SEAL Team Six

Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper

By: Howard E. Wasdin, Stephen Templin

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

When the Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six—a secret unit tasked with counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and counterinsurgency.

In this dramatic, behind-the-scenes chronicle, Howard Wasdin takes listeners deep inside the world of Navy SEALs and Special Forces snipers, beginning with the grueling selection process of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL - the toughest and longest military training in the world.

After graduating, Wasdin faced new challenges. First, there was combat in Operation Desert Storm as a member of SEAL Team Two. Then, the Green Course: the selection process to join the legendary SEAL Team Six (ST6), with a curriculum that included practiced land warfare to unarmed combat. More than learning how to pick a lock, they learned how to blow the door off its hinges.

Finally, as member of ST6, he graduated from the most storied and challenging sniper program in the country: the Marine Corps Scout Sniper School. Eventually, of the 18 snipers in ST6, Wasdin became the best—which meant one of the best snipers on the planet.

Less than half a year after sniper school, he was fighting for his life. The mission: capture or kill Somalian warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. From rooftops, helicopters, and alleys, Wasdin hunted Aidid and killed his men whenever possible. But everything went quickly to hell when his small band of soldiers found themselves fighting for their lives, cut off from help and desperately trying to rescue downed comrades during a routine mission. The Battle of Mogadishu, as it became known, left 18 American soldiers dead and 73 wounded. Howard Wasdin had both of his legs nearly blown off while engaging the enemy. His explosive combat tales and inside details of becoming one of the world’s deadliest snipers combine to make this the most thrilling and important memoir by a navy SEAL since Lone Survivor.

©2011 Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

An Incredible Story

Oh my gosh!! This book is so captivating!! It makes me so immensely grateful for the sacrifices that our military makes to protect us & America. May you, your families & friends be blessed because of your brave & selfless service. All my Respect & Gratitude, Barb Nicholes Larson

Great Seal Team story

After just finishing Lone Survivor, Seal Team Six is a great follow up story. I ran and hiked more miles because I was so engaged in the story. I will continue to seek out great military stories.

Thank you for your service Howard Wasdin!!

God Bless and your family....We would not have what we have if it were not for you and all of our armed forces fighting for our freedom!

Great behind the scenes look at the life of a seal

I enjoyed getting to know this deal as not only a hero but a real person. The story pulled me in and kept me curious to know more.

Read a review from the eyes of a military member.

Why should you read my review?
Well let me tell this, I don't review many things. This book weather you listen to it or read it, it is a MUST LISTEN/READ. It is not a book about the history or the Seals or just a military experiences of a Seal Sniper. The reason you must read this book it's because it humanizes the life of a military member, just one, elite yet just one very interesting member of the US Forces. I loved the way this book not only gives you an in site on the life of a Seal but also gives you a look into who the man was and how he became to be. Great pace and as far as the reader, he had great tone. He was not boring and that is important in a n audio book, it could of been the intriguing story. The book continues past his military life and it follows the Sniper well into his adult life and that is rare in military books in my experiences. Myself being a military member, if you want to see the true life of one of our nations heroes, not just the good stories. The whole story this is a must read or listen. You can spend hours of your life doing crap. Take my word for it spend some time with this story and you will be a better person. I hope you enjoy the book. Now I want to say thank you to all of our special operators and the support staff that keeps them going at home and work. Hope this review helps you pick this book for the right reasons. Enjoy reading or listening.

SEALS Fight for the USA

Where does SEAL Team Six rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

SEAL Team Six ranks on the top of all the books that I have listened to about the SEALS.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Howard Wasdin. He truly emulates what I know about the SEALS. Howard fought long and hard for his country. He truly would've laid his life down for his country. When fighting in the Battle of Mogadishu, Howard was wounded three times. He was awarded the Silver Cross for his bravery in the Battle of Mogadishu. He loved and believed in the USA. Wasdin was a true patriot. He never tried to avoid any mission. He was the elite of the elite. He became a SEAL sniper. He had the honor of being the best of the best when he achieved the honor of being the number one sniper in all the world.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was difficult to choose because there were many. However, I chose the Battle of Mogadishu. To listen to how Wasdin fought and never gave up was powerful. He and his men were given the wrong directions over and over and it was during that time that he sustained his three injuries. He went on to receive the Silver Cross but he finally left the SEALS after that mission. He understood for himself that he would no longer be able to fight as he had fought. He was offered any other position in the SEALS but if he couldn't be a sniper, he knew in his heart that he would have to leave.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The moment in the book that particularly moved me was after Wasdin had had his surgery for a compound fracture of his leg. They gave him two IV injections of morphine but he was in the one percent of people who do not respond to the drug. Wasdin finally was hooked up to an IV pump of Demerol. While he was there, a DELTA Force soldier was in the bed across from him. The soldier was in excruciating pain and kept calling out for medication. When no one responded, Wasdin grabbed a mop that was nearby and pushed his bed over to his comrade, by using the handle of the mop. They had both fought during the same mission in the Battle of Mogadishu. When he was finally close enough, he took the needle out of his IV pump and inserted the needle into his comrade's IV pump and administered him two pushes on the button, providing him with the pain relief he so desperately needed. When finished, Wasdin replaced the needle back into his pump. He was unable to push himself back over to his own side because his strength was wasted. He stayed beside his comrade and they both slept.

Any additional comments?

I loved the SEAL Team Six book. The narrator, Ray Porter, did an outstanding performance. It's amazing how the narrator makes or breaks a book for me. Ray Porter made the book come alive. I learned so much more about the SEALS that wasn't in the other books that I have listened to about the SEALS. Wasdin wrote the book in such a way that anyone and everyone is able to understand. There were snippets of humor throughout the book that made me smile and even laugh. When Wasdin received his TRIDENT, there was no one more proud than him. I believe Wasdin had reached his nirvana. Wasdin had to find a different way to earn a salary after he left the SEALS. He tried many different jobs in order to earn a living before he was able to truly find his place in the world. I won't tell what that occupation is because it's an important part of Howard Wasdin's journey back into civilian life. Listen to this book if you're inclined and I hope that you can enjoy it as much or more than I did.

wow! amazing book!

I loved it, start to finish. easily one of the best special operations memoirs. great narrator, great story. highly recommended.

Exciting and real world

A few bits and pieces that just didn’t follow with the basic storyline but other than that it was an excellent read.

unique among these books

This book intrigued me because it really puts you into the psychology of the sniper. Its easy to have preconceptions about jobs like that of a sniper or SEALS in general (or team 6 in particular, if you've read certain other books about it) and I found this book to be pretty enlightening as to the human side and the psychology of them. Listening to him talk about realizing the humanity of the enemy, for example, and making real choices about how to best control intensely hostile situations really gives an appreciation for the life of an operator in combat. Great book about overcoming adversity. I highly recommend this.

Straight up, no fluff

Any additional comments?

Isn't that what you want?
This is a fascinating look at a career the vast majority of us simply couldn't do. The author seems interested in exploring his own psychology, and recognizes he has done something highly unusual in becoming a Seal Team member. So, he has the self-awareness to write about his experiences in a meaningful way. I was pretty impressed.