Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy Seal by Chuck Pfarrer
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Book Reviews of Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy Seal
Book Review: A Big HOO-YA to Warrior Soul!
Summary: 5 Stars
I finally read Chuck's book, and I only wish I had read it earlier. We were team mates in the early 1980s at UDT-21/ST-4, and in fact his platoon relieved mine in Beirut. I have probably read just about every book on the SEAL Teams written by actual frogs that is out there, and Warrior Soul is now up with the top 2 or 3 covering all eras for its military value. Covering the modern (post Viet Nam) era, there is no SEAL Team book close to Warrior Soul. Yes indeed, it's a terrific book on SEAL training and tactics, and is well worth reading for that reason alone.
But Warrior Soul goes much further beyond being a mere military autobiography. Chuck has laid his soul bare on the pages. I can't begin to think of another military autobiography (or any autobiography) which has come even close in terms of often merciless self-examination. (God knows I wouldn't have the guts to tread there!) This book tells it all, and I can't avoid a cliche here: the good, the bad, and the ugly. This book will move you, and you will not forget the story it tells of the Teams, and you will not forget Chuck Pfarrer the man.
But now I want to tell readers something which Chuck didn't (and couldn't) tell in his own story without sounding self-serving. In the Teams, Chuck was a 250 watt bulb that stood out among a very bright group of guys. He was literally the life of the party where ever he went. He told the funniest jokes, made up the best drinking and running songs, drew the most amazing frogman cartoons. He got everybody stoked, all the time!
Here is one example referenced in the book. The teeth drawn on his platoon's Seafox in Beirut? That was all Chuck. When I saw it, when his platoon arrived and we briefly had two Seafoxes on station in Beirut, I was so mad that none of us had thought of doing it! And it's a tribute to his then-platoon commander Frank (ahem) "Giffland" that he allowed their Seafox to be so decorated.
After Chuck got out of the Teams and went into writing movie screenplays, I was probably the least surprised person in the world. It seemed like a totally natural progression for him. You see, Chuck Pfarrer, when I knew him, was a force of nature, a lightning rod, a fountain of creativity and good humor. Even among that very exceptional group of men called Navy SEALs, Chuck stood out, and not only because of his height and red hair!
I wish him victory in meeting all of his challenges, good health, long life, happiness in everything, and continued success in the creative arts.
Matt Bracken
Author of "Enemies Foreign And Domestic" and "Domestic Enemies: The Reconquista."
Book Review: A must for military history enthusiasts
Summary: 5 Stars
Now this was a great memoir/biography of a Navy SEAL, one that showed what the SEAL went through for selection, training and operations. Pfarrer is an accomplished screenwriter and his account of his SEAL exploits in Warrior Soul definitely make him an accomplished and more rounded writer. Through his writing we are given vivid images that allow us to put ourselves in his shoes and see and experience what he went through. We, of course, will never know how it truly feels and the pain and endurance that they go through, but we at least can understand.
Pfarrer does wonderfully in the beginning in describing what he went through as a SEAL in Team 4. He painted a picture of his childhood through his college years, letting us track his path in becoming such an elite soldier. We are treated to a brief operation in Latin America before spending the middle of the book on his exploits in Beirut. I for one was not aware of how bad Beirut was and Pfarrer did such a great job in describing his day to day life that I felt as though I could understand what was going on in that war torn city. Pfarrer spent a good deal of time on it, and rightly so, because of the profound affect it had on his life.
The latter few chapters were devoted to Pfarrer's stint as an officer of SEAL Team 6, the Black Op Team that was even more tough and hard to get in to and performed much more specific and dangerous tasks than the normal SEAL. Through this we get to see some of his training and what he went through before and after, as well as a decent section on some of the history behind Marcinko, Gormly and the formation of Team 6. We don't get to see too much of the action of Team 6 because of the nature of the missions, but we did get to see a few of the more publicized missions they went on, such as the hostage situation on the cruise ship Achille Lauro.
Despite not seeing too much of what went on in SEAL Team 6 we are treated to a great account of an officer in the SEALs. Where Marcinko's account had a lot of character from the way he wrote, Pfarrer's account is much more polished. I would definitely recommend Warrior Soul to anyone looking for a good military history.
5 stars.
