Military Review English Edition May-June 2016 | Page 133

BOOK REVIEWS

The Conquering Tide highlights a well-synchronized
mix of battles fought in the air, land, and sea throughout the Pacific from 1942 to 1944. Toll repeatedly
allows the reader to get a sense of what it was like
sitting in the cockpit of an airplane during an air-toair engagement,
bounding along
a sandy beach
during an amphibious landing,
or feeling the
fear as a torpedo approaches
a ship you are
serving on. Toll’s
detail regarding
the interservice
rivalries of the
Navy and Army,
not just within
the American
armed forces but
also within the
Imperial Japanese forces, leaves the reader feeling irritated at the inability for these services to work together
as a team for a common cause.
As he writes of the war’s progression and America
gaining footholds, Toll expands upon how American
service leaders improved their integration, particularly
in their usage of air assets, while the Japanese leaders continued to lose momentum and were unable to
integrate their air force, navy, or army forces to achieve
needed victories. Last, his use of primary and secondary sources is extensive, and his bibliography and notes
are organized to enable readers to find other sources to
research if they are interested in specific subjects.
Although The Conquering Tide is a fantastic book,
the author faced the challenge of fitting two full years
of the war in the Pacific into one very broad book. He
could have easily picked one year and still had plenty of
material and references. As I read the book, I constantly wanted more detail about the human dimension and
military actions during this pivotal time in the war. Toll
eloquently hits the highlights within this period in the
Pacific War but does not expand upon any subject in
great detail. I believe Toll’s intended audience for this
book is readers not already familiar with the subject.
MILITARY REVIEW  May-June 2016

Regardless, The Conquering Tide is a page-turner and
keeps the reader interested from start to finish.
I highly recommend this book for any U.S. service
member who is interested in the Pacific War during
World War II. The leadership and operational lessons
learned will allow readers to increase their knowledge
on the complexity of conducting joint operations and
maintaining unity of effort.

Maj. Matthew Prescott, U.S. Army,
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

THE MAKING OF A NAVY SEAL:
My Story of Surviving the Toughest
Challenge and Training the Best

Brandon Webb and John David Mann, foreword by
Marcus Luttrell, St. Martin’s Griffin, New York,
2015, 256 pages

T

he Making of a Navy SEAL is Brandon Webb’s
autobiographical account of his life from early
teens to the completion of his Navy career.
One should not judge this book by its title; it is less a
story about becoming a SEAL than one about overcoming adversity and achieving extraordinary goals.
Webb takes the reader through his trying times of
self-discovery, and the conflicts with his father that
led him to discover the Navy SEALs, which ultimately
became his passion. He discusses setback after setback
as he pushed through obstacles put in his way by family,
friends, leaders, and even the Navy, to pursue his dream
of becoming a SEAL and excelling at his work. Rather
than a Hollywood-style shoot-‘em-up SEAL story, this
is a factual account of one man’s journey from troubled
teen to a man that boys would strive to emulate.
The book is in six parts, each with multiple chapters.
Each part covers a significant period in Webb’s life:
teen years, first tour in the Navy, SEAL training, sniper
training, operational time, and time as an instructor.
The chapters are short. They break down detailed military terms in a manner nonmilitary readers can easily
understand. Webb’s perspective is based on his unique
experiences and a deep understanding of the SEALs.
He provides a great look into the phases of SEAL training and the mind of a determined individual set on
accomplishing a goal.
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