Why This Book:  I had heard several years ago that this was a well-done personal story by a SEAL – which included a lot of humility – not often found in books SEALs write about themselves.  I lead a volunteer reading group for young men in the SEAL Basic Training Command’s Pre Training, Recovery and Rehabilitation (PTRR) phase, who are preparing to begin and go thru SEAL training.  We selected this book based on its reputation – I hadn’t read it yet – so that was enough motivation to finally get to it!

Summary in 4 Sentences: This is Jay Redman’s personal story of his journey to become a SEAL veteran, beginning with a brief look at his childhood, his journey to get into the SEAL Teams, his wild-man, undisciplined years as a cocky young SEAL enlisted man and then officer, and then his experiences in combat, both in Afghanistan and Iraq. What makes this book particularly compelling is that he shares how his cockiness and arrogance, and his lack of self-awareness cost him his reputation with his team mates, and nearly got him kicked out of the SEAL Teams.  He writes painfully and openly about his mistakes, his bad attitude, his long fight to better understand and take responsibility for being ostracized and then finally the long and difficult work it took to repair his reputation and regain the confidence of his SEAL brothers.  Jay was then severely wounded in Iraq and the last quarter of the book is about his long and painful recovery, with dozens of surgeries, how he depended on the love and support of his wife and family, and finally how he’s found a new, post-SEAL Team career to continue serving his country.

My Impressions:  Jay tells his story with candor and humility and it is very well done.  People often ask me to recommend a SEAL book for them to read, and The Trident is one of two that I recommend (the other is Fearless by Eric Blehm.)  Jay tells the story of being a young man who, to put it gently, was a bit too proud of himself and about what he’d accomplished, a bit too entitled and self-assured.  To put it less gently, he was  arrogant, cocky, and immature, and was angry, bitter and accusative when things didn’t go his way.

But it is a story of redemption.  When a pattern of bad behavior and poor decisions cost him the trust of his teammates, and he was about to be kicked out of the SEAL Teams, he was given a second, and then a third chance, and he finally began to accept responsibility – personal responsibility – for the “bad luck,” for the people out to get him, for the opportunities that didn’t come his way.  And with that acceptance of responsibility, with patience, hard work, humility, and good judgment, he was able over time to earn back the trust of his teammates.

The book begins dramatically with him lying severely wounded on the battlefield in Iraq, the battle raging around him, but with Jay in a daze and realizing that he was about to die.  He fought it, but as he was slowly bleeding out, he tried to stay focused on staying alive, but it was so hard, and it felt so easy to let go.  As he felt himself being pulled away,  one of his teammates taking care of him screamed at him to hang on, that the helicopter was just a few minutes out. This screaming and from his insistent teammate fortified Jay’s resolve – he knew that if he could get to the surgery unit, he would probably survive, but then he felt that gentle pull again, and how tempting it was to let go. And then the yelling again from his team mate.  It is a powerful story of a near-death experience.  Obviously he made it the battlefield ER – just in time.

Then the book goes back to what got Jay to that point, briefly outlining his childhood, how he got into the Navy and then became a SEAL and his crazy times as a young and irresponsible SEAL operator.  He did well enough to be recommended for the Seaman-to-Admiral program and was in college when 9-11 attacks occurred.  He wanted to leave college and go to war with his buddies, but his Commanding Officer talked him out of that – telling him that this war would go on long enough – he’d get his chance.

Then came the most difficult part of the book to read, as Jay outlines his series of mistakes, and his immature actions and lack of responsibility.  I wanted to crawl into the book and ring his neck!  But eventually he figured it out, when a couple of senior officers saw potential in him and gave him a second and then a third chance.  One of those officers was the same officer who told him to stay in school.

Then the story becomes inspiring, as Jay patiently and with maturity slowly does everything right to win back the trust of his team mates. He was a full-fledged and impressive member of his team, leading troops in battle when he got shot. And his teammates stood by him – and saved his life.

The last part of the book is about his fight to recover.  It has required amazing resilience. Literally dozens of surgeries.  Here the book really becomes a love story – as his wife Erica was a saint and indeed saved him from descending into despair, with her constant loyalty and support.

The rest of the story, which takes place after the book was written, I know from people who have known and worked with Jay in recent years.  He has provided heroic support to the families of SEALs wounded and killed in action and he continues to serve the SEAL community and other veterans.  The reputation he worked so hard to repair, continues to grow.

Great book, great story, by a man who has seen the depths of emotional and physical pain, and hung in there to come back – stronger than ever.