Book Review: Incredible Story , Well Written
Summary: 5 Stars
The author's odyssey from delinquent highschooler, to military school, through college, ocs, BUDS training/elimination and then advanced training is fascinating. The book profiles a sustained view inside the soul of a true band of warriors. Young MBA's could learn a lot from study of leadership and organizational structure in the teams.
The operations were interesting although obviously limited in their selection and description due to restrictions. Others have complained of the lack of discussions of many operations, however, my feeling is that the author more than makes up for that in the depth of the detail and of the many sub operations as part of the long deployment in the middle east.
The discussion of the transformation of Seal Team 6 from its original personality cult into something close to the other teams was enlightening.
Where Pfarrer really distinguishes himself is the weaving of the story of his personal life into the book. His transformation from near dropout to military school and the associated change in his behavior was great. His descriptions of his loves and breakups are told with real time passion. He cuts himself no slack as to his personal failings although one wonders how much can be attributed to living a random, high adrenalin life, often alone, far from home and surrounded by women seeking adventure with the worlds few true warriors.
The Seals must train like tomorrow might bring the Super Bowl, Olympic High Diving Finals, mother of all marathons or shootout at the OK corral in some randomly selected place from Holidays In Hell. However, with the addition of Roman tradition that the loosers are eaten by the lions. Team 6 required further separation from his "brothers" in the other teams. Further adding to the adrenalin shocks is the randomly jerked leash associated with the micro management of war by the flotsam and jetsam found high in the halls of power in DC.
The book is well written although some editing errors still remain. It is written as a first person account, not a top down history of the events. It excels in achieving its goal, telling the life of a warrior soul in today's world.
Book Review: A globe-spanning military memoir
Summary: 5 Stars
"Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy SEAL," by Chuck Pfarrer, takes the reader into the world of the U.S. Navy's special warfare community: "the smallest and most elite special operations force in the United States military" (ix). Pfarrer also notes that the acronym "SEAL" stands for the elements in which he and his sailors were trained to operate: sea, air, and land.
Pfarrer's story has a truly global scope, moving from the States to Lebanon, Europe, and Central America. He vividly describes the rigors of SEAL training and the high-adrenaline missions he took on afterwards. Along the way are some colorful portraits of SEALs he knew, including those who mentored him. Particularly powerful is Pfarrer's account of his tour in Lebanon in 1983, during which a devastating attack was unleashed on U.S. forces.
Pfarrer writes about the particular mystique and distinctive qualities of the SEAL community. He discusses SEAL encounters and collaborations with foreign military forces all over the world. Also intriguing are his descriptions of SEAL relationships with other communities within the U.S. military--Marines, surface warfare sailors, Army paratrooper instructors, etc. He also doesn't shy away from discussing problems within the SEAL world or the toll this demanding life can have on people.
At over 400 pages, this is a substantial text. But despite its length, it's a lean and polished work. Pfarrer fills the book with just the right amount of technical and tactical details--enough to complement the human story without overwhelming it. His prose is vigorous, flavorful, and solid, with an occasional satiric edge which I found most refreshing. "Warrior Soul" is truly an outstanding American military memoir.
Book Review: Awesome but it misses out on a few things
Summary: 5 Stars
Overall, I was pleased with Chuck Pfarrer's autobiography. I felt this is a good book which focused on the man rather than a high profile SEAL. Chuck takes us through his childhood to his combat tour at Beirut and the tragic bombing of the Marines barrack to his short time at Team Six. I felt he explained everything quite well.
I felt some parts were left blank. For example, he cheated on his wife several times, and even more so I wonder why Chuck did what he did. He explained several times how bad he felt about his cheating, but I didn't felt like he explained it well enough. Also, the part with Sam (I don't think I got that name right) in Beirut and how scared Sam was and how Chuck called him a chicken and how no one liked him. I was surprised by this and even more so, later on after the bombing, Sam actually volunteered to go on the mission to spot for the French fighters who bombed the terrorist's bases. Why did Chuck left out many of the details on him?
I recommend this book to anyone interested in just Military stuff, not only SEAL stuff. I think the book is well written enough so that you understand the person behind the SEAL, instead of just the SEAL.
On a side note, about the cover, I thought I recognized it from somewhere and I think I found it. It was the cover used for a early 1990s computer game called SEAL Teams. I felt that was kind of cool and I believe the front cover is a man during the Vietnam era.