Although this book provides a glimpse inside the Navy Seals from an team leader's perspective, it was generally dry and drawn out ,spending a lot of time on Beruit and providing a lot of background information and editorials on the politics etc of that event that I am not interested in. This guy is a stud- no doubt, but I found myself skipping through the pages to find something interesting.

Seriously, this was an AWESOME BOOK. Reading the stories I was amazed at what kind of sh.. Mr. Pfarrer got himself into. From BUD/S to Beirut to Banana Republics to Cancer.. he's been at the front row of many key world events, as well as personal ones. (And I'm sure there's a few more that haven't been reported)

The book was very compelling. And he did a great job writing. I really had a tough time putting it down. I always wanted to read "just one more story".

I also enjoyed how it didn't glamorize, but also wasn't falsely modest. Chuck seems like a solid human being--and certainly went above and beyond in his service and in life. And he shares much of his experiences through the book.

Anyhow, thank you Mr. Pfarrer!

ps: and remember, it's "air-BORNE!!"

An excellent account of SEAL training and operations. Chuck Pfarrer is a veteran of the Beirut war and a witness to the car bombing called the first act of terrorism by our current enemies. He is a combat veteran and a former Naval officer. His Navy experience is important because he recalls the beginning of the war on terror , namely the situation in Beirut. This is an important book.

I would never have guessed that this book was written by a purely military man and not an actual writer.

My son is a navy seal, and though I was in the Marines, I don't know too much about them, so I try to read everything I can when I get the chance to try and understand what they go through. Why a lot of them join, why they go through the training, why the training is they way it is. This book hit all those points spot on. Although I as well as everyone am aware there is nothing in the world like Navy seal training, this book does give us probably the most in depth view into the world that I've come across as of yet. It will leave you with a sense of awe at what a human is capable of physically, mentally and emotionally. These are men amongst men.

Now this was a great memoir/biography of a Navy SEAL, one that showed what the SEAL went through for selection, training and operations. Pfarrer is an accomplished screenwriter and his account of his SEAL exploits in Warrior Soul definitely make him an accomplished and more rounded writer. Through his writing we are given vivid images that allow us to put ourselves in his shoes and see and experience what he went through. We, of course, will never know how it truly feels and the pain and endurance that they go through, but we at least can understand.

Pfarrer does wonderfully in the beginning in describing what he went through as a SEAL in Team 4. He painted a picture of his childhood through his college years, letting us track his path in becoming such an elite soldier. We are treated to a brief operation in Latin America before spending the middle of the book on his exploits in Beirut. I for one was not aware of how bad Beirut was and Pfarrer did such a great job in describing his day to day life that I felt as though I could understand what was going on in that war torn city. Pfarrer spent a good deal of time on it, and rightly so, because of the profound affect it had on his life.

The latter few chapters were devoted to Pfarrer's stint as an officer of SEAL Team 6, the Black Op Team that was even more tough and hard to get in to and performed much more specific and dangerous tasks than the normal SEAL. Through this we get to see some of his training and what he went through before and after, as well as a decent section on some of the history behind Marcinko, Gormly and the formation of Team 6. We don't get to see too much of the action of Team 6 because of the nature of the missions, but we did get to see a few of the more publicized missions they went on, such as the hostage situation on the cruise ship Achille Lauro.

Despite not seeing too much of what went on in SEAL Team 6 we are treated to a great account of an officer in the SEALs. Where Marcinko's account had a lot of character from the way he wrote, Pfarrer's account is much more polished. I would definitely recommend Warrior Soul to anyone looking for a good military history.

5 stars.

I really liked the style the author brought to the table. Sarcastic yet to the point and no bs. The knowledge Chuck has on the subject of SEALs is evident as he takes you though tours of "The Root", his last official jump from an airplane and many other great adventures and actions. I have read a handful of SEAL books and this one sticks out in my mind as being one of the best depictions of being in the teams in and around his timeframe. There is actually a great amount of history to be learned in this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I enjoyed the storyline and the technical information regarding ST 4 and ST 6. Chuck definitely has my respect.
The last chapter, however, was non-sequitar and did little for the book. I am sad to hear about his current medical problems, but I failed to see how he applied his "warrior soul" to this new set of challenges.

I would love to see another book by him.

This is probably the most complete book I have ever read on the SEALS, out of many (the only exception is Lone Survivor below---it was as good or better in some ways----read them both). I find a LOT more facination with a book that is non-fiction, because these are events we can all relate to-----and this book is autobiographical in a true sense---as is Lone Survivor.
The tales in this book reflect major international events that have affected the U.S. in the reasonably recent past. The author was/is cleary a very hard man with his life----and the lives of others----on the line as is described in this book in enough detail to make it hard to put down.

I was able to read this book in one sitting. I really enjoyed Mr. Pfarrer's writing style and humor...yes humor was acheived in this special operations memoir.
What was most compelling to me was his description of Lebanon in 1983. It gives a vivid picture of what we're embroiled in right now in Iraq.
Thank you Mr. Pfarrer for the history lesson and I hope you're doing well after your bout with colon cancer.

Inside the tight special warfare community. That is where author Chuck Pfarrer takes in you Warrior Soul. From the early days in Nicaragua to Beirut. Pfarrer is honest in his writting and gives you a history lesson as he tells the story of conflict's through the 1980's.

