Customer Reviews

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

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

 

 

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!

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.

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.

This is a good book regarding how Mr. Chalker got into and lived in the Seals. The drawback to it though is you know from reading the front cover he was part of Seal Team 6 (the Navy's elite counter-terrorist unit), therefore you expect to read more about them. He did offer insights into their lifestyles and how the job forced them to live. However, if you have read a lot of these books, the one thing you will look for them are actual "situations" to read about. Even if you have to change the "names and places", just tell us the story. Obviously with this being a relatively new group, many of the "stories" most likely remain classified. If there are not that many stories, then shame on the government for not utilizing the resources of the best trained units in the world. We all know there are places that they can be used. Mr. Chalker has written a good book that provides insight into his life in service and he should be commended for it.

Well, I thought this book was a good read, and a good account of Chalkers career. I'll have to say the book was less detailed and obviously doesn't have the unique view of things that Marcinko did, but that doesn't lessen Chalkers' accomplishments. It was really cool to get another perspective on formation of Seal Team 6 and Red Cell, and also to compare accounts of Urgent Fury between One Perfect Op and Inside Delta Force.
As far as Inside Delta Force, the books do give the impression that ST6 was built more from the ground up and operating in a more balls to the wall manner than Delta Force, of course that doesn't change the fact that both units are the best in the world at what they do, and it goes without saying that there's alot that the books don't mention about the units' operations.

An excellent book, not in any way a boastful shoot-em up, rather a thoughtful and balanced look at a life in the SEAL Teams along the lines of Richard Marcinko's non-fiction books. It is particularly interesting to see the same events through the eyes of Mr. Chalker in contrast to those of Mr. Marcinko. The importance of perserverance and teamwork to success comes through along with the quality of the training these men receive. A valuable contribution.

Excellent book and I can't put it down. I am somewhat disappointed that on page 181 the author wrote'"On April 18, 1983...241 Marines were killed...". If my memory, and my research, serves me right then the date cited by the author is incorrect. This always disappoints me because it means the author may have relied on bad research or bad memory. U.S. Marines suffered their 241 killed on October 23,1983, a date I never forgot. Otherwise, this book is very good.

Dennis is a SEAL with wider scope.
He was one of the paratroopers in 82 airborne.
Then he joined the SEAL, then Team Six and Red Cell.
After that he became a master chief and went back to instruct those tadpoles.

So you can see the Red Cell in his eyes.
Certain details he tried to explain deeper than Marcinko.
And all the tricks and fun they had together.

Besides that, you will also find out his love and devotion to the Team and Teammates.
The valuable experience he tried to show those tadpoles.

He combines The Spirit of an Old Navy Sailor and a Modern Warrior.

Trust me, once you read it, you`ll like it.

Book lacked detail. Author had some interesting experiences which he talked around but provided no depth. If you want a Seal book to read, try Marcinko's Rogue Warrior or Boehme's First Seal.

I would have like the author to get into a little more detail. Very boring book and doesn't really grab the reader. Only reason this gets four stars from me is 'cause I am very interested in this type of reading.