In America's new war, the first guns in the fight are special operations forces, including the Navy SEALs, specially trained warriors who operate with precision, swiftness, and lethal force. In the constantly shifting war on terror, SEAL units - small in number, flexible, stealthy, and effcient - are more vital than ever to America's security as they take the battle to an elusive enemy around the globe.

But how are Navy SEALs made? Dick Couch, author of the acclaimed Warrior Elite, follows SEALs on the ground and in the water as they undergo SEAL Tactical Training, where they master combat skills such as precision shooting, demolitions, secure communications, parachuting, diving, and first aid. From there, the men enter operational platoons, where they subordinate their individual abilities to the mission of the group and train for special operations in specific geographic environments.

Never before has a civilian writer been granted such close access to the training of America's most elite military forces. The Finishing School is essential reading for anyone who wants to know what goes into the making of America's best warriors.

"The Warrior Elite is the first book that captures how the SEAL spirit is tempered. It reveals all the grit, sweat, mud, and blood of BUID/S training -- real-time, down and dirty. This is a must-read if you want to know what becoming a virtual warrior is all about." -- Governor Jesse Ventura, BUD/S Class 58

"A wonderful, thought-provoking book by Dick Couch and a quick study of human personalities; his conclusions are optimistic and uplifting." -- Vice Admiral James Stockdale (USN. Ret.) Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

"The Warrior Elite offers superb insight into the making of a Navy SEAL. Dick Couch takes the reader through the incredible challenges of basic training and into the minds of these unique warriors who comprise our nation's highly selective fighting force. Having served extensively with Dick in combat as junior officers in Vietnam, I now understand the "how's and why's" of his profession and the SEALs' commitment to mission. The Warrior Elite captures the essence of a Navy SEAL -- the indomitable will to win and steadfast commitment to team." -- Robert J. Natter, Admiral, U.S. Navy, Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet

"An authentic voice that spells out what it takes to become a SEAL--the sheer grit to overcome all obstacles. America is lucky that it continues to attract such men as these to serve." -- Theodore Roosevelt IV, Class 36

Four US Navy SEALS departed one clear night in early July, 2005 for the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border for a reconnaissance mission. Their task was to document the activity of an al Qaeda leader rumored to be very close to Bin Laden with a small army in a Taliban stronghold. Five days later, only one of those Navy SEALS made it out alive.

This is the story of the only survivor of Operation Redwing, SEAL fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, and the extraordinary firefight that led to the largest loss of life in American Navy SEAL history. His squadmates fought valiantly beside him until he was the only one left alive, blasted by an RPG into a place where his pursuers could not find him. Over the next four days, terribly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell crawled for miles through the mountains and was taken in by sympathetic villagers who risked their lives to keep him safe from surrounding Taliban warriors.

A born and raised Texan, Marcus Luttrell takes us from the rigors of SEAL training, where he and his fellow SEALs discovered what it took to join the most elite of the American special forces, to a fight in the desolate hills of Afghanistan for which they never could have been prepared. His account of his squadmates' heroism and mutual support renders an experience that is both heartrending and life-affirming. In this rich chronicle of courage and sacrifice, honor and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers a powerful narrative of modern war.

"Down Range puts the reader in the SEAL squad file, in the action. It is the unique and personal story of the warriors who go in harm's way in the global war on terror." -The Hon. Anthony Principi, Secretary of Veterans Affairs (2001-2005)

"An intimate account of the deadly work of the U.S. Navy SEALs. We associate the Navy's special forces with maritime operations, but in the war against terrorists they have been almost everywhere from the high mountains of Afghanistan blowing up Taliban ordnance to the streets of Mosul hunting down former Baathists and al-Qaedists. Down Range is a fascinating, behind-the-scenes account of how the SEALs fight and why they are so good at it written by a seasoned veteran in gripping fashion." - Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Fellow, the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and author of Ripples of Battle

Intelligence specialist Leigh Neville identifies, describes and illustrates the Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the US and other Allied (Coalition) forces committed to war in Iraq since 2003, providing a fascinating insight into specific operations, detailing weapons, equipment and experiences in combat. With a surprising amount of recently declassified material from government departments that are yet to be published in the mass media, this is a ground-breaking analysis of the largest mobilization of Special Forces in recent history.

With extensive first-hand accounts providing an eyewitness perspective of the fighting on the ground and including information on the US Delta Force, the British SAS, Australian and Canadian special forces as well as CIA and MI6 operational units this book provides a crucial study of their skills and success in Iraq from the Battle of Debecka to storming the safe house of Uday Hussein. In a controversial war that has been plagued by high fatalities and military blunders, this book highlights the successes enjoyed by Special Forces operatives. This book serves as a companion volume to Elite 163: Special Forces Operations: Afghanistan.

The U.S. Navy SEALs are members of one of the world's most elite, most successful military commando forces. They are a highly trained unit of tenacious, intelligent and fearless soldiers. What does it take to become the best of the best? Find out as you follow Class 234 in a rigorous six-month training course that will push the men to extreme physical and emotional limits. The punishment never ends from the first day to the course's end when only 17 of 83 men will succeed as they face the most demanding training of their lives.

Disc 1 Welcome to BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) - From "The Grinder" to "Surf Torture," the training begins with a punishing series of physical and mental tests that will push students to their limits. And this is just the first day. It Pays to Be a Winner - With a one-mile bay swim in frigid water, the best students rise to the top...and half the class drops out by the end of the first week.

Disc 2 Two Weeks and a Long Day - Week One is over, and the remaining students of Class 234 are battered, bruised and exhausted. See how poor teamwork results in one candidate's injury and how two team leaders cost their crews serious punishment. Hell Week - This is the eliminator. For 24 hours a day, six days straight, candidates are put through a brutal set of tests designed to bring each of them to his breaking point and challenge him to push beyond it.

Disc 3 The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday - Students must combat fear and panic underwater as they learn advanced scuba and breathing techniques. Those who make it must undergo a simulated combat dive that demands extreme levels of precision . The Home Stretch - This is the training's most dangerous phase. Using real explosives and live ammunition, candidates learn demolition tactics, land navigation and combat maneuvers. The final hurdle is a nighttime, live-fire mission on a simulated enemy base.