Battle ready Memoir of a SEAL warrior medic

Donald's service with the SEALs was as a medic, which meant not only passing through the formidable barrier of basic and advanced SEAL training but also learning to deal with serious, even life-threatening wounds and diseases under exceptionally demanding conditions. And what is also required is being able to fight, one can only say, like a SEAL, to complete the mission and defend not only wounded teammates but also casualties among allied military personnel and friendly or even unfriendly civilians. A SEAL team medic on a mission has one of the most demanding jobs, even in the special operations community, and this book will enlighten students of those warriors who go well beyond the limits of what is expected of most of their comrades.--Green, Roland Copyright 2010 Booklist

After humbly eschewing the "haunting label" of "hero," Donald, with the help of Navy vet Mactavish (The New Dad's Survival Guide), recounts his struggle to break free from an impoverished youth by joining the Marines and then the elite Navy SEALs, in whose service he fought and saved lives as a medic in Afghanistan. That experience left him with PTSD and an enduring desire to help veterans. Like most soldiers, he writes best about soldiering (the book is based on journals originally intended as part of his post-combat therapy), delivering a superb description of the infamously brutal weeding-out ordeal of SEAL training, the nuts-and-bolts duties of a medic, and the battle actions that won him the Navy Cross but claimed the lives of more than one close friend. Attempts to exorcise his personal demons back on the home front are less successful, but the suffering they point to is palpable. A few military memoirs-like Anthony Swofford's Jarhead-gloriously break the bonds of their genre; Donald's has no such ambition, but this is an admirable addition to the flourishing phenomenon of SEALs sharing their stories in print. Its audience will welcome the familiar macho elements no less than the original, often horrific medical details. 16-page color photo insert. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Life story of a warrior with an unusual dual specialty--Navy SEAL and combat medic--told with plainspoken stoicism. In this book co-authored by Mactavish, Donald examines his rarefied position in the pantheon of Special Forces veterans: "the highest decorated Medical Service Corps officer in the history of the Navy and the first medical officer of any corpsto receive a Navy Cross since Vietnam." Yet, by the end of this sprawling memoir, his feelings about his expansive battlefield experience are decidedly ambivalent: "War is not an esoteric chess game...I no longer believed the answer required an army on foreign soil." Unlike other recent SEAL memoirs, Donald does not go into detail about his upbringing, early service as an elite Reconnaissance Marine, or the crucible of SEAL training and its notorious "Hell Week." Instead, after his first combat experience on a SEAL team in the 1991 Iraq War, he explains his gradual transition into practicing as a medic. He attended the Navy's elite physician assistant program--even as his first marriage dissolved and he dealt with the emotional aftershocks from combat, both of which he terms common among Special Forces operators. The book's centerpiece is a harrowingly told account of an extended battle with Afghan insurgents, for which he received the Navy Cross, a distinction about which he feels deep misgivings, having lost two comrades there. In the concluding chapters, Donald describes his decision to retire, coming to terms with the grueling experience of combat and his wish to keep working with SF veterans through advocacy groups. The narrative is rambling at points, and some of the noncombat interactions feel stagey, but this memoir raises hard questions about the toll American policy takes on its professional warrior class. Straightforward reflections on what it takes to be the most elite sort of soldier and the hidden costs of that life.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

1 WHO I AM In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. --JOSÉ NAROSKY Those who know me understand I never intended to write a book, but over the years of learning how to cope with combat stress, I realized how cathartic writing had become. What started as an adjunct to therapy became an incredible psychological release. However, as my notes turned into journals I discovered the writing was less about me and more about the individuals and events that shaped my life. I felt compelled to tell others dealing with similar demons what I had learned, but I shunned the idea of letting anyone read what I had written--not because of a lack of writing ability but more from a reluctance to expose personal aspects of my life that I have kept hidden from even my own wife. As you will find out, I am neither the all-American boy nor a conquering warrior. I am simply a man who held many titles over his military career; some I worked very hard to attain, while others were simply assignments. The most difficult and at times haunting label that I have had to contend with is "hero." I am not a hero, but I know many worthy of the title. I have had the distinct honor to serve among them for most of my career. I dedicated my life to preserving theirs. I trained with them for battle, bandaged them in combat, and listened to their revelations about life, everything from the birth of their first child to the burial of their closest friends. I am a man who worked hard to serve among the world's most elite warriors. I am a sailor who to the detriment of his own family placed service for his country and teammates above all else. A medical officer who struggled to maintain an oath to preserve life through medicine while taking lives in the defense of his country. A veteran who still suffers from the mental scars of war but through the grace of God, the love of my wife, and the support of the families of the fallen learned how to deal with it before it destroyed me. I am a Navy SEAL who lived by a creed and did what was expected. I am a lot of things, but a hero is not one of them. The awards I received represent the actions of a team, not the deeds of a single man. I know how each citation reads, and I am not trivializing what is written. The line between hero and fool is razor thin, and it was the actions of the team that allowed me the opportunity to do what was required. Had the others not provided cover, coordinated air support, or maneuvered on the enemy as I moved under fire I would be buried at Arlington right now, my legacy viewed much differently. Truth be told, they, the team, are the reasons why I wear these medals, and I am honored to have received them on their behalf. Until I wore the medals, I never understood their true significance. Our nation's medals represent more than the actions of any team on a single day. They embody the principles upon which our government was founded and are a tangible depiction of our military's core values: honor, courage, and commitment. The fact that the nation's top three medals for valor require a multitude of evidence only demonstrates the reverence our country has for them. However, it is my personal belief that this same standard of inviolability has also prevented many of my brethren from receiving awards commensurate with their actions. These are the heroes of whom I speak: Americans who, when asked to face danger and adversity, continually answered the call, not for notoriety or distinction but solely out of their love for their country, family, and teammates. They are the quiet and often unknown professionals of special operations and the parents, wives, and children who support them. They are both whom I served and to whom I am forever indebted. Out of respect of their privacy, to protect those who continue to carry the sword and for reasons of national security, many names, locations, dates, and circumstances have been changed or omitted. If you are reading this in an attempt to discover information about special operations, I recommend you look elsewhere. If you're curious about the internal struggles of a combat medic, dedicated to saving lives but forced to take them, this book is for you. Copyright © 2013 by Mark L. Donald Excerpted from Battle Ready: Memoir of a SEAL Warrior Medic by Mark L. Donald, Dwight Jon Zimmerman, Scott Mactavish All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.