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The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy Seal Leader
by John Bruning, Jason Redman
Everyone knows the age old saying, “never judge a book by its cover.” Well that is what I did with “The Trident.” The book actually came to me a few years ago as a book-of-the-month club selection that I forgot to decline and never returned. One look at it and I assumed that it was nothing more that Navy SEAL propaganda closer to Richard Marcinko’s Rogue Warrior novels than a serious book on warfighting with any value to me. I was wrong.
In “The Trident,” author Jason Redman takes the reader through his journey as a Navy SEAL, to include his recovery form significant injures received during a mission in Al Anbar, Iraq. Those things in themselves make for both a good story and an excellent first person account of the Naval Special Warfare community and the U.S. military wounded warrior system supporting the wars Iraq and Afghanistan. However, it was Mr. Redman’s struggles with adjusting to life as a commissioned officer after serving successfully as an enlisted Sailor that I felt made this book truly worthwhile. Having gone through the enlisted to officer transition myself on the Marne Corps side of the house, I could relate to much of what Mr. Redman describes, and I think it took a great deal of mental courage on his part to both come back from his missteps as a junior officer, and then to candidly write about it in his book. The book is very well written, and it is both entertaining while also providing a number of valuable life lessons.
Why read this book. “The Trident” has value to the reader on a few levels. On one level, it provides a powerful lesson in leadership. Not just combat leadership, but leadership in general. One of the U.S. Marine Corps’ leadership principles is, “know yourself and seek self-improvement.” Mr. Redman provides an outstanding case study that demonstrates the ramifications when you fail in this principle, but also validates just how effective you can be as a leader when you embrace it. On a second level, “The Trident” is an inspiration for anyone facing a life altering injury, or similar life altering event. Mr. Redman proves that not only can you overcome these things, but they are an opportunity to continue to live life to its fullest, just in an unanticipated direction. Finally, on a third level, the book provides a good insight into the Naval Special Warfare community without being overly braggadocios like some books on the Special Forces community can be.
In “The Trident,” author Jason Redman takes the reader through his journey as a Navy SEAL, to include his recovery form significant injures received during a mission in Al Anbar, Iraq. Those things in themselves make for both a good story and an excellent first person account of the Naval Special Warfare community and the U.S. military wounded warrior system supporting the wars Iraq and Afghanistan. However, it was Mr. Redman’s struggles with adjusting to life as a commissioned officer after serving successfully as an enlisted Sailor that I felt made this book truly worthwhile. Having gone through the enlisted to officer transition myself on the Marne Corps side of the house, I could relate to much of what Mr. Redman describes, and I think it took a great deal of mental courage on his part to both come back from his missteps as a junior officer, and then to candidly write about it in his book. The book is very well written, and it is both entertaining while also providing a number of valuable life lessons.
Why read this book. “The Trident” has value to the reader on a few levels. On one level, it provides a powerful lesson in leadership. Not just combat leadership, but leadership in general. One of the U.S. Marine Corps’ leadership principles is, “know yourself and seek self-improvement.” Mr. Redman provides an outstanding case study that demonstrates the ramifications when you fail in this principle, but also validates just how effective you can be as a leader when you embrace it. On a second level, “The Trident” is an inspiration for anyone facing a life altering injury, or similar life altering event. Mr. Redman proves that not only can you overcome these things, but they are an opportunity to continue to live life to its fullest, just in an unanticipated direction. Finally, on a third level, the book provides a good insight into the Naval Special Warfare community without being overly braggadocios like some books on the Special Forces community can be.