Corey Cotta, Author of All of Yesterdays Tomorrows.

The title is the key to really "getting" this book. It is a memoir and not intended to be an action thriller about SEAL missions. That said, there are some tense moments that really make you feel the stress of being there. Pfarrer is an excellent writer so the book flows well. He is also quite honest throughout and that makes his toughness easier to take. I felt like I was getting to know the real guy, not just the tough guy he was some of the time.

The Warrior Soul is a great read on many levels. Although I believe he was somewhat reserved from describing the "real" missions of his time in the military, I still found Chuck Pfarrer's writing to be open and honest. He details a few of his most important missions and brings the reader along as if they were on his SEAL team. He interjects bits about his personal life and creates a smooth storyline that will keep you interested until the end.

I am fascinated by the rigors of being a SEAL, so it's safe to say that I'm a sucker for this book. If you are hard-core military, then you'll be left hungry for the deeper layers (actually, the juicy details) that he assuredly experienced in his missions. But even without them, you'll enjoy learning about his life's path as a Navy SEAL.

Have fun,

David Tobias
Redondo Beach, CA

This book takes you where no one will go and where few have been; the past of a SEAL and the men whom he knew. It does so in a way that is exciting and at the same time sad and frustrating. Here I saw how politicians keep this elite members from doing their job the way they learned; with accurate effectivennes. It also shows the personal sacrifice these men go so we can sleep well. Wanna be Special Forces, Delta, SEAL's and politicians must read this.

If you are looking for a book full of special operation missions that end up engaging the enemy, this is not the book.

This book follows the life of the author's effort to become a Navy Seal. Then it gives you a mission here and a mission there. I think there are around 4 missions throughout the book, and only one or two of them had some kind of fire exchange.

One thing you get a lot of is hours and hours of the author being in Beirut where you get some kind understanding of what it was like being there during their civil war, where he spent most of the time inside a American beach base trying to live as constant mortar and RPG fire keep falling around him and the marines on the base.

And then you follow the author life as a civilian while he moves from here to there and he tries to make it as a Hollywood screen play writer.

This book had a lot of long dull parts for me, because what I was after in this book was more about Special Forces missions and less about the personal life of this guy. If you want to read a book that is full of special forces mission from beginning to end read "SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam -- by John L. Plaster" instead.

I loved this book. I couldn't help but skim past the missions onto the love scenes. The detail is great. But my only complaint is that thanks to you Chuck I threw away my option at getting a bs in Molecular Biology for Psychology(which is easy) at UCSD, just because I thought I was getting old and I have 2 little ones in preschool. Bad decision to give up on research. I'm going back to school to make myself useful when I am happy in a relationship because I like to cuddle. I married someone that didn't share the same interests as me. And when we met I asked him why he didn't try out for the SEALs. I guess I felt shy when I was down there on the island trying to hook up. Thanks for the tips on working in the chow hall well I think that was in the other guy's book and that's a good idea. I hope they hire me.

Overall this is the most compelling book on SEALS. I think there needs to be more dating networks for people in the SEAL family--me personally-I feel really isolated and can't connect with other people who don't understand what we're all about. I don't mean to sound negative I just want to hook up. I'm a very positive person and affectionate

I loved this book. I couldn't help but skim past the missions onto the love scenes. The detail is great. But my only complaint is that thanks to you Chuck I threw away my option at getting a bs in Molecular Biology for Psychology(which is easy) at UCSD, just because I thought I was getting old and I have 2 little ones in preschool. Bad decision to give up on research. I'm going back to school to make myself useful when I am happy in a relationship because I like to cuddle. I married someone that didn't share the same interests as me. And when we met I asked him why he didn't try out for the SEALs. I guess I felt shy when I was down there on the island trying to hook up. Thanks for the tips on working in the chow hall well I think that was in the other guy's book and that's a good idea. I hope they hire me.

Overall this is the most compelling book on SEALS. I think there needs to be more dating networks for people in the SEAL family--me personally-I feel really isolated and can't connect with other people who don't understand what we're all about. I don't mean to sound negative I just want to hook up. I'm a very positive person and affectionate

This book was a great read. I really enjoyed chuck's sense of humor. His writing made me feel like I was right beside him; ducking fire from a water skiier on the streets of the root. I think it's amazing what those guys do and I think Chuck did it with great humility and vigilance. I highly recommend it!

Warrior Soul will truly reaffirm every patriotic feeling. Chuck's agility with the English language allows the reader to experience from a unique vantage point what it is like to be in harms way. I enjoyed the opportunity to educate myself further on what occured in past decades with our troops in Beirut. Warrior Soul reads between the lines for you of what it was like. Chuck is not only a Warrior Soul, he is an old soul as well to have had such fortitude.

This is a well written book with good action but lacks anything to make it truly great. For a book about Navy Seals it is surprisingly filled with long somewhat boring sections. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Seals or other special forces but can't recommend it for the casual reader. I think this book is a little better than the three stars I gave it but I could not bring myself to give it four based on the books ending. Like so many other writers of nonfiction Chuck Pfarrer decides to end his book with his own personal morality lesson with little relevance to the rest of the book.