No Easy Day: The Autobiography of a Navy Seal: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden

This book was bought for me as a gift last Christmas and had sat on the shelf sadly neglected until now. I have to admit that I was afraid of two things with this book. The first is that it may have been a poorly written and rush attempt at cashing in on the death of Bin Laden. The second fear I had, and I apologise in advance if this offends anyone, was that is may contain loads of frat boy esq, chest thumping, uber patriotic nonsense. I don't like that kind of thing at the best of times and especially not where any form of combat is involved.

I am very happy to report that these fears did not apply to this book. There is no chest thumping, just the confidence that comes with knowing that you are extremely good at what you do. It is show more also very well written and I got sucked into the action every time I picked it up. There isn't a huge amount of autobiographical information in the book which is probably for a combination of security requirements and sticking to the main story. Owen covers some of the training which is involved at making it as a Navy Seal and then covers a few earlier missions that he and his men carried out. Interestingly enough this included the rescue of captain Richard Phillips which has recently been made into a movie staring Tom Hanks.

The failures and successes of the Bin Laden operation are covered equally and Owen is keen to make sure the reader knows that he is one part of a larger machine. In particular he praises the helicopter pilot who managed to crash his helicopter in such a way that no one was hurt. The mission could have been over before it had started but despite this accident the men on the ground improvised and overcome.

At the end of the book Owen also shows a keen appreciation of the politics behind the operation and the effect that success or failure would have had in the political arena. This is a really nice addition that a lot of military memoirs leave untouched unless they have an axe to grind.

This is a very enjoyable book. show less

"No Easy Day" by Mark Owen (a pseudonym) is published by Dutton Adult. It is the story of a Navy SEAL, an elite special operations warrior with its climax in the story of the raid and death of Osama Bin Laden.

Immediately striking is the author's ability to picture himself as a real, flawed person. He shows appreciation for others in his line of work without painting them as either unbelievably superhuman or as some kind of fringe military extremists. The characters are revealed to be dedicated to an intense level of self-dicsipline and while admitting to errors in performance, they have the persistence to improve their skills at the highest levels of military training and preparation in the world today. It is the very humanity of the show more characters that brought me into the story. It's a book about struggle and those who find the work-arounds to defeat.

There is nothing in my reading of this book to signal the author is being deceitful or embellishing his role in warfare for personal gain. The author was straightforward in the introduction by informing the reader that he has taken necessary precautions for preventing the inadvertent release of classified information. He neither sets himself up as a some kind of national hero or as a potential platform for a future political career. It is smoothly written without being crass or overly graphic. It reads with the smoothness of Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War or We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam without the focused, constant intensity.

As becomes evident, the author is motivated out of a desire to positively influence other young men to pursue their dreams regardless of whether it works out as military service or not. Owen's personal tale begins as a young man who was profoundly influenced by the reading of a book about a special operations predecessor. The author, if the story is to be believed, wanted nothing more to hone his skills and to experience the most he could by overcoming his weaknesses with the help of others. Indeed, iron sharpens iron.

I have known similar men (Hal Moore and William Wingett, for example), with whom I've disagreed with their refusal and reluctance of being called "hero." One theme that runs through my discussions with them is that even though the story is about their experience, they are more excited to describe the successes of those around them. They don't boast about themselves, but about camaraderie, struggle and the willingness of those around them to take on the most hazardous experiences with the sole determination of overcoming any obstacle. They show their heroism by stressing the success of others. And those of us who come after them learn we can achieve the seemingly impossible, because, quite simply, these guys have done the same and more.

Overall, this book has provided me with great insight into how courageous people behave and think. This book provided me with a number of opportunities to reflect on what I perceive as heroism. This book by Mark Owen was inspirational. show less

This book disappointed me. It isn't the writing or the detail. The ghost writer did a good job and the details are interesting. What is disappointing is the hero, member of Seal Team Six, has a remarkably uninformed, narrow view of the world. Parts of the books where he discusses and celebrates earlier missions where hapless over matched adversaries are dispatched with ease are chilling. Owen as he calls himself, is critical of the Obama admin delaying missions, failing to make the call to launch the mission, putting up road blocks to protect civilians. According to Owen no civilians or innocents were killed in his missions, so he assume the safeguards were unneeded. While he derides Obama for taking credit for successes he offers no show more credit to the president for his decision to send the mission, or the controversial authorization to allow his team to fight back against Pakistan if confronted by Pakistan's military. Though quick to criticize Obama there is no mention of George W, Bush's decision to send him and thousands of others into Iraq. Apparently wearing a flight suit and declaring "Mission Accomplished" for a nonexistent victory bothered him little. Owen's obtuseness is exceptional, in a single paragraph he laughs at the CIA saying they were 100% sure Bin Laden had been located, noting how difficult it would be to support such ideas, and that awesome super tough guys had died because of analysts that were so sure of themselves, and questioning the Presidents bravery for delaying the mission. That's right. Two big complaints 1. The CIA is never sure, 2. Why haven't they sent me to kill the person in that house that the CIA probably has wrong.

