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First SEAL Mass Market Paperback – August 1, 1998

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 56 ratings

He's the godfather of the U.S. Navy SEALs -- the founder of the boldest, brightest, baddest bunch of commandos on the face of the planet. Now Roy Boehm tells how he mastered survival as a warrior -- and changed the course of twentieth-century warfare.

Roy Boehm was fated for heroism from the moment he shipped out with the U.S. Navy, eight months before Pearl Harbor. His brilliant fighting career would lead him from the sea battles of the South Pacific to the killing fields of Vietnam.

As World War II came to a close and the Cold War began, Boehm saw the need for an unconventional warrior. Drawing on his expertise as a diver and member of the Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams, he created a force capable of attack from sea, air, or land. This unique dedicated and ruthless unit would become the legendary Navy SEALs. With the impact of a depth charge, First Seal delivers a no-holds-barred look at what it takes to be one of that rare breed of men who live for war...or die for their country.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Stephen Coonts Roy Boehm was the real James Bond, slick, tough... he pulls no punches.

Clive Cussler
First Seal bristles with danger, intrigue, and surprise. Rapid-fire action from beginning to end. And it's all true. Roy Boehm fought as few dare and lived to write the tale.

About the Author

Charles W. Sasser has been a full-time freelance writer, journalist, and photographer since 1979. He is a veteran of both the U.S. Navy (journalist) and U.S. Army (Special Forces, the Green Berets), a combat veteran and former combat correspondent wounded in action. He also served fourteen years as a police officer (in Miami, Florida, and in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was a homicide detective). He is author, co-author or contributing author of more than 30 books and novels, including One Shot-One Kill and Hill 488, both available from Pocket Books. Sasser now lives on a ranch in Chouteau, Oklahoma, with his wife Donna.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pocket Star; Reprint edition (August 1, 1998)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0671536265
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671536268
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 0.01 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.5 x 1.25 x 7.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 56 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
56 global ratings
Roy was a good friend. He was a hero to this country ...
5 Stars
Roy was a good friend. He was a hero to this country ...
Roy was a good friend. He was a hero to this country and I was extremely lucky to have known him. Even as an octogenarian, he could tell stories for 12 hours and not repeat himself. He was simply amazing. You will not be disappointed in his story. No man lived a life more full.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2008
I'v e read a good number of books by special forces soldiers and officers and have always been fascinated by them. So when I found there was a biography by the man who created the SEALs I had to find a copy. I was not disappointed at all as we were treated to a bit more than the typical special forces biography, mostly because everything Boehm did has since been declassified.

Boehm starts off recounting the action that he saw in World War II onboard a destroyer manning one of the guns. He did a very good job in detailing this as well as how he gradually moved towards he future by beginning to train in diving. A memorable scene was after his ship sunk he was stranded with a shipmate and was attempting to swim to a far off island. His encounter with the shark was detailed and memorable, striking fear into the reader at just the thought of what happened.

After that we move along to his entrance to UDT and are treated to a decent accounting of what a man went through in order to become a part of the UDT teams of the navy. Hell Week was a great account that I always love to read about.

Finally we moved to his creation of the Navy SEALs and the ordeals that he had to go through in order to make it all happen. We don't see to much action from Boehm as a SEAL, simply because he was getting up there in age and pissed too many people off, so he was removed from office almost immediately after the SEALs began to take shape. But that did not mean he went to waste, and instead pushed him into Vietnam as an advisor set to train sea warriors out of the Vietnamese.

Boehm had a very eventful life, one that certainly had enough going on to be an interesting read. Some of it might have seemed a bit made up, just from the sheer audacity or outlandish outcome, but I wouldn't put it past Boehm in doing all that he said he did, such as taking revenge on a black tipped shark. His writing is an in your face writing, holding nothing back. Blunt and to the point without mincing words. Sometimes I wish more autobiographies were written this way.

I would definitely recommend this book to all interested in Special Forces, and more specifically the Navy SEALs. This bio is akin to the one Marcinko wrote in style and manner, so if you enjoyed his than you would certainly enjoy this one as well. A definite recommend.

5 stars.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2014
Written by the father of the greatest fighting unit(s) of all time, the U.S.Navy Seals. It's rough, it's frank, and totally Lt. Boehm. It's a WYSIWYG, What You See is What You Get recounting of his years in the U.S.Navy in all the blood, guts, and glory. For most men reading this book, you'll see that dreams do come true in all that is good and bad in life. If John Wayne had been allowed in the service, you'd expect that this was his life and story. You'll have a hard time putting it down!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2007
Great book, insight into what it took to build the teams and how stupid the bureaucrats and politically minded military officers can be (not a surprise to any veteran).

A must read for those who follow the Navy SEALS exploits through the years.

It is also one source, all such memoirs are best understood in the context of one of many views and opinions.from the dozens of SEAL memoirs I have read, Boehm is revered by real SEAL warriors.

