Navy SEAL's book will describe raid that killed bin Laden

[1stindoor]

Originally Posted by Dusty

I've got the book. Starts out, "He poured a mellow summer brew into an old stein leftover from his Harvard days as his wife complained that he was drinking too much and his diet was horrible. 'We'll talk," he said.

He eased back into his easy chair and kicked off his golf shoes, reminiscing about his latest kill-UBL.

"Hairier by far than the pirate thang", he mused, smiling to himself.

Goes on from there.

That's good...but I was thinking more along the lines of letters to a certain "adult" forum...

Dear Soldier of Fortune...I never believed your stories were true until one day...

[1stindoor]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012...legal-trouble/

This could get a lot uglier over the next few weeks.

[grigori]

Originally Posted by 1stindoor

That's good...but I was thinking more along the lines of letters to a certain "adult" forum...

Dear Soldier of Fortune...I never believed your stories were true until one day...

I did remember that incident when I thought that "Will he too get the same firing from his mates that someone else got long back".

As a civilian I'd say that the BTDT's are the only ones that should be entitled to opinions on this action because they are/have been BTDT's(SEAL/SF/SMU).

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by grigori

As a civilian I'd say that the BTDT's are the only ones that should be entitled to opinions on this action because they are/have been BTDT's(SEAL/SF/SMU).

As a civilian (now) I'd say that the "action" is soon likely to be more along the lines of investigating whether there was unauthorized disclosure of things still of value to those still serving, rather than titillating details that might normally drive such book sales. Busting OPSEC or TTPs in my daily work is gonna get you a speedy rudder correction applied; whether you're in ACUs or Dockers.

I wonder whether GEN Dempsey feels as if this was "helpful."
Maybe the book was well-edited. We'll see.

[afchic]

Originally Posted by Badger52

As a civilian (now) I'd say that the "action" is soon likely to be more along the lines of investigating whether there was unauthorized disclosure of things still of value to those still serving, rather than titillating details that might normally drive such book sales. Busting OPSEC or TTPs in my daily work is gonna get you a speedy rudder correction applied; whether you're in ACUs or Dockers.

I wonder whether GEN Dempsey feels as if this was "helpful."
Maybe the book was well-edited. We'll see.

Doesn't matter if it was well edited or not. Did he or did he not sign the same form I did? The form that states the issues that will arise for releasing classified, even after exiting the service? But you can bet if this makes Obama look good the DOJ will do nothing about it.

Somehow, I think the only editting this book could recieve to ensure classified didn't get out, is a bunch of empty pages.

[kgoerz]

Originally Posted by afchic

Doesn't matter if it was well edited or not. Did he or did he not sign the same form I did? The form that states the issues that will arise for releasing classified, even after exiting the service? But you can bet if this makes Obama look good the DOJ will do nothing about it.

Somehow, I think the only editting this book could recieve to ensure classified didn't get out, is a bunch of empty pages.

My thoughts exactly. Just because he got out, doesn't release him from nondisclosure rules. I remember saying right after Osama was killed. How long to the first book comes out.

[Inflexible Six]

"multiple sources" have told Fox News the author's real name is Matt Bissonette...


Multiple sources are bursting at the seams apparently to disclose all the information they can about things that should remain undisclosed. It was 30 years before many of the secrets from WWII were declassified. We have men and women still fighting this enemy...Why do I feel that politics once again is the driving force behind the timing of this book release?

[tom kelly]

Navy Special Warfare "Seal Team Six" now has it's Eric Haney, I hope he ( Matt Bissonnette) enjoyes the publicity just like Haney does to this day. Qp's who worked in the "J" area on Ft. Bragg can tell you how popular he,Eric Haney is within that circle of Soldier's today. TK

[SF_BHT]

I just hope that OPSEC and other SEAL's condem this guy. I am so tired of SEAL this and SEAL that from MSM to SOFREP........ They love tooting their horn and listening to their voice.


