Savannah Watson

I consider myself an eclectic reader. While I have a natural tendency towards fiction, I will read almost anything recommended to me (if I haven’t sought it out for myself). One of the genres that I had never read before was military nonfiction, and that is where The Mission, The Men, and Me comes in.

The Mission, The Men, and Me is a memoir/self-help style book written by former U.S. Delta Force commander Pete Blaber. In it, Blaber provides lessons that he learned during his years of service through anecdotes, lessons that are easily applicable to life (even with no military background).

As you can see in the featured image, my copy is well-loved. I put no less than 40 tabs throughout the 297-page book, marking lines and paragraphs that I found factually interesting or applicable to my own life. He presents the lesson early in the chapter, gives an anecdote, then circles back to the lesson with an explanation connecting the two, which I found to be an interesting and effective way of presenting the information.

I enjoyed Blaber’s writing style; his tone is light and conversational in the appropriate places, and serious when it is necessary. He was knowledgeable and explained the concepts well, without explaining too much so that it went over a civilian reader’s head.

Now that I have dipped my toe into the military nonfiction genre, I have a stack of To Be Reads along the same lines as this one. In fact, my current read (which I am halfway through) is The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, a guide to effective leadership written by former U.S. Navy SEAL commanders.

I would highly recommend The Mission, The Men, and Me to anyone who is in a role of leadership (whether military or civilian) or anyone who just wants to actively better themselves. It is a worthwhile read for everyone.

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