Rogue Warrior: Seal Force Alpha by Richard Marcinko

Okay, I'll admit that this is my guilty pleasure series. Ever since I discovered an old war novel series as a kid (I think it was called "The Rat Bastards") I've had a thing for tales of derring-do from our armed forces. Unlike some of the imaginative second-hand tales told in these soldier stories, Marcinko is the real deal, a been there done that, "shoot and looter" from the old school SEAL tradition. He may not win any literary awards for his stories, but you know there's a thin line between his fiction and things that he and his warriors have actually done.

Seal Force Alpha follows a cookie-cutter plot (bad guys steal high tech weapons and Dickie and his band of marauders must find and punish them). The devil is in the details. Marcinko, since his first fictional novel Red Cell, has been a strong proponent of homeland security and proactive action against terrorism. Seal Force Alpha was written in 1999, well before our current war on terror, but manages to express concerns about nuclear proliferation, threats from within our nation and beyond, and the need for men to work behind the curtains to ensure our security.

It's good old escapist fun, but there are plenty of lessons to be had. Marcinko peppers his tales with important aspects of battle preparation that cross over into every day life. Check and double check. Minimize (or eliminate if possible) Mr. Murphy of Murphy's law fame making his presence known. Saturation training keeps you ready. Never surrender ground.

I could go on and on. If you're into chest-thumping, knuckle-dragging, salty-language-filled, gung-ho,non-stop action, these are the books for you. If not... that's fine. Just don't tell Dickie, or it'll be Doom on You.