SEAL Target Geronimo

The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama bin Laden

By: Chuck Pfarrer

Narrated by: Erik Bergmann

Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

On May 2, 2011, at 1:03 a.m. in Pakistan, a satellite uplink was sent from the town of Abbottabad, crackling into the situation room of the White House in Washington, D.C.: "Geronimo, Echo, KIA." These words, spoken by a Navy SEAL, put paid to Osama bin Laden’s three-decade-long career of terror.

SEAL Target Geronimo is the story of Bin Laden’s relentless hunters and how they took down the terrorist mastermind, told by Chuck Pfarrer, a former assault element commander of SEAL Team Six and author of the best-selling Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy SEAL. After talking to members of the SEAL team involved in the raid, Pfarrer shares never-before-revealed details of the historic raid and the men who planned and conducted it in an exclusive boots-on-the-ground account of what happened during each minute of the mission - both inside the building and outside. Pfarrer takes readers inside the operation as the SEALs flew over the wall of Bin Laden’s shabby, litter-strewn compound and then penetrated deeper and deeper into the terrorist’s lair, telling us just what it looked, sounded, and smelled like in that sweltering Pakistani suburb. He takes us out to the courtyard to witness the near-disaster of the malfunctioning helicopter and brings us to the exact spot where the al-Qaeda leader was cowering when the bullet entered his head. SEAL Target Geronimo is an explosive story of unparalleled valor, clockwork military precision, and deadly accuracy, carried out by the most elite fighting force in the world: the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six.

©2011 Chuck Pfarrer (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Great Book, Misleading Title

For 9 hours and change, I thought "the inside story of the mission to kill Osama bin Laden" would take up more than 1.5 to 2 hours. The filler was about SEAL infrastructure, SEAL training, the SEAL sniper mission off the coast of Somalia, and, primarily, an in-depth biography of bin Laden and the rise of al Qeada. It was all very good, but I feel misled. I did not buy this book to learn about the roots of Osama and al Qeada. I already knew most of that stuff. I wanted to know ALL about the mission to kill bin Laden. I got that, but not as much as I wanted. However, the last hour is gripping, and makes the book a good buy.

AWESOME

If you are interested in SEAL teams, or the raid in Abbottabad, this is the first book you should read, and maybe the only one you'll need to read.

The first half is about other SEAL operations focusing on the rescue of the Captain taken hostage by Somali pirates.

The second half is all about bin Laden in Abbottabad and this version, in my opinion, rings truest. The narrator is terrific and that helps too.

Great Story Providing a new Angle

Chuck provides some new angles to the story and provides a good background, some is contested but adds great value to the story.

Learned Aot

Pfarrer gives us a great in-depth history lesson written so well that you could feel like you are listening to a novel. He gives us a great look at some of the inside workings of the SEALs from their inception until now. This book also contains a over-all look at the decades of turmoil in the Middle East. Here you might be thinking "yawn, ho hum." Think Again! The media has always painted bin Laden as great warrior and leader of men. When really neither is true. There seem to be two things he had an abundance of : money and the ability to get others to do the killing and the dying.

Marcinko’s Legacy….his pain, their gain.

Chuck Pfarrer delivers a great story. For the detailed version of SEAL Team 6 origins see: Cdr. Richard Marcinko’s Rogue Warrior (I recommend the hard copy, great photos and more detail than abridged audiobook…if you can find it…the Audible copy might still be downloading one of Marcinko’s Spec-Op novels).

The bad. This is the second modern SEAL Team 6 book read to date. I am very disappointed that both Pfarrer and Wasdin (SEAL Team 6) seem to hold disrespect, a younger sibling like jealousy regarding the unbelievably difficult feat Cdr. Marcinko accomplished as founder and first commander of Mob-6. Marcinko, 2 tour Viet Nam War veteran, almost singlehandedly, battled many a dead weight, “Annapolis Navy” brass to create… from the ground up…what Pfarrer celebrates as the best Spec-Op unit in the U.S. military. Today, writers like Pfarrer, give us the impression that our modern Spec-Op warriors evolved as a product of some greater Academy group think. Wrong. The Academy military wants image, control and subservience. They fought tooth and nail to stall and or control both Delta and Mob-6…amazing we still have them. Warriors like Marcinko just want to do what they do best. Marcinko’s story is simply incredible (as with Col. Beckwith, Delta).

The good. Pfarrer’s recap of Spec-Op warfare, in particular the work of the SEAL’s is informative and interesting considering the ground he covers. The action sequence of battle is well done and delivers. The Bin Laden mission is given a fair amount of detail considering the necessity to protect our soldiers and tactics. The military history fan will enjoy this. Erik Bergmann’s narration is top notch. Recommended.

All Americans should read this!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

“SEAL Target Geronimo” is much more than a story of the mission to kill Osama bin Laden. This book is about how men’s lives are molded into the warriors that eventually carried out the mission to kill Osama bin Laden. This book is an autobiography of Navy Seals including their training, historical missions, life experiences, and their surprising relationships with the American Government. In fact, every representative in our Federal Government should be required to read this book! I can understand why some of them wanted to silence the hero author, Chuck Pfarrer.

Great Book...Mediocre Narrator

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

What I find so interesting is that this book actually tends to give more details and descriptions about the Bin Laden mission, classified equipment and other very interesting things than the brand new, controversial book, No Easy Day does. I just finished it too, and I find this book "Geronimo" better. Also, I find it equally intersting that these two stories are by Navy SEAL's that were actually involved in that mission, and yet their two accounts of how, where and when Bin Laden was killed are different.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Yes. His narration was very choppy. He narrated like Obama talks. In very. Short Sentences. All the time. And. I think he. Thinks he does. A really good job. But. He does not! Hope you read that, in the cadence that it was meant! :-)

great story, uneducated reader

this is a great story, unfortunately it was read by someone who did not do their research in to military lingo and language. Example saying "hello" for a "HELO". Def enjoyed this book and the writer for sure!

Good read (older information l

this is a great book which was written in 2011. I learned a lot about the Seals and UBL from this book which is very informative. the only negative reviews are this information might not be correct because of a book that came out in 27 2017 from Rob O'Neill the operator. he is the man who claims to have been the one to kill Bin laden. the rate on the compound is greatly different between these two books. but I will say all the other information was incredibly interesting.

Good, except for the wildly incorrect end...

The book is good except for the wildly incorrect ending of the series of events at the Bin Laden compound... I have read three other books that were almost identical but, this one is very, very diffrent. that's why I think this is the one that is the incorrect one. thumbs down for bad info.

GOOD SOLID BOOK

i did a bit of research on this through amazon before using a credit and am very happy with the purchase. there is a lot of history of the events running up to the actual operation that killed bin laden, which i found very interesting. everything from the conception and historic missions of the SEAL's to the history of bin laden himself. didn't give it 5 stars becuase there was a lot of discussion about the events of the russian army in afghanistan in the 70's that i did not think was relevant. the seal training mentioned in the book is very interesting and the narration is excellent.

Detailed, captivating account

This book covers not only the events of the night in question, but gives a solid background to al-Qaida, the Seals and conflicts in the middle East. Definitely worth a listen.