By Water Beneath the Walls: The Rise of the Navy SEALs

Milligan’s first book, and the first book of its kind, seeks to answer the following question: “How did the Navy get into and dominate the inland commando business?” It helps that Milligan himself is a Navy SEAL, class of 2001. His loyal patriotism overshadows the narration of even the most atrocious American military blunders and most expensive lessons of warfare.

While the easy route might have been to begin at the actual creation of the Navy SEALS on President John F. Kennedy’s watch, Milligan takes us all the way back into the history of the Special Forces employed by multiple branches of service. Documenting both successes and failures, as well as the oft times dismantling or disbandment of an elite fighting force, Milligan creates more than a history of the Navy SEALS. Through detailed after-action reports and first-hand accounts of battle (whether intentional or accidental), Milligan has fashioned more than an armchair version of military expertise. His debut may just find its way into military training academies in our country and, quite possibly, beyond our borders.