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Summary: Marcinko is one DYNAMIC individual.
Review: I came across this book by accident and after the first chapter I bought the rest of the Rogue Warrior books and haven't stopped reading them (So Mr. Marcinko, buy a bottle of Bombay on the royalties from my purchases). Mr. Marcinko is one tough and patriotic individual as are most Navy SEALs. This book is not action packed as it is informative about the Navy and the BS he had to go through just to get the job DONE RIGHT. (This also happens in the cake eating world I live in. It's not just the Navy). Men like Marcinko is what keeps this country free, and we need more of them, men who want to WIN for the U.S. of A. and not some politician representing another countries interest. If Jesse the Body Ventura can be elected Governor than Richard Marcinko can be elected President. How about it, President Sharkman/Cobra Eater? Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
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Summary: A little too much.
Review: Where the book dealt with life in the battle zone, it was fascinating. There was less narration of this sort than I expected though, and most of the book dealt with Marcinko's rise through the Navy ranks and his dealings with the Navy bureaucracy. The main trouble I had with enjoying this book were the repeated, overbearing, egotistical remarks Marcinko makes chapter after chapter, page after page. I appreciate that to be a man in his shoes, one needs a huge ego to be successful or even survive, but the constant braggadocio really grated on my nerves. Marcinko is a rare breed and one deserving appreciation from every generation of American. His book though, is one part entertainment and one part irritation.
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Summary: Must read. Loved it, could not put it down.
Review: The author brings you into his world. he uses the lauguage and styal that only a S.E.A.L. can deliver. This book is powerful and domatic. I never liked to read at all, now I cannot put his books down.T.J. Rafe
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Summary: A true American Hero
Review: God bless Marcinko and the brave men like him who protect our country. He is a warrior and hero who inspires his readers. An outstanding book by an outstanding individual!
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Summary: Vivid realities of war through the eyes of the ultimate SEAL
Review: It has been my privelidge to have known a few SEALs in my time. I never understood what made them tick. I do now. Mr Marcinko gives even the uneducated a look at a world that most civilians believe exists only in the minds of people such as Heinlein and Clancy. I thank him for his honesty, insight and, most of all, his valor.
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Summary: No nonsense, kick butt, easy reader
Review: Dick marcinko is probaly the Navy's last real SEAL....follow him on this exciting and very interisting journey. You will be surprised just how relaxed security is at some of the USA's most classified and dangerous sites. Marcinko exposes "deep holes" and more............I'd follow the man into combat no questions asked and no assumptions preconcieved.
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Summary: Move Over Clancy, Here Comes Dickey
Review: A truly engrossing and true-grit account of the--always incredible and sometimes even unbelievable--experiences of Mr. Marcinko while serving in the Navy's elite Seals Unit. His personal accounts seem at times to hinge on hyperbole, but this could only make for more entertaining reading. If entirely true however, then this man's exploits represent the type of military-born-heroism that Schwarzenneger wouldn't have enough steroid nor enough Special Effects to counter. So, ready yourself for a no-bull, rough edged tour of Navy Seal life as seen through the eyes of the "Sharkman".
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Summary: A thoroughly enjoyable poolside read!
Review: Noticed that most of the reviews of this book came from folks very into "special operations." I thought I'd point out that this special interest isn't required to have a blast reading it. The basic themes - a man striving for excellence at his work, and thwarted by rigid organizational structures - are things that most people can identify with. Plus, the tales of action and excitement were enough to keep me on the edge of my seat. The tale of 'cobra salad,' in which Marcinko is hazed by his Vietnamese comrade by being made to swallow sacs of cobra venom, is one I'll never forget. Marcinko comes across as an engaging, superbly confident, and competent warrior, and his book has the ring of truth. Having said that, it's hard to know how much of what he writes is true - but who cares? It's sure fun to read!
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Summary: If you want to learn something about SpecOps read this
Review: This book along with Andy McNab's BRAVO TWO ZERO are excellent non-fiction books for anyone who wants to learn something about special operations. If you want fiction, try Marcinko's other books or Bob Mayer's special forces series of six books, all of them excellent. As a retired special operator I've enjoyed reading all of these. There are some things and techniques I disagree with but that was one of the things that made special operations a great place to serve-- a lot of very fine minds working for our country.
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Summary: If you want to understand special forces, read this book
Review: I read Rogue Warrior when it first came out in 92, right after Marcinko was on 60 minutes. I have also read Colonel Charlie Beckwith's "Delta Force." For those who do not know, Beckwith was the creator of the army DELTA FORCE as well as the JSOC. I found that many of the bureaucratic problems that confronted Marcinko and SEAL TEAM 6 were the same problems faced by Beckwith when he was building DELTA. I found this fascinating. Specifically, Marcinko explains the resistence from the conventional Navy when it came to the streamlined, British SAS type chain of command that SEAL Team 6 fit into. The regular Navy and even the regular SEAL community greatly disliked the new, "clean and direct" JSOC chain of command which was formed for all U.S. counterterrorist units after the failure of Desert One. Colonel Beckwith had similar resistance from the conventional army and even the Green Berets when he was trying to establish DELTA's "SAS" type chain of command in the late seventies. Marcinko tries to hammer the point home that if their is only one thing to know about a "true" special ops unit, it is that the chain of command needs to be "clean and direct." No in between bureaucracy. Just straight lines and clear communication between the SEAL unit and the High Command of the US armed forces. If one pays attention to both books, the similarities of problems encountered are nearly identical. I found Rogue Warrior not only fascinating as an adventure type story, but educational. Marcinko tries to educate the reader about the basic tenants of modern day special ops,ie. the right type of chain of command, proper selection of personnel, the importance of self-contained units that dont have to rely on outside assets for support, etc. Full of specific detail yet has a great story and plot. Another GREAT book about special operations is Gayle River's "The Five Fingers." About an SAS assasination team in Vietnam. Similar to Team 6 missions?
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