I Am a SEAL Team Six Warrior: Memoirs of an American Soldier

by Howard E. Wasdin, Stephen Templin

Overview

FOR YOUNG READERS—A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE BESTSELLER, SEAL TEAM SIX

When the Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six—a secret unit made up of the finest soldiers in the country, if not the world. I Am a SEAL Team Six Warrior is the dramatic tale of how Howard Wasdin overcame a tough childhood to live his dream and enter the exciting and dangerous world of U.S. Navy SEALS and Special Forces snipers.

His training began with his selection for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)—the toughest and longest military training in the world. After graduating, Wasdin saw combat in Operation Desert Storm as a member of SEAL Team Two. But he was driven to be the best of the best—he wanted to join the legendary SEAL Team Six, and at long last he reached his goal and became one of the best snipers on the planet. Soon he was fighting for his life in The Battle of Mogadishu. This is Howard Wasdin's story of overcoming abuse and beating the odds to become an elite American warrior.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250016430
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/24/2012
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	321,979
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	930L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 15 Years

About the Author

DR. HOWARD E. WASDIN graduated with BUD/S Class 143. Awarded the Silver Star following the Battle of Mogadishu, Wasdin medically retired from the U.S. Navy in November 1995 after twelve years of service. He lives in Georgia.

STEPHEN TEMPLIN completed Hell Week, qualified as a pistol and rifle expert, and blew things up during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. He is now an associate professor at Meio University in Japan.

Read an Excerpt

I Am a SEAL Team Six Warrior

Memoirs of an American Soldier

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By Howard E. Wasdin

St. Martin's Griffin

Copyright © 2012 Howard E. Wasdin
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9781250016430

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1.

