One Perfect Op" is not a boastful shoot 'em up, rather thoughtful reflections showing that even motivated highly-traned SEALs can have doubts, fears and bad luck, but that teamwork and training really work. It is heartening to know that there have been and hopefully will continue to be people of Command Master Chief Stalker's quality defending our nation.