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First SEAL Mass Market Paperback – August 1, 1998
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.
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPocket Star
- Publication dateAugust 1, 1998
- Dimensions4.5 x 1.25 x 7.25 inches
- ISBN-100671536265
- ISBN-13978-0671536268
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Editorial Reviews
Review
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
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
- Best Sellers Rank: #688,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,565 in Naval Military History
- #6,229 in American Military History
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors

I am a fulltime freelance writer/journalist/photographer with over 50 books published in many genres, including historical, military, Science fiction, thriller novels, even a romance. I consider myself an adventure writer. I have traveled the world having adventures--such as dogsledding in the Arctic; solo kayaking the Inside Passage; solo-canoeing the Yukon; solo-sailing the Caribbean; diving for pirate treasure. . . I've been a combat correspondent, professional rodeo clown and bronc rider, pro kickboxer, archaeologist, college instructor. . . I was a police homicide detective and am a veteran of U.S. Army Special Forces (the Green Berets).

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
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Top reviews from the United States
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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.
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.
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2017
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.
If you enjoyed "Chickenhawk" by James Mason you'll definitely enjoy "The First Seal".
Top reviews from other countries
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。
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.



