From the streets of Iraq to the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips in the Indian Ocean, and from the peaks of Afghanistan to the third floor of Osama bin Laden's compound, Mark Owen, a member of the US Navy's SEAL Team Six, participated in some of the most memorable special operations in history, as well as countless missions that never saw the light of day.
In "No Easy Day," the reader follows Owen and the other twenty-three men of his team as they prepare for the biggest mission of their lives. The detailed account of the attack on May 1, 2011, which begins with the helicopter crash that nearly killed Owen and his colleagues, and ends with the message on the radio confirming the death of Osama bin Laden, is a gripping scene in modern history.
In "No Easy Day," Owen also vividly describes the selection and training process of members of one of the most elite units of the special forces. The narrator picks up the thread of his personal story from his youth in Alaska, and describes how SEAL members constantly push the limits of physical and mental endurance. He reveals in detail unknown aspects of SEAL operations, as well as the evolution of the unit after the events of September 11, 2001, until the mission to eliminate Osama bin Laden.
"No Easy Day" is a rare testimony from a man who lived and played a leading role in events whose details usually remain in the dark. It is therefore a unique historical document about the operation to eliminate the man who sealed the beginning of the 21st century with his terrorist actions. At the same time, it is a rare testimony about the formation, training, and actions of one of the most famous special forces units in the world, the SEAL Team Six. However, the credibility and disarming honesty of the narrator often give the reader the opportunity to understand the psychology of these extraordinary individuals who live daily defying limits and who are often called upon to "do the dirty work".