Okay, I'm half way through. So far it's a good read. I could do without the intrigue regarding the missing ordnance, I don't think it adds much to the story. Going through BUD/s is interesting enough, especially for the intended audience. Grey's personal problems and internal struggles with the success, or lack thereof, of his boat crew is what keeps me turning pages.

After reading The Warrior Elite, Down Range, Combat Swimmer, and reading the posts on the TSQ and Navy Seals sites I thought I had a pretty good idea of what BUD/s would be like. The vivd descriptions in Suffer in Silence take it to a new level. I'm already starting to dread the sound of diesel engines. However, there are some gray areas left that would add to the story if clarified. Grey just takes the beat downs, we're told he's a natural athlete so we should just take his physical prowess as a given. It would be nice to see a little more internal monologue on how he deals with the pain. Is there a voice in his head saying 'finish it out', does he have another way to maintain his focus other than daydreaming about his girlfriend? The novel showcases the mental games but not how the protagonist deals with it. He's managed to forget a lot of things; what does he do to improve? Does he create a check list, does he confer with the other O's in training? There's a lot more detail that could be shared.

I also have a couple issues pertaining to the author's use of artistic licence. Grey makes some very immature decisions. I was young and stupid once, so that aspect is believable. What isn't quite believable is Murray being allowed to continue training after tackling an instructor. All I can see there is a dishonorable discharge or a lot of potatoes being peeled, four years worth of spuds to be exact.

One aspect I found to be very believable was when Murray was singled out for some instructor love before they even made it to the grinder in the first day of Hell Week. Somebody left without their swim buddy and they hurt their boat crew as well as their entire class by not having a good muster. You need to pull together as a class as well as a boat crew. I think there are some good lessons in here that weren't present in The Warrior Elite.

Alright, I'm done with the book. Turns out that Murray was an idiot. Perhaps he was liked by his shipmates, but he's a Blue Falcon nonetheless. In the end, what kind of teammate was Mark Grey? He left his swim buddy behind, he hid the medical condition of a man in his charge, and was duped into aiding and abetting a frame-up without any real evidence against the target. Multiple instances of bad judgment of which few can be written off as lack of sleep. Was he doing what he thought was the right thing? Probably. And he hurt his entire boat crew and his class in the process. After the ordeal did he learn anything? He was on the beach threatening to call the Chief from TJ, wouldn't that look suspicious? He was out there basically blackmailing the instructor into letting his teammates back in after they DORitoed. Just like his buddy Murray was trying to blackmail his way into second phase. Birds of a feather, I suppose.

That said, it was a very good read. Bad books do not have the ability to anger me like that. This should be required reading since it deals with the issues of integrity and character that directly affect ones ability to make it to the teams and reflects on what type of operator they'll be once there. This is a serious business with serious repercussions; make a bad decision and people die. Suffer in Silence pounded that message home.

I too just finished it, took me about 4 days. Its a great read even if the plot gets a little out of hand, but it definately had some shocking moments, and definately showed the miseries of hell week.

I agree with Kens, some moments just make you angry at the unfairness of the situation, but thats how it goes. But it also is glorious to see Grey stick it out through the brutality of that last beatdown session; made me admire the resolve of his character even though he had left his swim buddy.

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...it also is glorious to see Grey stick it out through the brutality of that last beatdown session; made me admire the resolve of his character even though he had left his swim buddy.

That's the resolve I was looking to see in the first part of the book. Everybody has to get to the point where their mind takes charge of their body. There is a point when that mental barrier is breached, when the pain is telling you to quit, and you force yourself to keep going. That's a powerful moment. It's one that you can recognize only if you've done it. It was good to see that in the final days of Hell Week.

I think one of the cruelest forms of torture had to be the eyelid stretches. When you're that tired closing your eyes gives the cue to your body to sleep. You just zone out. Many a time I've been that tired. Every time your chin dips you're out, every time you try to rest your eyes you're out. You wake up, having no idea how long you've been sleeping, and your buddies are just laughing at you.

We had to do that at least once a semester, usually twice. It lasted between three to four days depending on how far along you were. After second year we'd start out the semester with an all-nighter of our own accord just to get back in the swing of things. Problem now is that since I've been conditioned to do that if I'm up past a certain time there's no going to sleep that night. Ack.