The Operator : Firing the Shots That Killed Osama Bin Laden and My Years As a SEAL Team Warrior

Stirringly evocative, thought-provoking, and often jaw-dropping, __The Operator__ ranges across SEAL Team Operator Robert O'Neill's awe-inspiring four-hundred-mission career that included his involvement in attempts to rescue "Lone Survivor" Marcus Luttrell and abducted-by-Somali-pirates Captain Richard Phillips and culminated in those famous three shots that dispatched the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden.In these pages, O'Neill describes his idyllic childhood in Butte, Montana; his impulsive decision to join the SEALs; the arduous evaluation and training process; and the even tougher gauntlet he had to run to join the SEALs' most elite unit. After officially becoming a SEAL, O'Neill would spend more than a decade in the most intense counterterror effort in US history. For extended periods__,__ not a night passed without him and his small team recording multiple enemy kills—and though he was lucky enough to survive, several of the SEALs he'd trained... This instant New York Times bestseller—"a jaw-dropping, fast-paced account" ( New York Post ) recounts SEAL Team Operator Robert O'Neill's incredible four-hundred-mission career, including the attempts to rescue "Lone Survivor" Marcus Luttrell and abducted-by-Somali-pirates Captain Richard Phillips, and which culminated in the death of the world's most wanted terrorist—Osama bin Laden. In The Operator , Robert O'Neill describes his idyllic childhood in Butte, Montana; his impulsive decision to join the SEALs; the arduous evaluation and training process; and the even tougher gauntlet he had to run to join the SEALs' most elite unit. After officially becoming a SEAL, O'Neill would spend more than a decade in the most intense counterterror effort in US history. For extended periods, not a night passed without him and his small team recording multiple enemy kills—and though he was lucky enough to survive, several of the SEALs he'd trained with and fought beside never made it home. "Impossible to put down... The Operator is unique, surprising, a kind of counternarrative, and certainly the other half of the story of one of the world's most famous military operations...In the larger sense, this book is about...how to be human while in the very same moment dealing with death, destruction, combat" (Doug Stanton, New York Times bestselling author). O'Neill describes the nonstop action of his deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, evokes the black humor of years-long combat, brings to vivid life the lethal efficiency of the military's most selective units, and reveals details of the most celebrated terrorist takedown in history. This is "a riveting, unvarnished, and wholly unforgettable portrait of America's most storied commandos at war" (Joby Warrick). A Stirringly Evocative, Thought-provoking, And Often Jaw-dropping Account, The Operator Ranges Across Seal Team Operator Robert O'neill's Awe-inspiring Four-hundred-mission Career, Which Included His Involvement In Attempts To Rescue Lone Survivor Marcus Luttrell And Abducted-by-somali-pirates Captain Richard Phillips And Which Culminated In Those Famous Three Shots That Dispatched The World's Most Wanted Terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. In These Pages, O'neill Describes His Idyllic Childhood In Butte, Montana; His Impulsive Decision To Join The Seals; The Arduous Evaluation And Training Process; And The Even Tougher Gauntlet He Had To Run To Join The Seals' Most Elite Unit. After Officially Becoming A Seal, O'neill Would Spend More Than A Decade In The Most Intense Counterterror Effort In Us History. For Extended Periods, Not A Night Passed Without Him And His Small Team Recording Multiple Enemy Kills--and Though He Was Lucky Enough To Survive, Several Of The Seals He'd Trained With And Fought Beside Never Made It Home. The Operator Describes The Nonstop Action Of O'neill's Deployments In Iraq And Afghanistan, Evokes The Black Humor Of Years-long Combat, Brings To Vivid Life The Lethal Efficiency Of The Military's Most Selective Units, And Reveals Firsthand Details Of The Most Celebrated Terrorist Takedown In History.--jacket. Robert O'neill. Includes Index. Stirringly evocative, thought-provoking, and often jaw-dropping, The Operator ranges across SEAL Team Operator Robert ONeills awe-inspiring four-hundred-mission career that included his involvement in attempts to rescue Lone Survivor Marcus Luttrell and abducted-by-Somali-pirates Captain Richard Phillips and culminated in those famous three shots that dispatched the worlds most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden. In these pages, ONeill describes his idyllic childhood in Butte, Montana; his impulsive decision to join the SEALs; the arduous evaluation and training process; and the even tougher gauntlet he had to run to join the SEALs most elite unit. After officially becoming a SEAL, ONeill would spend more than a decade in the most intense counterterror effort in US history. For extended periods, not a night passed without him and his small team recording multiple enemy killsand though he was lucky enough to survive, several of the SEALs hed trained with and fought beside never made it home. The Operator describes the nonstop action of ONeills deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, evokes the black humor of years-long combat, brings to vivid life the lethal efficiency of the militarys Tier One units, and reveals firsthand details of the most celebrated terrorist takedown in history. SEAL Team Operator Robert O'Neill's 400 career missions included attempts to rescue "Lone Survivor" Marcus Luttrell and abducted-by-Somali-pirates Captain Richard Phillips. It culminated in those famous three shots that dispatched the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden. Now O'Neill describes his idyllic childhood in Butte, Montana; his impulsive decision to join the SEALs; the arduous evaluation and training process; and the even tougher gauntlet he had to run to join the SEALS' most elite unit. After officially becoming a SEAL, O'Neill would spend more than a decade in the most intense counterterror effort in U.S. history. For extended periods, not a night passed without him and his small team recording multiple enemy kills. The Operator describes the nonstop action of O'Neill's deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, evokes the black humor of years-long combat, brings to vivid life the lethal efficiency of the military's most selective units, and reveals firsthand details of the most celebrated terrorist takedown in history. A stirringly evocative, thought-provoking, and often jaw-dropping account of SEAL Team Operator Robert O'Neill's awe-inspiring 400-mission career. O'Neill describes his idyllic childhood in Butte, Montana; his impulsive decision to join the SEALs; the arduous evaluation and training process; and the even tougher gauntlet he had to run to join the SEALs' most elite unit. After officially becoming a SEAL, O'Neill would spend more than a decade in the most intense counterterror effort in US history. For extended periods, not a night passed without him and his small team recording multiple enemy kills--and though he was lucky enough to survive, several of the SEALs he'd trained with and fought beside never made it home