This guy is playing into the Obama supporters hands because now they can play the "Your guy didnot vet this book and disclosed sensitive info or more"

[Ambush Master]

Originally Posted by T-Rock

Way too soon… Whatever happened to the term “Quiet Professionals” If the proceeds from the book don’t go to the families of the fallen, IMHO, the guy is an attention whore, and a POS, DEVGRU or not…. Just my 00.02

That's why we refer to them as Squeals!!!

Later
Martin

[Basenshukai]

"Quiet Professionals" LOL! Right.

[miclo18d]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Special operations chief Adm. Bill McRaven warned his troops, current and former, that he would take legal action against anyone found to have exposed sensitive information that could cause fellow forces harm.

“We will pursue every option available to hold members accountable, including criminal prosecution where appropriate,” the four-star commander wrote, in an open, unclassified letter emailed to the active-duty special operations community Thursday, and obtained by The Associated Press.

The warning came a day after a retired Navy commando revealed he is publishing a first-hand account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Pentagon officials say they have not been given a chance to review the book.

It also follows a media campaign by special operations veterans, decrying alleged leaks by President Barack Obama’s administration of secret operations, and criticizing Obama’s highlighting the raid as part of his reelection campaign.

McRaven also took former special operators to task for “using their `celebrity’ status to advance their personal or professional agendas.”

He acknowledged that former service members are “well within their rights to advocate for certain causes or write books about their adventures,” but he cautioned them against claiming to speak for all special operations troops and against endangering troops by what they write.

News broke Wednesday that one of the SEALs McRaven commanded on the bin Laden raid would be releasing his book, “No Easy Day,” on Sept. 11, with the author listed under the pseudonym of Mark Owen.

The author was identified Thursday by Fox News as Matt Bissonnette, who retired from the Navy last summer.

One current and one former U.S. military official confirmed the name, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss military personnel matters.

Penguin Group (USA)’s Dutton imprint, the publisher, asked news organizations Thursday to withhold his identity.

“Sharing the true story of his personal experience in `No Easy Day’ is a courageous act in the face of obvious risks to his personal security,” Dutton spokeswoman Christine Ball said in a statement. “That personal security is the sole reason the book is being published under a pseudonym.”

Bissonnette also changed the names of the other SEALs in the account, the publisher says.

Efforts to locate Bissonnette for comment were unsuccessful.

McRaven’s plea for discretion comes as a number of special operators publish memoirs or appear in the media.

Best seller “American Sniper,” was published this year by recently retired SEAL Chris Kyle, detailing his 150-plus kills of insurgents from 1999 to 2009.

I guess he forgot he was part of the problem:

A retired general today assailed the commander of the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden for drawing too much media attention to operations that he argued should be kept under wraps.

Special Operations Commander Adm. Bill McRaven was confronted by retired Lt. Gen. James Vaught, who said he didn’t understand why the recent raids by the Navy SEALs, such as the one to kill Osama bin Laden or to rescue U.S. hostage Jessica Buchanan, were all over the media.

“Since the time when your wonderful team went and drug bin Laden out and got rid of him, and more recently when you went down and rescued the group in Somalia, or wherever the hell they were, they’ve been splashing all of this all over the media,” Vaught, 85, said. “I flat don’t understand that.

“Now back when my special operators extracted Saddam [Hussein] from the hole, we didn’t say one damn word about it,” he continued. “We turned him over to the local commander and told him to claim that his forces drug him out of the hole, and he did so. And we just faded away and kept our mouth shut.

“Now I’m going to tell you, one of these days, if you keep publishing how you do this, the other guy’s going to be there ready for you, and you’re going to fly in and he’s going to shoot down every damn helicopter and kill every one of your SEALs. Now, watch it happen. Mark my words. Get the hell out of the media,” he concluded, as laughter broke out at a meeting of the National Defense Industrial Association in Washington, D.C.

Vaught commanded the failed mission to rescue the hostages in Iran in 1979. Eight service members died and four were injured in “Operation Eagle Claw” when the helicopters on the mission collided in the remote Iranian desert. Vaught, whose role made him the first commander of Delta Force, was not active duty during the Hussein raid, which was also conducted by the Delta Force, the secretive counterterrorism unit.