I am grateful professional killers like Owen are available for such demanding work. I am also grateful more level headed civilians keep the reins on them. show less

No Easy Day, Mark Owen
The author seems sincere in his effort to describe the Seal experience. One thing comes through very clearly; the arduous training and dedication of the Seals is of the highest order. The book reads like a novel. In its honesty, it is totally refreshing. Being a whistleblower is not easy and I can’t help but wonder who gave away his identity. The book was originally attributed to Mark Owen, an assumed name. His real name is Matt Bissonnette
The Pentagon and some military spokespeople have portrayed him as a traitor to his oath. For me, the only thing this young man seems to be guilty of is fighting patriotically and bravely for his country. He should be hailed as a hero, nothing more and nothing less. Anyone who show more feels differently should try walking in his shoes.
If his only crime was that he didn’t vet the book properly, I don’t blame him. There is no way this President or anyone in this administration, would have let this truth be exposed, but the American people do deserve, and also have the right, to know what really went down in Pakistan when Bin Laden was captured.
The book is about more than the Bin Laden capture. It is this man’s story, beginning with his childhood and how his life in Alaska, hunting and fishing alongside his dad, laid the groundwork for his ability to be a Navy Seal. It is about his dream, nurtured in high school, to become one. With his dad, he learned how to survive even under dreadful conditions of cold and exhaustion, so he was mentally ready for the Seals, and he went through the rigorous training, succeeding and eventually becoming part of Seal Team Six.
The main thrust of the book concerns the time period he was with the Seals, from 1998-2012. He describes the way the rules of engagement changed as the years passed, often preventing them from doing a proper job, and how the decision making process ground to a halt at times, moving too slowly. Some men felt that risking their lives under such conditions was becoming too risky. They had to warn their enemy before they approached, provide photographic evidence of their militancy and if captured, the emphasis was often on whether the enemy had been abused rather than his militaristic activity.
I am not sure why there is such brouhaha about the information in the book. Yes, Bin laden was shot in cold blood, without even a loaded weapon in his room; contrary to the story told by the White House, but the Seals had been fired upon, entering his compound, even if the shots were not fired by Bin Laden. Yes, they dragged his body down the steps, disrespectfully, when we were told he was treated with respect, but then, this man was responsible for the death of thousands of Americans so is anyone really surprised?
Paraphrasing, the main objection this Seal voiced, which was a sentiment shared by other Seals, as well, was that the President had a need and/or tendency to take credit for everything to advance himself politically. Even before they captured Osama Bin Laden, they joked about Obama taking credit for it. Still, they said, their mission was what was important, not his speeches or grandstanding.
I think the book had a bit too much detail, but still, I found I could not put it down. I thought it was interesting reading about the training, preparation and deployments. I respect what these men sacrifice to guarantee my security, and I applaud their efforts. On the other hand, my husband found it a bit tedious reading about all the preparations for the missions, so reader beware.
You may ask if it was necessary to treat Bin Laden’s body like a car seat or was it necessary to throw him onto the tarmac “like a dead fish”. I just don’t know if he deserved better. Making friends with our enemies has not served us that well, so far. If Washington compromised the safety of the Seals with their leaks of information and pictures, just for political capital, then I think this Seal was within his rights, to write this story.
Mr. Bissonnette states that he is donating the majority of the profits from the book, to veterans’ or wounded warrior charities. I donated, have you? show less

This is a quick, great read. Owen takes us briskly from training and ops in Iraq to the Infil-Exfil in Abbotabad with the resultant killing of Usama Bin Laden. Lots of the details have already come out, but Owen's telling still makes for a tense mission inside Pakistan. Owen stresses something I found odd, how with the crash and so much noise, so little resistance happened, especially from Bin Laden himself. I found most interesting the smaller details of SEAL life and technology: weapon and gear customization and gun manufacturer connections, $65,000 four-lens nightvision, "bone phones", power gel, infrared glowsticks, high praise for Salomon Quest boots, and Bin Laden's military neat personal effects.

Mark Owen recounts his time as a Navy Seal, and the killing of Bin Laden. Sprinkled with some humorous aspects of Seal life - yes, there were some - it is a fascinating and quite interesting account of what Owen’s experiences were leading up to the assault on the compound that housed Bin Laden. He talks about what led him to becoming a Seal, other missions he was on as a Seal, and the final attack on the compound. He does not skimp on the details nor the dangers he encountered. It indeed was no easy day, nor is the recollection of it, but worth every word in this memoir. Well done, and well written.

This was a fascinating look into the life and operations of Navy Seals. It was a lot like Lone Survivor, though not as emotionally draining. This author was also more limited in what details could be included than it seems Marcus Luttrell was. I have gained so much respect for the sacrifices of the Seals that make our lives safer through these two books.