Book Report on “No Easy Day” by Mark Owen
This bestselling book is an autobiography of a United States Navy Seal who was involved in one of the major events in the fight against terrorism. The book is based on the super orchestrated mission that led to the killing of the world’s most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden in 2011. The book therefore gives us insightful information on what happened on the period that Laden was killed by the United States Navy Seals. Osama bin Laden was executed after a raid in his house in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In this book, the first chapters reveal that Owen is very passionate on becoming a Navy Seal someday. However, in his early years he lived in Alaska and had his upbringing from that country. Consequently, the other phase of the book describes how Owen joined the Navy Seals and the story on how the Navy Seals conducted a raid which caused the death of Laden. The book had caused a controversy between Owen and the US government.
The military had asked that the book should be reviewed for any disclosure of sensitive and confidential information with regards to the service of the Navy Seals. In his book, the Navy Seal describes the harsh training that they had to endure in the preparation for the long awaited raid. He therefore gives out a firsthand account on the activities that took place until the day that Laden was killed in Pakistan. The soldiers that killed Laden consisted of twenty four men all drawn from the Navy Seals. This team was given the name “Seal team six”, they were left to this huge task of bringing down the world’s top terrorist. The Seals were chosen from the best of the best in their respective camps so as to execute this State operation against Osama. Owen thus gives us what he witnessed in this breathtaking mission. The raid is thought to be one of the toughest army operations in the world history.
This is after the Seals carried out a very tactical and calculative warfare in the residence of Osama bin Laden. This book is useful in proving wrong the myths that were created following the death of Laden. However, the book describes that the operation was a thirty eight minutes service by the seals which was successful in ending the activities of the Al Qaida terrorist. This memoir describes how these men had to leave a lot of their personal chores and concentrate on the difficult training in readiness for the mission ahead. Thus, the Seals represent persons who had given their life out for the sake of protecting and fighting for America. In this book, it is evident that the White House gave itself a lot of credit with respect to the raid. However, the author is content with that since he explains that the Seals were not sure if the White House would approve the mission. But to their doubts, President Obama signed and approved the raid to be carried out.
Conversely, some American soldiers would lay criticism on Obama since they figured that this raid was pertinent in his reelection bid which he was successful. But Owen admits that it is worth having credit for Obama after he allowed such a historic raid to be carried by his soldiers. In this book, Owen also talks about other missions that were carried by the US army in some other places. There is a personal account of how the mission in Afghanistan was conducted by the Navy Seals in the fight against Al Qaida terrorists. There is also a revelation of how the Navy Seals were involved in an operation to liberate Captain Richard Philips from the pirates in the coast of Somali. The captain was taken hostage from the Maersk Alabama. In his recount of these events, Owen expresses himself as being a perfectionist in all the operations that he was involved. He dismisses any allegations which thought that there was luck in their missions.
Owen was not happy when he was tasked to foresee the compound raid which was nicknamed “Operation Neptune’s Spear.” However, Owen narrates that this mission began to experience difficulties from the beginning, for instance the Black Hawk helicopter lost control and hit the ground inside Laden’s compound. He was in this ill fated helicopter but they were helped out by a second helicopter and they engaged the raid. Owens’ team went up to the third floor of that house where Laden was and the Seals shot him twice on the side of the head and again on the chest after he fell down. However, the Seals had to take their time in the house trying to collect any useful information that might help them on intelligence against Al Qaida. This book presents a mission that was well planned for and executed in the correct manner to get rid of the long serving terrorist. However, it was not an easy day for the Seals in killing Laden. They had to be well prepared in facing the world’s most feared terrorist but Owen tells everything as it happened in this book.
