The Warrior Elite : The Forging of Seal Class 228 [Hardcover]

Dick Couch (Author), Cliff Hollenbeck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2001

NAVY SEALS ARE THE TIP OF THE SPEAR.

They are able to strike without warning, anywhere, anytime. They come from under the sea, out of the air, and across the land. Their predeces?sors, the Navy frogmen, cleared the landing beaches during World War II, from Normandy to Okinawa. They led MacArthur’s forces ashore at Inchon. In Vietnam, SEALs were the men with green faces who struck the Vietcong in their sanctuaries. Today they are deployed around the world -- ready, waiting, lethal.

What does it take to become a Navy SEAL? What makes talented, intelligent young men volunteer for physical punishment, cold water, and days without sleep? Why is the price of admission to this unique warrior culture so steep? In The Warrior Elite, former Navy SEAL Dick Couch documents the process that transforms young men into warriors. SEAL training is the longest, toughest, most relentless military training in the free world. It is the distillation of the human spirit, a tradition-bound ordeal that seeks to find men of character and courage, men with a burning desire to win at all costs, men who would rather die than quit.

The book follows the trainees of Class 228 as they struggle through the twenty-seven-week Basic Underwater Demolition/Seal (BUD/S) training course at the Navy Special Warfare Training Center in Coronado, California. Only one in five will be left standing at the end of this brutal ordeal, a rite of passage that is but one step in the long road to becoming a SEAL. Few men have the character or stamina that allows them to keep going while others give in to the pain and the cold. The Warrior Elite reveals who these men are, where they come from, and what makes them so special.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

There is a pod of good books on the SEALs, but this one is unique. Couch, a Vietnam-era SEAL and retired naval reserve captain, was given the most complete access possible to the demanding BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) course and has recorded his observations, those of one who has been there and done a good deal of that. His account of Hell Week, the culmination of a formidable three-phase course intended to produce men who are physically, psychologically, and technically the best in the world at what they do, may leave the average reader short of breath. Few Hollywood stereotypes are on view; in their stead are a man who passed BUD/S at age 39, a superb swimmer who was disqualified for sinus problems, and a trainee at the low end of the fitness scale who subsequently won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Also on view is much serious thought by serious thinkers on the making of warriors at the dawn of the twenty-first century. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"The Warrior Elite is the first book that captures how the SEAL spirit is tempered. It reveals all the grit, sweat, mud, and blood of BUID/S training -- real-time, down and dirty. This is a must-read if you want to know what becoming a virtual warrior is all about." -- Governor Jesse Ventura, BUD/S Class 58

"A wonderful, thought-provoking book by Dick Couch and a quick study of human personalities; his conclusions are optimistic and uplifting." -- Vice Admiral James Stockdale (USN. Ret.) Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.


"The Warrior Elite offers superb insight into the making of a Navy SEAL. Dick Couch takes the reader through the incredible challenges of basic training and into the minds of these unique warriors who comprise our nation's highly selective fighting force. Having served extensively with Dick in combat as junior officers in Vietnam, I now understand the "how's and why's" of his profession and the SEALs' commitment to mission. The Warrior Elite captures the essence of a Navy SEAL -- the indomitable will to win and steadfast commitment to team." -- Robert J. Natter, Admiral, U.S. Navy, Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet

"An authentic voice that spells out what it takes to become a SEAL--the sheer grit to overcome all obstacles. America is lucky that it continues to attract such men as these to serve." -- Theodore Roosevelt IV, Class 36


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (October 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609607103
• ISBN-13: 978-0609607107
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Current Events > War & Peace

More About the Author

DICK COUCH is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who has served as a Navy SEAL and as a CIA case officer. He has written six novels and the nonfiction works Down Range, The Finishing School, and The Warrior Elite. He lives in central Idaho.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yup, it really is that good, May 18, 2002

By 

M. Flegal (CT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Warrior Elite : The Forging of Seal Class 228 (Hardcover)

There are lots of books on SEALs out there, some good, most bad, very few great. This is one of the great ones. Why? Because it takes a theme that has been done to death, the training of the Navy SEALs, and writes what is probably the definitive book on the subject while doing what none of the other books has done. For the first time, a book follows the trainees through BUDs, through Hell Week, and keeps going all of the way to the assignment to an active team. It emphasizes the fact that the vaunted Hell Week, long portrayed as the horrible endurance contest that it is, is in fact just one of the gut checks along the way to becoming a SEAL. It's not a magical peak where everything after is easy, it's a point that weeds out many but is more preparation for the rigors ahead than a line to cross. To put it bluntly, there is no need to write another book on the training of the Navy SEALs, this is the final word. If you have dreams of becoming a SEAL, read this book. There is much wisdom in these pages. Ever think that "your reputation begins at BUDs"? You'll learn that here.

Finally, a book that reaches the levels set by books such as "Brave Men, Dark Waters" and "Class-29 : The Making of U.S. Navy SEALs". Well written, insightful, and just simply excellent. Buy this book!

Matt

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Five-star story, three-star writing. Absolutely worth reading., August 22, 2005

By 

M. Strong (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Warrior Elite: The Forging of SEAL Class 228 (Paperback)

Let's start with the positive, because there's so much here that's so good. The Warrior Elite tells an incredible story. As a reader, you get to ride along with a class training to become Navy SEALS. Couch, a former SEAL himself, does a great job of capturing the details of BUD/S training so that you understand the challenges and trials these young men face to become SEALS.

You come to know the men of Class 228 well and you quickly learn the differences between movie SEALS and real SEALS (not many 6'3" 250 pounders to be found on the real SEAL teams). You also have the interesting experience of simultaneously being inspired and realizing your own limitations. It's almost impossible to read this book without imagining what parts of SEAL training you could handle and what would be your undoing. You end up realizing that we are all capable of more than we think, but not many of us have what it takes to become a SEAL (far better candidates than I'd be fell out of Class 228 pretty quickly).

So what keeps this from being a five-star book? The writing; and that's hard to say, because after reading this book you respect Couch so much for what he's accomplished as a SEAL. Even so, the writing is mechanical, the structure slows down your reading considerably, and you will be painfully aware of the repetitive use of some unique phrases.

That said, Couch does give you a great view of something that most people will never see, and he does it from the perspective of someone who's done it himself. This book is absolutely worth reading for anyone interested in the SEALS. For a similarly great story with story telling to match its content, check out Inside Delta Force by Eric Haney. The two books are great to read back-to-back to compare and contrast not only Delta Force and the SEALS, but also two different writers.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Individuals, Amazing Read, June 15, 2004

By 

K. Kaczmarek "The things you own, end up owni... (Allen Park, Mi United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Warrior Elite: The Forging of SEAL Class 228 (Paperback)

I first became interested in the Navy SEALs during a Learning Channel 5-part series that follows class 324 thru BUD/s (Basic Underwater Demolition, Seal training) To see the various evolutions these young men had to go thru was inspiring. Thus when I was on Coronado Island I decided I had to get a book that dug deeper into the forging of a Navy SEAL. I was recommended this book by the owner of a Coronado bookstore. Dick Couch, the author and former Navy SEAL was given access to BUD/s class 228 to tell the story of the men who make it to graduation and beyond. Throughtout the book you get a real sense of what it would be like to go thru the training, and all the internal thoughts that you need to fight off to make it. There is a great deal of detail put into Indoc., First Phase, Hell Week, Second Phase and Third Phase. While that entails all phases of BUD/s graduation there is much more training ahead for the graduates, that most likely gets told in Finishing School.

I highly recommend this book, to at the bare minimum understand the trials these men go thru, and at the max. to push yourself to achieve things you never thought possible.