12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Only read if you are a die hard SEAL fan, December 16, 2003
This review is from: Point Man (Mass Market Paperback)
I read this book in its hardcover edition, when it first came out in 1993. At that time I was a "Rogue Warrior" buff and thats how I first heard of the legendary Jim Watson. I first learned of his book from Watson himself when briefly talking to him on the phone at the UDT/SEAL museum at Fort Pierce, FL in late 92 or early 93. I eagerly awaited this book to come out, then special ordered it from the local book store (this was before the Internet).
I found "Point Man" an interesting book, full of action but I could see how it would only be interesting if you are a SEAL fan. To someone who is not into the SEALs or SOF, it would probably be really boring. I found Watson's descriptions of the "original east coast SEALs" in the early to mid sixties interesting. What an interesting subculture of the Navy.
I knew that the east coast SEALs trained regularly in Tidewater, Virginia's Great Dismal Swamp. But until I read Watson's book I had no idea the SEALs of his era trained in the swamps of the Black River in Southeastern, NC. While the Uwharrie mountains of central NC were the training grounds for the sixties era Green Berets, the Great Dismal Swamp and Black River era of North Carolina were the riverine training grounds for the east coast Vietnam era SEALs
Full of little stories about the original east coast SEALs, it truly illustrates the laid back confidence, devil may care, "Marlboro man" mentality of the Vietnam era SEALs. Watson was in SOF long before it was popular, in fact he was in it when SOF was actually unpopular.
Watson describes many of the unique SEAL schools he attended. Among the self described hardest was the USMC's SERE or "escape and evasion" school. Watson, along with other original sixties era SEALs, were placed in a simulated Asian communist POW camp at the Marine Corp's mountain warfare school in the Sierra Nevada mountains of CA. There, he underwent some seriously evil training that probably could have been described as flat out sadistic. Back in those days, the Marines were the toughest hombres in the US military and corporal punishment was still legal in the Marines. Physical and psychological abuse in the USMC was rampant in those days and from his comments, Watson obviously didnt care for it.
The only thing that I didnt like was how Watson obviously is actually proud of his alcoholism. He has this in common with Richard Marcinko. The book is peppered with little stories and comments about booze. Alcoholism doesnt impress me. I would have left out most of the stories about booze.
I actually met Jim Watson a year after reading his book. While visiting the UDT/SEAL museum in Fort Pierce, FL in 1994 he was there as curator. I got to shake his hand and got his autograph. He tried to sell me a copy of his book, but I told him I had already read his book.
All in all a great story of the original east coast Navy SEALs, from the plankowner days of the early sixties to the end of Vietnam in the early seventies.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb Non Fiction Account of SEAL Missions, April 23, 1999
This review is from: Point Man (Mass Market Paperback)
I read "Point Man" and "Walking Point" with great interest. I have looked at quite a lot of SEAL literature, and find that these two books stand out above all the rest of the genre. You wanna know about SEALS? Read about the Chief himself in Point Man and Walking Point!!! I have met the Man and am glad to report he is a REAL DEAL SEAL! He also wrote 3 works of SEAL fiction that will keep your adrenaline pumping from page to page! (Top Secret series 1-3, and a 4th being developed for July 99) Good going, Chief "Patches" Watson!!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you like Marcinko's Rogue Warrior Bio...it's a must read, December 30, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Point Man (Mass Market Paperback)
Written in much the same style as the Richard Marcinko biography Rogue Warrior, Point Man takes the reader through UDT training, the founding of seal team two and three tours of vietnam. The similarity of the stories told in this book to those in Marcinko's Rogue Warrior only confirm their authenticity.
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