Rogue Warrior

Richard Marcinko was the U.S. Navy's most unconventional warrior -- and its most deadly. A master practitioner of the "Let's Do It to Them Before They Do It to Us" school of survival, he was often as feared by his own high command as by the enemy.

This brilliant, tough-as-nails military virtuoso of violence -- ambushes, booby, traps, exotic weaponry, high altitude parachute drops, underwater infiltrations, face-to-face killing -- rose through Navy ranks to create and command one of this country's most elite and secretive counterterrorist units, SEAL TEAM SIX.

Now, in his own colorful voice, this thirty-year veteran recounts the story of the secret missions and Special Warfare madness that make up his harrowing worldwide military career. Here, too, he opens doors that have long been locked: the riveting truth about the mystery-shrouded Navy SEALS; what went on behind the scenes during the infamous Desert One hostage rescue attempt in Iran; and the stunning inside realities of the Granada invasion. Born on Thanksgiving Day, 1940, Dick Marcinko was raised in mining towns, housing projects, blue-collar bars, and on the streets. He quit school at seventeen and enlisted in a new life of thrill-seeking.

He joined the Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams, which he calls "a masochist's dream." Then he attended over eighteen special-training schools, where he excelled in the lethal, survival and leadership skills that would gain him entrance into the upper strata of military warfare: the SEALS.

Marcinko was almost in humanly tough, and proved it on hair-raising missions across Vietnam and a war-torn world: blowing up supply junks, charging through minefields, jumping at 19,000 feet with a chute that wouldn't open, fighting hand-to-hand in a hellhole jungle, and experiencing the tragedy of watching a buddy die in his arms. He was such a threatening force on the killing fields of Vietnam that the enemy posted a reward for his death.

For the Pentagon, Marcinko organized the Navy's first counterterrorist unit, the legendary SEAL TEAM SIX. One of the most feared weapons against terrorism in the world, the Team went on classified missions from Central America to the Middle East, the North Sea, Africa and beyond. Out of this success, Marcinko was tapped to create the explosive unit know as Red Cell, a dirty-dozen team of the military's most accomplished and decorated counterterrorists. Their unbelievable job was to become terrorists themselves -- to test the defense of the Navy's most secure facilities and installations. The Navy was actually going to pay go-for-broke Marcinko to wreak havoc. The result was predictable: all hell broke loose.

In Rogue Warrior, Marcinko recounts his searing adventures in the special branches of the military reserved for a handpicked few. Here is the hard-working hero . . . the killer who saw beyond the blood to ultimate justice . . . and the decorated warrior who became such a maverick that the Navy brass wanted his head on a pole, and for a time, got it. This, and more, is Marcinko, a man made for war.

Personally, I believe Marcinko would have gone much further in the Navy chain of command had he stopped drinking. Had the guy had the sense to cut the boozing out, he probably would have made Admiral. I seriously doubt he would have ended up in prison had he cut out the booze. Its obvious the guy lives for booze and is a hardcore alcoholic. Because of his boozing, I dont see Marcinko as someone to look up to, like say I would look up to Colonel Charlie Beckwith or Dick Meadows.

As for the book itself, its basically a more flamboyant, testosterone filled version of Charlie Beckwith's "Delta Force." Marckinko describes basically the same exact problems in establishing SEAL Team Six that Beckwith encountered in establishing Delta Force. Principle among these problems were intense disagreements over the SEAL Team Six chain of command. Marcinko describes how he was oftentimes more at war with the conventional Navy bureaucracy and the established SEAL community of the early eighties era than with international terrorists.

Marckinko describes how conventional SEAL officers of the early eighties era fought vigorously to keep SEAL Team Six in the east coast SEAL chain of command. Basically keeping it regular Navy and having total Navy control. Whereas Marcinko wanted Team Six in the brand new, "high speed" JSOC chain of command that Delta Force was part of. Marcinko wanted Team Six as part of the JSOC, whereas the east coast SEAL Headquarters and conventional Navy resisted this severely. It was only thru repeated bypassing of the normal chain of command that Marcinko got his way. And he obviously made a ton of enemies within the regular Navy and even the conventional SEAL community doing this.