Reach Out and Touch Someone
 

When the U.S. Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six. It’s the navy’s equivalent to the army’s Delta Force. Its job is to fight terrorism and armed rebellion, often secretly.
I was a sniper for SEAL Team Six.
This is the first time a SEAL Team Six sniper’s story has been told. My story.
*   *   *
In the morning darkness of September 18, 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, another SEAL and I crept over a wall and up to the top of a six-story tower. Below us, people were waking up. Men, women, and children relieved themselves in the streets. I smelled the morning fires, fueled by dried animal dung. The fires heated the little food the Somalis had. The warlord who ruled this part of the city, Mohamed Farah Aidid, controlled the population by controlling the food supply. Every time I saw a starving child, I blamed Aidid.
Although the middle of a city may not seem the logical place for navy commandos, SEALs are trained to fight anywhere. That’s where the name comes from: SEa, Air and Land. On many operations, we were in all three: We’d parachute in, complete our task on land, and make our way back on water.
From the tower we watched what looked like a large garage with no roof. It was a vehicle body shop. Surrounding it was a city of despair. Somalis trudged along with their heads and shoulders lowered. Helplessness dimmed their faces, and starvation pulled the skin tight across their bones. This “better” part of town had multilevel, concrete buildings instead of the tin and wooden lean-to sheds that dominated most of the city and countryside. Nevertheless, the smell of human waste and death filled the air.
I played different scenarios over in my mind: one enemy popping out at one location, then another popping up at another location, and so on. I would acquire, aim, and even do a simulated trigger pull, going through my rehearsed breathing and follow-through routine while picturing the actual engagement. Then I simulated reloading and getting back into position looking through my scope, continuing to scan for more “booger-eaters”—the SEAL term for bad guys.
I had done this dry firing and actual firing thousands of times—wet, dry, muddy, snowbound, from a dug-in hole in the ground, from the window of a tall building, and nearly every which way imaginable. The words drilled into our heads since SEAL training were, “The more you sweat in peacetime, the less you bleed in war.” This particular day, I was charged with making sure none of my Delta Force buddies sprang a leak as I covered their insertion into the garage. That was every bit as important as my not bleeding.
Our target for this mission was Osman Ali Atto—warlord Aidid’s main financier. Atto and his boss had killed hundreds of thousands of Somalis. I felt that if we could kill Atto and Aidid, we could stop the fighting, get the food to the people quickly, and go home in one piece. But the goal of this mission was just to capture Atto, not kill him.
Around 0815 our “asset”—our informer—gave the predetermined signal that Atto was there. My SEAL teammate and I launched the “full package.” Little Bird and Black Hawk helicopters filled the sky.
Delta Force operators fast-roped into the roofless garage, dropping lines from the helicopter and sliding right to the ground. Rangers fast-roped around the outside of it. Little Birds flew overhead with Delta snipers to protect the assault force.
Atto’s people scattered like rats. Enemy militia shot at the helicopters.
In this environment, an enemy could appear from anywhere, dressed the same as a civilian. Even if he appeared with a gun, there was a chance he was part of a clan on our side. We had to wait until the person pointed the weapon at us. Then we would ensure the enemy ceased to exist. There was no time for makeup or second shots.
Like my SEAL teammate—his nickname was Casanova—I wielded .300 Win Mag sniper rifle. Through my scope, I saw a militiaman 500 yards away firing through an open window at the helos. I made a mental note to keep my heart rate down and centered the crosshairs on him as my muscle memory took over—stock firmly into the shoulder, cheek positioned behind the scope, eye focused on the center of the crosshairs rather than the enemy, and steady trigger squeezing. I felt the gratifying recoil of my rifle. The round hit him in the side of the chest. He convulsed and buckled, falling backward into the building—permanently.
I quickly got back into my scope and scanned my sector. Game on now. All other thoughts departed my mind. Casanova scanned his sector, too.
Another Aidid militiaman carrying an AK-47 came out a fire escape door on the side of a building 300 yards away from me and aimed his rifle at the Delta operators assaulting the garage. From his position, I’m sure he thought he was safe from the assaulters, and he probably was. He was not safe from me—300 yards wasn’t even a challenge. I shot him through his left side, and the round exited his right. He slumped down onto the fire escape landing, never knowing what hit him. His AK-47 lay silent next to him. Someone tried to reach out and retrieve the weapon. One round from my Win Mag put a stop to that.
Each time I made a shot, I immediately forgot about that target and scanned for another.
Chaos erupted inside and outside of the garage. People ran everywhere. Little Birds and Black Hawks filled the skies with deafening rotor blasts. I was in my own little world, though. Nothing existed outside my scope and my mission. Let the Unit guys handle their business in the garage. My business was reaching out and touching the enemy.
A few minutes passed as I continued scanning. More than 800 yards away, a guy popped up with an RPG launcher on his shoulder, preparing to fire at the helicopters.
If I took him out, it would be the longest killing shot of my career. If I failed …

 
Copyright © 2012 by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin


Continues...

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Excerpted from I Am a SEAL Team Six Warrior by Howard E. Wasdin Copyright © 2012 by Howard E. Wasdin. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Reading Group Guide

When the Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six—a once-secret unit, now famous for its dramatic attack on Osama Bin Laden's compound.

In this young reader's edition of the New York Times bestseller Seal Team Six, Howard Wasdin tells how he overcame a grueling childhood to live his dream and enter the exciting and dangerous world of Navy SEALs and Special Forces snipers.

After escaping an abusive father, Howard joined the Navy so he could complete his college education. Always driven to master the next challenge, he quickly moved through the best units in the military, eventually joining the legendary SEAL Team Six. Soon he was fighting for his life in the Battle of Mogadishu, when his small band of soldiers found themselves cut off from help and desperately trying to rescue downed comrades.

For Howard, the result of that battle was a series of new and unexpected challenges, with surprising changes in his life and beliefs.

This young reader's edition tells the entire story from the adult edition in a slightly condensed form.

Chapter 1:

Where is Howard—which continent and country? Why? (Page 3)Howard says, "The words drilled into our heads since SEAL training were, ‘The more you sweat in peacetime, the less you bleed in war.'" (Page 4) What does he mean?

