Point Man: Inside the Toughest and Most Deadly Unit in Vietnam by a Founding Member of the Elite Navy Seals

A member of the U.S. Navy SEAL Team II describes his experiences in Vietnam

Watson led a Navy SEAL unit through three harrowing Vietnam tours between 1967 and 1970, conducting raids, ambushes and prisoner-snatching missons. His memoir, written with freelancer Kevin Dockery, is packed with exciting behind-enemy-lines action sequences, and readers will find the pre-Vietnam material--dealing with the rigorous training the SEALs had to endure--engrossing as well. The narrative, however, is replete with seemingly exaggerated anecdotes glorifying the pluck of the enlisted man: "We'll be all right, Admiral. Just keep the three Bs coming." "And what might those be, son?" "Beer, bullets, and broads!" And Watson occasionally succumbs to delusions of grandeur: a lowly Navy Chief, he convinces himself that the entire State Department "wanted my head on a platter." Yet for all its macho hot air, this self-portrait of a sailor proud of his deadly accomplishments in the jungles and swamps of the Mekong Delta is highly entertaining. Photos.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A veteran's salty recollections of what it meant to be a member of the Navy SEALs. Following repeated requests, Watson (whose 1955 enlistment was prompted by a 1952 film, The Frogman) was finally picked for Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) training in 1959. Having survived an ultrademanding regimen that washes out approximately nine of every ten volunteers, the author (by then a senior petty officer) was assigned to the first SEAL (sea, air, land) unit. Watson went on to three combat tours in Vietnam, where he served under the hard-nosed Richard Marcinko (Rogue Warrior, 1992). Here, with an assist from Dockery (Seals in Action, a 1991 paperback), the shotgun-toting author (who invariably took the point on behind-the- lines missions even after he was promoted to chief) offers vivid accounts of his platoon's operations, which ranged from patrolling rivers through interdicting enemy supply lines, liberating POWs, and kidnapping Communist officials. With evident relish, the highly decorated Watson offers brutally candid commentary on the merits of #4 buckshot (which ``would knock down any gook I aimed at...''); indigenous allies (too many of whom, he says, ``were like their flag--what wasn't Red was yellow''); rear-echelon commanders; and a host of other still sore subjects. Nor has his postretirement position as curator of the UDT/SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, mellowed Watson. Toward the end of his unsparing narrative, he asserts: ``The Americans and South Vietnamese may have lost the Vietnam War. But the SEALs won their part....'' An unreconstructedly bad dude's testament to the rewards and risks of going in harm's way. The text, which has about as much subtlety and sensitivity as a swift kick to the groin, includes 12 b&w photos--not seen. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

After reading this work, one understands why the U.S. Navy SEALS (Sea, Air, Land Commandos) are considered to be the best special forces in the world. The book tells the story of the formation of the SEALS and their baptism by fire in Vietnam as seen by chief petty officer Watson, who is a "plank owner," or founding member of the SEALS. The book's title comes from Watson's habit of taking the dangerous lead on patrols during his three tours of duty in Vietnam. His account is as exciting to read as any military thriller. For the lay reader, Watson does a good job of explaining military terms and slang used by the SEALS. This book would make a good companion to SEAL teammate Richard Marcinko's Rogue Warrior ( LJ 9/1/92) and E.J. Jernigan's Tin Can Man ( LJ 2/1/93), other histories of navy enlisted men during wartime. Recommended for most libraries and strongly recommended for libraries with military sciences collections.
- Terry Wirick, Erie Cty. Lib. System, Pa.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.