Marcinko was an independent officer who did his own thing, rather than bowing down to the conventional Navy and the conventional SEAL officers of the late seventies and early eighties. Again, many of his problems are exactly what Charlie Beckwith describes in his own book "Delta Force," written in the early eighties.

In addition, some of the things Marcinko mentions in his book are pure bull. Such as his claim that his men had to be able to bench press 500 lbs to climb special ladders to clandestinely board ships underway. Being able to bench press 500 lbs has little to nothing to do with being able to climb ladders or ropes. In fact, the muscle groups used in these activities are totally different. Again, much of this book is testosterone filled bull, from someone who is obviously a megalomaniac.

Despite this, its still a good read and Id recommend it to anyone interested in SEALs or SOF. One thing I admired about Marcinko was his total lack of respect for bureaucracy and conventional thinking.

Its my personal opinion that had he stopped drinking in the late seventies or early eighties, Marcinko probably would have made Admiral and might have ended up commanding the SEAL community when USSOCOM was formed. Or he might have been able to have become the second or third in command officer at JSOC. Instead, he ended up going to federal prison.

After reading this book and Marcinko's other books the basic message Ive gotten is threefold and simple. First, you cant have a real SOF unit without a clean, direct, bureaucracy free SAS type chain of command. Secondly, in the real world the SEALs take a backseat to Delta. And thirdly, booze destroys good men.


Ignore the Chad Reynolds review unless you want a laugh!   November 12, 2005
David A. Porter (Sydney, Australia)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

Firstly before I review the product one has to wonder at the sheer lack of intelligence and research demonstrated by Chad Reynolds review. I am suprised that he hasn't deleted his review as of yet as it's so stupid. To rebuff: the intial chapter is a training exercise, as Marcinko points out at the end of the chapter. Marckino/Wiseman or whoever put it all together is just using a literary device to... tell a story. As for the jumping from 19,000ft. That is nothing. I used to work at 18,000ft... on the ground - it's called Skiing! Special Ops people can perform HALO and HAHO jumps at 30,000ft, because they use oxygen apparatus. What is Chad going on about here? He does not know what he is talking about.

Chad Reynolds claims to be a full commander and I honestly hope that this isn't a reflection on the rest of the US Navy. For all you Marcinko insiders maybe Chad Reynolds = Pinky! He might want to do his research before he posts, or try reading the book! However there are definately some knowledgable US Navy personnel, one of who is clearly Richard Marcinko.

I happen to own all of this series and even my girlfriend reads them now. They are ripping yarns, made much better by Marcinkos clever insights and understanding of the topics. He is clearly a first rate spec ops leader and a great soldier as well. The book gives you a wonderful grasp of the subject from an insiders perspective not seen in your Tom Clancy/Dale Brown type novels. It is similar in some ways to Charlie Beckwith's Delta Force book. Its very much written from the perspective of a guy in the know. Because it is an insiders perspective it covers the more gritty and violent aspects of war, with all the sailor language included. While this might be difficult for us to accept having not been in his world, it gives a great appreciation for the things that he has done to serve his country and his men. The free world needs people like Marcinko and Beckwith (to make up for all the Chads and Pinkys), and I am thankful for those that can live in it and freely do so to defend out freedoms. A worthy read.


Hardcore   April 21, 2000
Daniel A. Duffield (NAVSTA, San Diego)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

CDR Marcinko bears all in his first book of a widely successful series. As the first Commanding Officer of the highly secretive Seal Team 6, his adventures took him across the globe. The reader is included in the story in the clever style of writing that Marcinko delivers. He "talks" to you, as though he were standing right beside you. But Marcinko is not Rambo. He is not invincible, nor does he think he is. His adventures leave him (and his team) battered and bruised. In an embarrasingly blatant story about himself, he leaves out the hype and glory, and instead finds himself slammed, smacked, dropped, whacked, dinged, scraped, and coming back for more. He tells how his missions consistently go FUBAR, and how the everpresent Command Master Chief Murphy (of Murphy's Law fame) is along for the ride to ensure all his plans are ruined. His "shocking" language is just what you'd expect from a mustang sailor. This book is not a Hollywood creation... it's not even a movie (yet). If you want to hear it from someone who was there, this is it. This book is a ride.