McRaven jokingly responded that he became a Navy SEAL because his sister was dating a special forces member and because he was infatuated with John Wayne’s movie, “The Green Beret.”

“The fact of the matter is, there have always been portrayals of SOF [Special Operations Forces] out in the mainstream media,” he said. “We are in an environment today where we can’t get away from it. It is not something that we actively pursue, as I think a number of the journalists here in the audience will confirm. But the fact of the matter is, with the social media being what it is today, with the press and the 24-hour news cycle, it’s very difficult to get away from it.”

He added that it was difficult to avoid media coverage in today’s 24-hour news cycle and that it could actually help Navy SEALs do their job better.

“We have had a few failures. And I think having those failures exposed in the media also kind of helps focus our attention, helps us do a better job. So sometimes the criticism … the spotlight on us actually makes us better,” McRaven said.

The Navy SEALs have received heavy media attention in the past year thanks to the bin Laden raid and the rescue in Somalia. A movie titled “Act for Valor” focusing on the elite special operations force is due for release next month and Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow is making a movie about the raid that killed the world’s most wanted man.

McRaven was in Washington, D.C., today talking about an expansion in the role of special operations forces in Afghanistan. Special operations troops, McRaven said, would likely be the last to leave the country and the Pentagon is even considering a new special operations command, but that has not been decided yet.

“I have no doubt that special operations will be the last to leave Afghanistan,” McRaven said. “As far as anything beyond that, we’re exploring a lot of options.”

[afchic]

I am so sick of this shit. When I was going through the Congressional Operatons Course up on the Hill, we had a discussion with an AP reporter on Media and the Military. He was asked to explain why he felt the public's right to know outweighed OPSEC as well as the security of our forces in the region.

He went on and on about that is what journalism is about. That if we are at war, the folks at home have the right to know everything that was going on.

I stood up and told him that I had a husband and a son in the AOR at the time, and if any harm came to them because something HE published, I would hunt him down and kill him with my own hands. He didn't take kindly to that, but several other military members in the room echoed my statement.

I don't think he speaks at that course anymore.

I don't understand why someone who has served would knowingly put his brothers and sisters in arms in harms was just to make a buck, or to stroke their ego, or any other reasons. I infuriates me. I can't imagine how you all feel about it, with this being so close to home for you.

My Dad had a security clearance that still befuddles me. He has been retired for 22 years. HE NEVER EVER discusses the things he did in uniform to ANYONE, even with folks that have TS/SCI. To the point, that I have absolutely no idea what he did in the service. I thought he was a computer geek until I was commissioned, then I realized he probably did more than that based on where he was stationed throughout his career. But he won't even tell me what his AFSC was

I am sure that there are times he would like to, in order to fix misperceptions, say something, but he doesn't because he knows the things he was working on probably still have relevance in this day and age, and he doesn't want to put anyone at risk.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by afchic

I
I don't understand why someone who has served would knowingly put his brothers and sisters in arms in harms was just to make a buck, or to stroke their ego, or any other reasons. I infuriates me.

Concur.

Honorable discretion with regard to "security" seems to be becoming relative along with morality.

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by afchic

My Dad had a security clearance that still befuddles me. He has been retired for 22 years. HE NEVER EVER discusses the things he did in uniform to ANYONE, even with folks that have TS/SCI. To the point, that I have absolutely no idea what he did in the service. I thought he was a computer geek until I was commissioned, then I realized he probably did more than that based on where he was stationed throughout his career. But he won't even tell me what his AFSC was

Nice, understanding what "need to know" means. Good on your Dad.

1st fonecon to Mom by daugher from K2 soon after 11 Sept and Mom's constant questions, with daughter's standard "I can't tell you Mom" reply. Then after a bunch of that it was "put dad on the phone..."
"Give Mom some OPSEC-101 will ya?"

An analyst who I can't recall defined the current state as:
"Apparently, Top Secret now means that it's 24 hours before details appear in the Washington Post, Secret means 12 hours, and Confidential is streamed live."