Chapter 2:

Why does Howard run away from home when he's five years old? (Page 8)Howard says he felt it was his "duty" to agree to be adopted by his stepfather. (Page 9) Why does he says this? Is this the same as the duty he later felt as a soldier? Howard says that when a junior high school football coach discovered Howard was being physically abused, the coach told no one. "In those days, whatever happened in the home stayed in the home." (Page 11) What was different about those days? Is it certain the coach remained completely silent, or is it possible he told adults who made some effort on Howard's behalf? If he did, were those efforts enough? Would you break a confidence to help someone in Howard's situation? What if that meant breaking a law? Howard says that when the coach saw the bruises, "I remember feeling so embarrassed that someone had discovered my secret." (Page 11) Why might Howard have felt embarrassed instead of relieved? Why might he have kept the beatings a secret? Why didn't he just tell another adult? If you were Howard's friend then, and you had discovered his secret, what would you say to him?

Chapter 3:

Where does Howard first meet and speak with SEALs? (Page 19)Where does he learn more about them? (Page 20)Howard says about the stories he heard from the SEALs when he was still a Search and Rescue swimmer: "They worked hard and played hard. Lots of camaraderie. I thought I'd joined an elite unit before, but now I knew about a unit that was more elite. There would be no satisfaction staying where I was. I wanted what they had." (Page 20) Why does Howard feel the need to take on the toughest challenges he sees?

Chapter 4:

Where is the main training location for SEALs? (Page 23)How does Howard feel about his chances when he first arrives? (Page 23) What about after he has attempted some tests alongside the other candidates? (Page 25)Speaking of the training, Howard says, "Of course, my tough childhood had prepared me for this moment." What exactly did he mean? How did it prepare him? (Page 27)

Chapter 5:

One of Howard's toughest SEAL instructors was later a contestant on which reality TV show? (Page 39)What were some of the countries where Howard trained? Why would it be important to train with commandos from other armies? (Page 40)What happens to make Howard return home during this part of his training? (Page 40) What has happened to Howard's relationship with his stepfather? (Page 41) Do you think this is right?

Chapter 6:

Where does this chapter primarily take place? Why is the United States fighting there? (Page 43)Howard says "The amount of intel and planning that goes into a mission is mindboggling." (Page 45) What are some of the school courses that relate directly to the kind of planning Howard and his teammates had to do? During a mission, fourteen enemy Iraqis surrendered to Howard unexpectedly. He says, "I realized they weren't bad guys . . . They were human beings just like me. I discovered my humanity and the humanity in others. It was a turning point for me—it was when I matured." (Page 60) Why did Howard have a sudden change of heart? Why does he consider it a sign of maturity? Do you think he should have fed the Iraqis and helped them, even though his mission wasn't over? Have you ever had a sudden change of heart in the middle of a conflict with someone? Did you consider it a sign of maturity? Returning from Iraq, Howard to face the fact that he'd taken a human life. What was his feeling about that? (Page 61)

Chapter 7:

Howard says of SEAL Team Six, "We practiced land warfare, parachuting, and diving—all taken to a whole new level." (Page 65) Why a whole new level? What are some of the mental exercises included in sniper training? (Page 71)What's the name of the kind of suit snipers wear? Why is Howard required to make his own? (Page 72)

Chapter 8:

Where in the United States was Howard stationed as a member of SEAL Team Six? (Page 79)Howard says, "Working with foreign units like the Australian SAS was often easier than working with U.S. counterparts like Delta Force. Rivalry between U.S. units was a problem." (Page 79) Why would this be a problem? Why would it be easier to work with foreign units? All of the Joint Special Operations Command's (JSOC) snipers, both SEAL and Delta operators, saw the light. (Page 83) Saw the light about what? What does Howard mean about becoming "realistic?" (Page 83) How important is that? But isn't it the opposite of believing a SEAL can do anything, which Howard says is also important?

Chapter 9:

Where is Howard, and why? (Page 85)Can you name a country working with the United States? (Pages 85, 87)Is the rivalry between the Special Forces units completely gone? What evidence is there? (Pages 87, 89)Italy has a long history in Somalia. What is Howard's understanding of it, and of its effect on the operation? (Page 92)Howard called the medical help he gave a wounded Somali teenager (pages 95–97, 100–102) "my most successful op in Somalia." (Page 103) Yet he had to disobey a direct order not to help, and then was reprimanded for his disobedience. Do you think he should have disobeyed? What risks did he take? Was he only risking himself, or was he risking the safety of teammates? Would you make the same decision? Why?

