Why this book:  I know and admire Adm Bill McRaven  – we were contemporaries in the SEAL community and I was looking forward to reading his story.

Summary in 3 sentences This is not an autobiography nor a memoir – it is indeed a series of stories, in chronological order from Bill McRaven’s life.  But the stories tell a larger story about not only what made Bill who he became and is, but also about how our country has prosecuted the War on Terrorism.    He shares a few stories from his childhood that were foundational for him, then on to a stories from SEAL Training and his earlier years in the SEAL Teams –  key stories about life in “the Teams, and what prepared him for the stories in the second half of the book – after 911 and his time with the Joint Special Operations Command and his role in key events in our War on Terrorism.

My Impressions:  Very Well Done- not only thoroughly enjoyable to read, but it offers great insights not only into what shaped Bill McRaven’s life, leadership and decisions, but also into how our country makes key decisions in the strategic employment of special operations forces in our world-wide fight against terrorism.   The stories are very well told and provide a key piece of the puzzle of what made Bill McRaven into the leader and man of principle he became over a lifetime.  Most readers will be most interested in his stories from when he was leading at the cutting edge of our War on Terror after 911, but the stories that lead up to that are not only engaging and fun to read, but also help put the man in context, as we see how one of the great military leaders of our generation got to be that way.

The extensive dialogue he provides to these stories is  as he best remembers it, and (I’m sure) much of it is close to what probably was said, or what might have been said.  He provides detail that brings each of these stories to life. I asked him how he remembered so well these details and so much of what happened, some 30,40, 50 years later.  He replied that with the exception of a couple of his stories from when he was very young,  he is in touch with others who were there who helped him with his recollections.  The stories come to life, are very believable.  The book is a page turner.

Two halves of the book  The first half of the book is ten stories leading up to 911 – and we learn about some of his favorite stories as a child and young man growing up, then becoming a young SEAL officer and later, a senior SEAL Officer.  At about the half-way point in the book, we find Bill working in the National Security Council for President George W. Bush,  and he shares the interesting challenges of working in the inter-agency, trying to coordinate a national response to several key terrorism incidents then facing our nation.  That chapter is the transition chapter; in subsequent chapters, Bill is fully engaged leading Special Operators Forces overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa.  These include the operation which captured Sadam Hussein, the Captain Phillips Maersk Alabama rescue, a couple of stories I was unfamiliar with – our successful take downs of a terrorist leader in Somalia, and  the mastermind behind Al Quada’s suicide bombers in Iraq.  Fittingly enough, the longest chapter in the book is his key role in the successful mission to kill or capture Osama bin Laden.  These operations required that Bill coordinate closely with senior leaders in both the Bush and Obama administrations, and he shares his respectful insights into their concerns and decision making processes.

The Fourth Star.  After the bin Laden raid, Bill was selected for a fourth star and assigned to lead United States Special Operations Command – but in Sea Stories he doesn’t share anything from that final tour. I suspect it was somewhat anti-climactic for him, but I do know that his initiatives and decisions made significant positive impact that will last for decades in US Special Operations Forces.  His final chapter describes his retirement ceremony from USSOCOM, and includes excerpts from his retirement speech, honoring his family, his wife Georgeann, and the many men and women who had inspired him during his career. It was a fitting McRaven speech and conclusion to his book – humble yet confident and proud, giving mostly credit to others who helped him and our nation, and sharing his feeling of being blessed to have served our country with so many great American men and women.

The Wounded  Along the way, he shares stories of visiting the wounded service men nd women being treated in military hospitals, and how their courage moved and inspired him ( I teared up a couple of times  reading these.)  He has a whole chapter about these visits and the stories of some of these most impressive men and women recovering in various hospitals he visited.  He calls this chapter “The Next Greatest Generation.”

“Leadership” Though it is not a “leadership book” as such, there are many great leadership lessons in it.  Anyone who reads it looking for guidelines for being a great leader will be well rewarded.   He volunteered for the tough jobs.  Several times we see him choosing to put himself at risk to be with his troops, share their risk and better understand their world and conditions.   His leadership exemplified competence, character and caring. He trusted and empowered his subordinates.   He treated his men with great respect and that respect was returned.  He clearly cared about people – and made it a point to connect with those whose lives would be changed forever from their wounds in the war. He made mistakes and admitted them, learned from them and became better from them.   I never saw Bill McRaven – not in person, nor in the book, pretentiously trying to present himself as anything other than who he is.

Bottom line: Sea Stories is a fun read which gives great insights into Bill’s journey, life in the SEAL Teams as both a  junior and senior officer, what a great leader does and how he behaves, and an inside look at how he and our nation’s leaders made key decisions during our war against Islamic terrorists in the first decade of the 21st century.