Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win

was nothing out of the ordinary.
It had been a still and clear evening until the distant firefight lit up
the night. The baking temperatures of the Iraqi summertime heat had
recently given way to a tolerable, cooler fall. Jocko and I sat on the dusty
rooftop of the large three-story concrete building that served as our
tactical operations center on the base that had been our home, Camp
Marc Lee. Our SEAL task unit had been in Ramadi for nearly six
months. Soon, we were scheduled to return to the States. With no combat
operations pending that evening, Jocko and I had a rare moment to
reflect as we looked across the peaceful, dark waters of the Euphrates
River and the lights of Ramadi on the far bank and beyond. We
reminisced about the combat operations our task unit had participated in
and all that had happened here.
Task Unit Bruiser had conducted hundreds of operations and endured
many an onslaught from enemy attacks like the one we just witnessed.
We had been in dozens of firefights, had thousands of rounds shot at us,
shot back thousands of our own, and frequently called in fire support
from U.S. tanks or aircraft. Our SEALs had done substantial damage to
the enemy. Witnessing the triumph of success, we knew we had made a
difference. But we had also endured extraordinary loss. Two months
earlier, in the midst of a huge battle for the heart of the city, we had lost
Marc Lee, the first SEAL killed in action in the Iraq War and the man in
whose honor we named the camp. Marc’s death was devastating. It left a
hole that could never be filled. The same day we lost Marc, another
beloved Charlie Platoon SEAL, Ryan Job, had been hit in the face by an
enemy sniper round. Ryan lost an eye and took substantial damage to his
face. But we waited for hopeful news from the doctors that sight would
return in his remaining eye. Three weeks later, as he recovered in a