Chapter 10:

What does Howard call "one of the best moves JSOC [Joint Special Operations Command] ever made"? (Page 111)Why does Howard believe it is important to capture Atto? (Page 113)Howard points out that, "Although SEALs are known for their small numbers and efficiency, the military as a whole is huge and cumbersome." What does he says is required of SEALs as a result? (Page 120)

Chapter 11:

What are some of the internal conflicts the U.S. military showed during the mission? How did this affect Howard? (Pages 123–124) Do you think this is inevitable?

Chapter 12:

What was the goal of the allied forces in the operation that turned into the Battle of Mogadishu? (Page 131)How many troops were involved? What kind of equipment did they have? (Page 132)What were Howard's feelings as the operation began? (Page 132)What did Howard first notice was wrong? (Page 134)What does Howard describe as the difference between his training and the training of the Rangers? (Pages 136–137)Towards whom does Howard begin to feel anger during the battle? Why? (Page 138)What were the immediate personal and political results of the battle? (Pages 146–147)

Chapter 13:

Where is Howard flown after being evacuated from Somalia? (Page 148)Howard says, "Sitting at home in my wheelchair, I committed one of the Team's gravest sins..." (Page 152) What was that "sin"? Do you think Howard could have done otherwise? If not, why is it a sin? Was that extreme attitude helpful to Howard? What does Howard say was God's message to him? (Pages 153–152)What does Howard learn when he does hunting? (Pages 154–155)Earlier in the book, Howard says that SEALs endure so much extreme training, "Often we think we're indestructible. Forever the optimists, even when we're outnumbered and outgunned, we still tend to think we have a chance to make it out alive—and be home in time for dinner." (Page 37) However, after leaving the SEALs, Howard was so pessimistic he considered suicide. (Page 157) Why did his thinking change so much?

Chapter 14:

Why does Howard become a police officer? (Page 159)Why does Howard consider becoming a chiropractor? (Page 160)Why does he resist this desire? (Page 160) Do his reasons make sense to you?

Chapter 15:

Who dies when Howard is in chiropractor school? (Page 162)Prior to Howard's stepfather's death, Howard reconciled with him. (Page 162) Would it have been okay if Howard hadn't? Who does Howard meet after his stepfather dies? (Page 163)What fact of family history does Howard learn from his biological father? How does that change Howard's relationship with his mother? How does that change Howard's understanding of himself? (Page 163)How does Howard feel about his new life as a doctor, compared to the heroic life he led as a SEAL Team warrior? (Pages 164–165)

Editorial Reviews

"This young-readers version of an ex-SEAL sniper's account (SEAL Team Six, 2011) of his training and combat experiences in Operation Desert Storm and the first Battle of Mogadishu makes colorful, often compelling reading."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Abridged but not toned down, this young-readers version of an ex-SEAL sniper's account (SEAL Team Six, 2011) of his training and combat experiences in Operation Desert Storm and the first Battle of Mogadishu makes colorful, often compelling reading. "My experiences weren't always enjoyable," Wasdin writes, "but they were always adrenaline-filled!" Not to mention testosterone-fueled. He goes on to ascribe much of his innate toughness to being regularly beaten by his stepfather as a child and punctuates his passage through the notoriously hellacious SEAL training with frequent references to other trainees who fail or drop out. He tears into the Clinton administration (whose "support for our troops had sagged like a sack of turds"), indecisive commanders and corrupt Italian "allies" for making such a hash of the entire Somalian mission. In later chapters he retraces his long, difficult physical and emotional recovery from serious wounds received during the "Black Hawk Down" operation, his increasing focus on faith and family after divorce and remarriage and his second career as a chiropractor. Fans of all things martial will echo his "HOOYAH!"--but the troubled aftermath comes in for some attention too. (acronym/ordinance glossary, adult level reading list) (Memoir. 12-14)

Kirkus Reviews