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

and finally some advanced infantry tactics before taking them out on
patrol in enemy territory.
But this was Ramadi, the epicenter of the insurgency and the decisive
battle for Anbar Province. There was fighting to be done, outposts to
protect, and enemy fighters to capture and kill. To pull Iraqi soldiers
from the battlefield for training beyond a day or two was simply
impossible.
Our mission as SEALs was to go into hostile territory with these
ragtag Iraqi soldiers and fight against hardcore insurgent mujahideen
fighters determined to kill as many of us as they could. Now, SEALs are
known to run to the sound of the guns. But running to the sound of guns
is much easier when a SEAL is surrounded by other SEALs; when we
know the man covering our “six” (or backside) is someone who has been
through the same training, has the same gear, and speaks the same
language—someone we trust. For a SEAL to put his life in the hands of
someone he doesn’t know—a person he has barely worked with, who is
not well trained, undisciplined, speaks a different language, and whose
trustworthiness is doubtful—is asking a hell of a lot. In the SEAL
Teams, the bond of our brotherhood is our strongest weapon. If you take
that away from us, we lose our most important quality as a team.
When our SEALs in Task Unit Bruiser learned that they would be
allowed to conduct combat operations only alongside Iraqi soldiers, they
were livid and completely against the idea. We knew that the dangers in
Ramadi from the enemy were already extremely high. There was no need
to increase the risk to our force. Yet that is exactly what we were being
directed to do.
Even my initial reaction was Hell no. It just wasn’t worth the risk.
Why would we go into combat without every possible advantage, much