Team Sergeant
06-05-2015, 14:13
Talk about stepping on your dick....... You don't lie about your military buddies and you don't embellish your service. (That said it was me that actually killed OBL.......:munchin)
http://www.stripes.com/news/us/former-navy-seal-brandon-webb-under-fire-from-critics-1.349811
Former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb under fire from critics
By Mike Hixenbaugh
The Virginian-Pilot (Tribune News Service)
Published: May 31, 2015
On Thursday, former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb was at a bookstore in San Diego, preparing to read an excerpt of his latest book, which tells stories of Webb's friendship with eight service members who were later killed in action.
It was the second stop in a nationwide promotional tour, and already the patriotic memoir, "Among Heroes," was getting lots of attention - the latest in a series of best sellers by a man who's become a media mogul since leaving the Navy in 2006.
As Webb has acknowledged in numerous interviews, he's made some people angry during his rise. Now, among a special operations community often unwilling to air its dirty laundry in public, some are starting to speak out.
In the wake of "Among Heroes," which hit bookstores a day after Memorial Day, and after a profile of Webb in a recent issue of Men's Journal - "Navy SEAL Inc.: How former sniper Brandon Webb built a media empire around the elite U.S. military's crumbling code of secrecy" - a number of Webb's former teammates and business associates have come forward, alleging he has embellished his combat experience and sometimes exaggerated his association with the fallen to capitalize on their service and build his own brand.
Shortly before the San Diego book signing, someone called the store and tried to persuade a manager to cancel the event. The anonymous caller's claim: Webb hadn't gotten approval from all of the widows whose husbands were featured in the book, and some are angry.
The event went on as planned.
A night earlier at a Webb book signing in New York, college students stood outside and handed out copies of a piece written by retired SEAL Jimmy Hatch, criticizing those who profit from the legacy of fallen troops.
The article, a Q&A with the widow of a SEAL that appeared on TheCipherBrief.com, didn't name Webb, but Hatch confirmed that the widow he spoke to was upset when she learned Webb had written about her late husband without her approval.
"Her husband, when he was alive, had actually told her he couldn't stand Webb," Hatch said.
"She was never contacted by Brandon Webb, she's furious and offended, and she's not the only one who feels this way," said Hatch, who retired from Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU, commonly known as SEAL Team 6.
A Virginian-Pilot reporter spoke with the widow and confirmed her account, though the newspaper is honoring her request to remain anonymous.
In the book's opening pages, Webb writes, "As much as possible, stories of my friends and their exploits have been compiled in full collaboration and partnership with family members."
Reached by phone Friday, Webb declined to be interviewed. He asked for written questions, which he later responded to by providing copies of his military records. He also provided contact information for family members who spoke to him for the book.
"I have no other comments for you on this matter," Webb wrote.
http://www.stripes.com/news/us/former-navy-seal-brandon-webb-under-fire-from-critics-1.349811
http://www.stripes.com/news/us/former-navy-seal-brandon-webb-under-fire-from-critics-1.349811
Former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb under fire from critics
By Mike Hixenbaugh
The Virginian-Pilot (Tribune News Service)
Published: May 31, 2015
On Thursday, former Navy SEAL Brandon Webb was at a bookstore in San Diego, preparing to read an excerpt of his latest book, which tells stories of Webb's friendship with eight service members who were later killed in action.
It was the second stop in a nationwide promotional tour, and already the patriotic memoir, "Among Heroes," was getting lots of attention - the latest in a series of best sellers by a man who's become a media mogul since leaving the Navy in 2006.
As Webb has acknowledged in numerous interviews, he's made some people angry during his rise. Now, among a special operations community often unwilling to air its dirty laundry in public, some are starting to speak out.
In the wake of "Among Heroes," which hit bookstores a day after Memorial Day, and after a profile of Webb in a recent issue of Men's Journal - "Navy SEAL Inc.: How former sniper Brandon Webb built a media empire around the elite U.S. military's crumbling code of secrecy" - a number of Webb's former teammates and business associates have come forward, alleging he has embellished his combat experience and sometimes exaggerated his association with the fallen to capitalize on their service and build his own brand.
Shortly before the San Diego book signing, someone called the store and tried to persuade a manager to cancel the event. The anonymous caller's claim: Webb hadn't gotten approval from all of the widows whose husbands were featured in the book, and some are angry.
The event went on as planned.
A night earlier at a Webb book signing in New York, college students stood outside and handed out copies of a piece written by retired SEAL Jimmy Hatch, criticizing those who profit from the legacy of fallen troops.
The article, a Q&A with the widow of a SEAL that appeared on TheCipherBrief.com, didn't name Webb, but Hatch confirmed that the widow he spoke to was upset when she learned Webb had written about her late husband without her approval.
"Her husband, when he was alive, had actually told her he couldn't stand Webb," Hatch said.
"She was never contacted by Brandon Webb, she's furious and offended, and she's not the only one who feels this way," said Hatch, who retired from Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU, commonly known as SEAL Team 6.
A Virginian-Pilot reporter spoke with the widow and confirmed her account, though the newspaper is honoring her request to remain anonymous.
In the book's opening pages, Webb writes, "As much as possible, stories of my friends and their exploits have been compiled in full collaboration and partnership with family members."
Reached by phone Friday, Webb declined to be interviewed. He asked for written questions, which he later responded to by providing copies of his military records. He also provided contact information for family members who spoke to him for the book.
"I have no other comments for you on this matter," Webb wrote.
http://www.stripes.com/news/us/former-navy-seal-brandon-webb-under-fire-from-critics-1.349811