The negative review of this book is obviously someone who served with him but was a bean counter not a warrior.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2017
Roy was a good friend. He was a hero to this country and I was extremely lucky to have known him. Even as an octogenarian, he could tell stories for 12 hours and not repeat himself. He was simply amazing. You will not be disappointed in his story. No man lived a life more full.
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E
5.0 out of 5 stars Roy was a good friend. He was a hero to this country ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2017
Roy was a good friend. He was a hero to this country and I was extremely lucky to have known him. Even as an octogenarian, he could tell stories for 12 hours and not repeat himself. He was simply amazing. You will not be disappointed in his story. No man lived a life more full.
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2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2008
A very interesting story. If you have read Rogue Warrior by Marcinko, then you should follow-up with this book. It provides insight into the mindset, at least in the early days, of the SEAL teams.

Boehm was rough around the edges, to put it mildly, but was still able to get his ideas accepted. The military, as ususal, resisted the changes as they still do today.

Another common element with today, is the resistance from those who have difficulty distinguishing friend from foe; "...do-gooders back in the States sent the fertilizer, along with outboard engines and other supplies to the "poor peasants" of Vietnam. The outboards became "shrimp tails" pushing sampans delivering VC supplies in the Delta. The bags of fertilizer containing sodium nitrate and sodium potassium were turned into explosives."(p. 249)

Boehm was a "rogue" warrior. Amazing man, but clearly one who operated outside the norms of the military. The best parts of this book, in my opinion, were those about the Cuban missile crisis and Boehm's excursion into Cuba. Daring stuff.
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2016
Damn fine book. I served with him near the end of his career at Naval Inshore Operations Training Center, Mare Island, Vallejo, Calif. 68-70. The river boat school.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2019
Good book on Roy Boehm lots of history
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2010
An excellent autobiography by a warrior, the first Seal. Very well written. Roy Boehm's experiences from World War 2 to post Vietnam era.

If you enjoyed "Chickenhawk" by James Mason you'll definitely enjoy "The First Seal".
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Top reviews from other countries

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irishpropheticart
5.0 out of 5 stars Master Frog
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 28, 2019
Wow! His story should have been a film!
Kei
5.0 out of 5 stars 海軍特殊部隊SEALs創世の男
Reviewed in Japan on May 10, 2006
17歳で海軍に身を投じ、真珠湾攻撃後の沈没船戦艦アリゾナからの遺体引き上げ、駆逐艦ダンカンの砲手としてエスペランス岬海戦で沈没、危うく鮫に襲撃されるが生き残り、残りの太平洋戦争を駆逐艦乗りとして過ごす。その時見た水中爆破チーム(UDT)に憧れ、後に志願して入隊。ケネディ大統領の要請に応じて創設された海軍特殊部隊SEALSの東海岸部隊チーム2のまとめ役として実質創設者となる。

口より手が早い水兵上がりのこの海軍大尉は装備や武器調達巡って海軍の官僚主義と戦い、キューバミサイル危機前にはキューバ偵察、ドミニカ共和国で二重スパイ暗殺等、のミッションをこなす。火がつく前のベトナムへ行き、そこで南ベトナム版SEALSを創設して実際に作戦行動をとる。その過程で敵であるベトコンの中佐と奇妙な友情関係を結ぶことに。全てが実話、多少脚色あるかもしれないが、SEALsの世界では親玉である。映画でいうフォーレスト・ガンプ並に色々な冒険をしてきて、現在30歳以上年下の奥さんと共に平穏に生活している。

非常にコミカルなロイ・ボーム海軍少佐の自伝。
Craig Edward Martinez
5.0 out of 5 stars Knowledge
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 13, 2019
History
Patrick W. E. Walker
4.0 out of 5 stars A very fine book about a flawed hero
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2012
I first came to Roy Boehm through Richard Marcinko who refers to him in his fine autobiography and his increasingly deranged and self-serving works of fiction. Boehm is a much better candidate for hero for many different reasons. I was surprised to discover he never actually led SEALs into battle and never even served with the Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs) during World War 2. However his service as a fleet sailor on destroyers during the conflict and later on a cruiser during the Korean War leave you in little doubt that he was a combat veteran even before he ever became a frogman. Boehm is very honest about his humanity, admitting that he threw up during his first job during World War 2 (the horrific task of recovering bodies from sunken ships following Pearl Harbour)and urinated upon himself during his first combat. The sequence where he is forced to abandon ship after a horrendous battle with the Japanese fleet and attempts to drag a shipmate to safety only for his friend to be taken by a shark is the stuff of nightmares.
His service in covert missions against Cuba and in the early days of Vietnam as an 'advisor' are also very good, especially his account of being forced to kill a Vietcong sentry using his knife. He wages war smartly and with guile, an effective and brave warrior.
What's refreshing is that whilst Boehm possesses a great deal of ego he doesn't let it dominate him as Marcinko does. He admires the CIA agent whom he escorts into Cuba and doesn't denigrate anyone who isn't a SEAL or doesn't fit into his narrow view of what a man should be. That said he does seem to be able to make enemies in an empty room and his remark that you should pick your unit over your family as you can always get another family seems a bit much to say the least.
All told, I would recommend this as a great book for anyone interested in this period of history, a frank and honest account of the life of a remarkable man.