First SEALs: The Untold Story of the Forging of America's Most Elite Unit

by Patrick K. O'Donnell

Overview

From bestselling author Patrick K. O'Donnell, the untold story of World War II's first unit of special operations combat swimmers—precursors of today's US Navy SEALs

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306821738
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	10/28/2014
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	561,519
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Bestselling author Patrick K. O'Donnell is a combat historian who has written nine books, including the William E. Colby Award winner Beyond Valor, Dog Company, and We Were One (selected for the Marine Commandant's Professional Reading List). The author is the recipient of numerous awards include the prestigious OSS Society's John Waller Award. Visit him at patrickkodonnell.com and Facebook.com/patrickkodonnell.

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2014
There has been little written about the history of the Navy SEALs and their antecedents. O'Donnell (Dog Company) seeks to remedy this with his well-written chronicle of the SEAL's World War I precursor, the Maritime Unit. The unit was formed in 1942 as America's first force of "swimmer-commandos." Members of that motley crew included a dentist, a medical student, and an actor, as well as officers and enlisted men who were enemies before joining the unit. Through a combination of detective work in the National Archives and interviews with surviving members, O'Donnell successfully details the group's past, which provided the foundation upon which the modern SEALs were founded in the 1960s by John F. Kennedy. Using personal narratives, the author describes the Maritime Unit's sea, air, and land missions (the acronym for SEALs) throughout the 1940s. The epilog focuses on the experiences of unit leader and concentration camp survivor Jack Hendrick Taylor and his ongoing battle with PTSD. VERDICT This engrossing account of previously unknown World War II history will be of interest to military aficionados of all levels.—John Sandstrom, New Mexico State Univ. Lib., Las Cruces

Library Journal

Military Review, U.S. Army
"One of the world's preeminent military historians"

Sacramento Bee
"The Navy's Sea, Air, and Land teams (SEAL) are rightfully legendary, but until now their origin has been obscured by time. In this behind-the-scenes history, readers learn how a World War II group known as the Maritime Unit became the template for today's elite special force."

Portland Book Review, 3/5/15
“Those having interest in World War II history will love the result of [O'Donnell's] research…The writing in this book is very good, very readable.”

Proceedings, June 2015
“O'Donnell sets the scene for today's SEALs and provides the reader with the history of the inception of Navy special operations.”

Seapower, June 2015
“Much of the history of the MU was buried in classified archives until unearthed by the author.”

Military Heritage, July 2015
“Extensive research and interviews have now brought this story back to light. The author is an established authority on special operations forces and his new book sheds light on the origin of the SEALs.

From the Publisher