Eric Blehm - Fearless : the undaunted courage and ultimate sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team Six operator Adam Brown

As a rule, we dont endorse books or movies or anything regarding the command where I workand Adam Brown workedbut as the author writes in Fearless, you have to know the rules so you know when to bend or break them. This is one of those times. Read this book. Period. It succeeds where all the others have failed.

A NONYMOUS , SEAL Team SIX operator

There is a quote from the Bible etched on the memorial that stands in the shadow of World Trade Center steel that resembles a massive trident: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, Here am I. Send me! That was Adam Brown. Fearless is a clear and deeply honest portrait of an authentic American man who lived and loved with an intrepid personal velocity. For most of us, the failures and disappointments in life take their toll. Not for Adam Brown. He vanquished all lifes heartbreaks with faith, humility, and hard work. His commitment to his family and his friends helped forge Adam Brown into the rarest of warriors. Long live the Brotherhood.

K URT J OHNSTAD , screenwriter of Act of Valor and 300

Adam Browns zest for life led him down a few dark alleys and more than one dead end. Kindhearted and wild, Adam led a life that lacked direction. God, a woman, and the U.S. Navy gave it to him. Fearless is a love story several love stories: a man for his woman, a warrior for his team, parents for kids, and soldiers for their country. There is no greater love than that a man lay down his life for his friends. Be warnedreading Fearless will change the way you see the world.

S TU W EBER , veteran Green Beret, pastor, and author of Tender Warrior

When people know they are going to die, often their one regret is that they didnt say I love you enough. Adam Brown never had to worry. His life was about love: love of God, family, friends, country, his fellow SEALs, and the Afghan children who worshiped him. In Fearless, Eric Blehm does a marvelous and moving job uncovering the manthe menbeneath the SEAL mythology of elite, rock-hard warriors renowned for their courage and skill. The SEALs in Fearless hug their children, seek comfort from their wives, wear Batman briefs, answer to names like Big Bird and Fozzy, mourn lost buddies, and risk their lives to rescue civilians from the field of fire. This is a stirring, revelatory, heartbreaking story.

J AMES C AMPBELL , author of The Final Frontiersman and The Ghost Mountain Boys

Fearless is a vivid account of one mans journey from all-American boy to all-American hero. Blehms writing takes you beyond the battlefield and right to the heart of the personal battles, sacrifices, and triumphs of one of Americas elite warriors. Anyone looking for an inspiring story of inner strength and courage will be richly rewarded by this book.

E RIC G REITENS , former Navy SEAL and New York Times best-selling author of The Heart and the Fist

This is not another SEAL book about ego; this is a powerful book about perseverance that will absolutely inspire everybody. Adam was a warrior in the truest sensecourageous, compassionate, intrepid, and humble. And his dedication to God, country, family, and the Brotherhood was genuine and exceptional. This book will motivate you to challenge yourself to be fearless.

S EAL teammate of Adam Brown, BUD/S Class 226

Fearless stands unique among works of modern combat literature through author Eric Blehms masterful weaving of a fallen Navy SEALs professional war-fighting life with his complex personal victories and travails. Rich in detail and captivating in its honesty, you wont put Fearless down once you read the first page. Read it and prepare to learn a whole new world of life as a Navy SEAL.

E D D ARACK , author of Victory Point: Operations Red Wings and WhalersThe Marine Corps Battle for Freedom in Afghanistan

Fearless is a timely book for Americans transfixed by our military elite and the fight against terrorism. Author Eric Blehm provides an intimate look at the stamina, toughness, and mindset of Adam Brown, who, against all odds, became a Navy SEAL. Fearless is also a timeless book about the human condition. This true story is an emotional roller coaster about betrayal and love, despair and faith, tragedy and triumph, life and death, the grace of God. This story will bring tears to your eyes, and yet your spirit will soar. Fearless is destined to be a classica story about hope, now and forever.

L ARRY B ECK , P h D, professor, San Diego State University, and author of Moving Beyond Treeline

Eric Blehms Fearless is an unforgettable tale of bravery, loss, redemption, joy, sorrow, serenity, and integrity. As topical as todays headlines, Fearless at its heart deals with eternal verities that are timeless in their importance and significance.

J IM ON EILL , author of Laus Deo, BUD/S 62, UDT-21, SEAL Team TWO

The Last Season

The Only Thing Worth Dying For: How

Eleven Green Berets Fought for a New Afghanistan

Molly the Owl

F EARLESS
P UBLISHED BY W ATER B ROOK P RESS
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( NIV ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Some dates, locations, times, distances, and names (including those of some civilians) have been changed; faces in photographs obscured; and military tactics, techniques, and procedures altered in order to maintain operational security for the safety of the U.S. Navy SEALs and those who work alongside them.

eISBN: 978-0-307-73071-8

Copyright 2012 by Eric Blehm

Cover design by Kristopher K. Orr; cover image of Navy SEAL Trident by Corbis

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.

W ATER B ROOK and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.

v3.1

This book is dedicated to the fallen American heroes killed in action on August 6, 2011, in Wardak Province, Afghanistan.

Adam Browns civilian and military life has been recounted to me by his family, friends, and teammatesall eyewitnesses to each event portrayed in this book, including what Adam told them directly about his history and spiritual testimony. I also used official documents, statements, military records and reports, criminal records, family archives, letters, e-mails, and journal and diary entries. Some dates, locations, times, distances, and names (including those of some civilians) have been changed; faces in photographs obscured; and military tactics, techniques, and procedures altered in order to maintain operational security for the safety of the U.S. Navy SEALs and those who work alongside them.