The Teams: An Oral History of the U.S. Navy Seals [Mass Market Paperback]

Kevin Dockery (Editor), Bill Fawcett (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1999

They were selected for their commitment and uncommon bravery, and for skills that far surpassed those of ordinary soldiers. They operated in "Teams' of up to 200 officers and men, taking the firefight to the enemy's most fiercely protected strongholds -- winning the battles only they could win. They earned the eternal respect of a nation, and they recall with pride their remarkable exploits in a war lesser men would sooner forget. THE TEAMS is an explosive account of the SEALs in action -- told in the words of the men whose awesome courage under fire and breathtakingly unconventional combat techniques changed the way ground war will forever be waged. Detailed and blisteringly authentic, here are unforgettable first-hand stories of everything from BUD/S training to "black ops," related with remarkable candor by six fighting men who helped write the glorious legend in blood and fire...and who were then, and will always be, proud to be call SEALs!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the early 1960s, when the Cold War seemed quite capable of morphing into a horrifying hot war with the Soviet Union, President Kennedy directed the U.S. armed services to create special units dedicated to unconventional warfare. The Navy's response was to form the SEALs, which stands for Sea, Air and Land. Performing a mission that is still partially cloaked in secrecy, the SEALs specialize in such skills as sabotage, underwater demolition, reconnaissance and other mainstays of guerrilla warfare. They have gained a reputation as a group of tough hombres bound by an unwavering code of honor. That reputation is underscored here by the personal stories of individual SEALs, related in the first person and assembled in a fine insider's tribute. One contributor speaks matter-of-factly of an oceanic endurance swim that lasted 12-1/2 hours, remarking that the episode "proved what real distance swimming meant and what it took." A former radioman recalls how, during Hell Week, SEAL instructors heaped abuse on trainees, who learned to preserve their strength by withholding their anger ("Anger just took up too much energy, and whatever it was that would get you mad in the first place just didn't seem important anymore," says one). SEAL voices also speak eloquently and absorbingly of loyalty, teamwork and humor, and of the lasting legacy each man gained from serving with this elite Navy unit?a legacy to which this book pays such engaging tribute.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

These are the reminiscences of six individuals who served in the SEALs during the Vietnam War. The stories include that of James Tipton, who earned three Purple Hearts, and Storekeeper Third Class James Janos, better known to the public by the name he used as a professional wrestler, Jesse "the Body" Ventura. After retiring in the late 1980s, he acted in films such as Predator and explains how his SEAL training helped him in both his wrestling and his movie careers. Dockery is coauthor of James Watson's Walking Point: The Experiences of a Founding Member of the Elite Navy SEALs (LJ 4/1/97); Fawcett is a field curator for the UDT/SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida. People wanting to learn more about the background and history of the SEALs should consult Walking Point or Orr Kelly's Brave Men, Dark Waters: The Inside Story of the Navy SEALs (Presidio, 1992). This book is strictly for Vietnam War collections.?Michael Coleman, Regional Lib. for Blind & Handicapped, Montgomery, Ala.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Avon (February 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380728745
• ISBN-13: 978-0380728749
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,927,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great personal accounts, November 27, 2004

By 

Jinny Chieu (Palatine, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Teams: An Oral History of the U.S. Navy Seals (Mass Market Paperback)

These autobiographies are well written, with some background info from the editors in between. They include accounts of plankowners from SEAL teams One and Two, as well as one from the interesting personality of James Janos, best known as Jesse 'the Body' Ventura, former pro wrestler and former governor of Minnesota.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Teams, March 3, 2004

By 

Jason Woods (Irving,Tx (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Teams: An Oral History of the U.S. Navy Seals (Mass Market Paperback)

Great book and well written. It gives you the fell of what it is like to leave a navy seals life. From the get go it shows everything from boot camp to Black ops. This is a true life account of the SEALs in action. Told by only the ones who did it!
The men whose awesome courage under fire and breathtakingly unconventional combat techniques changed the way ground war will forever be waged.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Teams: An Oral History Of The U.S. Navy SEALs, July 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Teams: An Oral History of the U.S. Navy Seals (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read a couple books about the SEAls but I have to say this was the best yet. While reading it I could barly put it down because it was so action packed and it described what SEAL training is like and some of the missions SEALs went with great detail and enthusiasm. Over all I found this to be an exellent book