Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy Seal

Intriguing account of what it takes to become a SEAL and how they operate out in the field. I am not from a military family nor have I ever had familiarity or experience in understanding that lifestyle so reading this was a true education for me. I absolutely had no idea what is involved in reaching the level of skill they have and, to be honest, I had no idea people were that skilled. I am absolutely stunned by the level of training they continually undergo. I had heard of "Hell Week" through their BUD/S training, of course, but that is just the beginning. If you make it through that it is wholly impressive, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. They have to keep proving themselves in advanced training or they could still be show more dropped. And they are not just physically impressive, they are incredibly intelligent. They are truly the best of the best, no doubt. And, yikes, if you are chosen to work with "SEAL Team 6" it is even more challenging training.

Mr. Pfarrer gives us an account of some of his experiences, most notable is his time operating in Beirut before, during and after the bombing of the Marine barracks in 1983. He is an excellent storyteller and brings all of his experiences to life in a way that even a knucklehead like me can follow along.

To a small extent, he also shares some of his personal foibles throughout his life, which is admirable in its honesty, but it does disappoint that someone who is so thoroughly immersed in the credo of valor and courage and loyalty could be so arrogant, self-absorbed and downright cruel to those in his personal life who care about him. He recognizes that about himself, but I never got the sense that he truly felt remorseful other than to be embarrassed by his own bad behavior. This is obviously going to be my inner Pollyanna coming out here, so bear with me. I know the military is not raising up Boy Scouts but in general I have more respect for the "alpha manliness" when it is accompanied by virtues that show good character. That is neither here nor there, though, because if I'm ever in need of rescuing, feel free to send the SEAL with the worst reputation. Who cares. Just get me out of there! show less

This is a well written book by a raised Catholic man who lost his faith during Hurricane Camille when his family lost their home and he abandoned his faith in Christianity. He regained his faith in a supreme being when while stationed in Beirut, Lebanon he was hit by a mortar round but went unscathed although the munition went off within feet of him.
The best part of the book for me was his version of events during the Marine barracks bombing. Pfarrer was working there with his SEAL team in a hopeless “peacekeeping” situation. He doesn’t blame Reagan but it was Reagan who was President then. From all other accounts Marine brass also were asleep at the wheel. He mentions only Marine Commandant P.X. Kelly as being negligent as show more anybody else. Pfarrer laments that this Hezbollah attack should never have been allowed to have happened in the first place. 241 US personnel died tragically that day.
Pfarrer also documents his time capturing the Achille Lauro terrorists who were green lit by the PLO. This is also covered in the Gormly memoir Combat Swimmer: Memoirs of a Navy Seal. Pfarrer went on to become a screenwriter and so this book has craftsmanship to it. Warrior Soul also has power as a poetic vehicle when he describes his use of submarine lockout trunks and swimming alone next to a mechanical wonder like a US submarine.
While in training cycles Pfarrer says that it is now official Navy doctrine that during the Vietnam War the NVA were actually trying to eliminate the VC by absurd operations (i.e. Tet Offensive). These insane operations were known to the US at the time of the war but has always been assumed by other books that I’ve read as being the doctrine of the NVA and VC in collaboration. Pfaffer says that among special operations’ core understandings the VC effort was always futile, and the VC were always sacrificed to the whims of the supply chains and massing of the NVA troops. This was a new thing I read here and nowhere else. The reason this would be true, Pfarrer says, was that communist doctrine demands that all power and decision making happen at the party level and not among military strategists.
This book has minimal gung-ho bravado which adds to its literary credibility, in my eyes.
B&W Photos, Glossary, three chapters, intended for military acquainted readers but most names & some places have been changed to protect the innocent. show less

Captivating book. Tells of the authors experiences as a Navy SEAL and the effect of this lifestyle on himself and ultimately his family. It ended too abruptly for me. It seemed like the author left me hanging. Toward the end of the book he implies that he made some revelations about himself and his life but doesn't share them.

This is a real good look at the life and experiences of a Navy SEAL. This shows how these are guys who are somehow extraordinary while still being normal human beings with all the problems that the rest of us have. They just have something inside that makes them just keep going when the rest of us would quit. In my opinion, this is a good introduction to SEALs for thosse who wonder about them. It is very well written, accessible and fast paced.

Chuck Pfarrer shares the attributes required to become a Navy Seal and then goes on to describe his life and thoughts as he served as a Navy Seal. We see him go through training, and then on assignment in places such as the middle east. He shares a few difficult situations and we feel the rush of adrenaline, cheer for our extraordinarily brave servicemen, and then see them deal with the wounds and the stress afterwards.

He also shares humorous moments such as hanging out in a little bar in Delaware populated by lots of competitive testosterone between the clients -- seals, special ops, rangers, etc. i can hear the ZZ Top and Nine Inch Nails now.

Finally, he was equally open about his own emotional and mental states, as he shares with us show more a series of relationships with women and lets us see how he grows emotionally.

I recommend this book highly. It's especially good when read along with 'One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine' which tells the story of a much younger man making it into an elite unit, serving, and then leaving while still young. Chuck has a much longer career and the contrast between the two authors is striking.

Very highly recommended.

(Especially for us girls who love alpha males!) show less