Mark Owen (2014)

Many young kids (including a couple in this thread already) dream of becoming special forces or a SEAL. They are inspired by movies, such as Lone Survivor for example. Many of these kids will watch you on the news and listen to what you have to say here. How do you feel about the fact that some of these kids are actually going to make it to the SOF/SMU community and emulate what they saw growing up? Do you foresee many more individuals putting themselves ahead of their teams for personal gain like you have? At what point do you predict that a mission will actually be compromised due to an individual's selfishness or act of greed? Thank you for your answer.

How do you sleep at night knowing you've betrayed your teammates, friends and the special operations community?

Have you ever worked with any PJs? If so, what are your thoughts on them?

What was the toughest part of training to become a Seal?

What is your take on the DoD's criticism regarding members talking about missions like you have in your books?

Hi Mark, thanks for doing this. My question is about the publication process: how strict was the military in terms of vetting your manuscript, and did they force you to leave anything out for security reason?

I'm sure you have undoubtedly seen Act of Valor, do you feel it was an accurate portrayal of Seal life?

When you are a seal, you become an Elite in a sense. Do you run into personal like briefings all the time that you would see in a movie. Or are you just a task force and do whatever you told.

Also do you hate the American government? (not military)

Hey Mark. Big fan of yours and the teams. I've dreamed of going to BUD/s for years, but the thought of hours of freezing water makes me want to quit before I start. How did you condition your mind to deal with that? It sounds like a superhuman feat.

Hi Mark!!
How are you today? I want your honest opinion...what are your thoughts on women being on the front lines?
Thanks!

Hey man, loved NO EASY DAY. Can't wait for NO HERO.
A few questions…

• What was your "pre-game ritual" that you've developed? (I know you've said that you liked to lay out your gear and do pre-combat inspections but I feel every operator does that, so, what did YOU do to prepare yourself)

• What advice/tip would you give someone who wants to "fly under the radar" for the sake of general security?

• What books would you recommend to these young kids who have aspirations of being servicemen/servicewomen.
• With NO HERO, do you feel as if though you've covered everything that you wanted or are there plans in the future for another book?
• How is it working with Kevin Mauer? After reading NO EASY DAY and GENTLEMEN BASTARDS, Kevin seems like a guy who would understand what operators deal with.

Looking forward to hear from you again but in different circumstances.

Thanks and best of luck.

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Mr. Owen,
It seems that the SEALs are in the media a lot lately, or at least more than other American SOFs. Why is that?

Hi, thanks for doing this AMA!
I've read No Easy Day and it was awesome. Your missions, your team, stories from your childhood, it was a nice reading. I thought that being on the military field there would be no practical jokes, but your book proved that wrong, now I wonder: the Staff of Power made another appearance or is it still missing?

Hey, quick question: have you ever worked with Polish Special Forces (GROM, FORMOZA, JWK?) and if so what do you think of them?
Thanks for the time and thank you for your service.

Did you ever have back-up plan to becoming a SEAL, just in case something didn't work out ?

I saw your profile on 60 Minutes. Your comment about thinking about "what is in your 3 foot box" was excellent and I've been applying it to my life when I get down. Any other psychological tips/advice you have learned over the years that the common person can benefit from?

Hey Mr. Owen;
I want to be an Enlisted SEAL, but my parents want me to go to college first regardless. I remember you discussing college in No Easy Day. Would you recommend me going to college and if so, what should I major in?

Hey mark! Do you have a pet dog? And what are you doing now that your out

Want a beer Mark? 😛

Mr. Owen, I just signed up a GovX account like you suggested. It says your book is now available and if I order will your autograph be on these books automatically or will there be a special edition?

Hey Mark,
I actually have a few questions for you. If you could reply that would be awesome. If you don't feel comfortable replying via posting, I understand (maybe a pm?). I appreciate you taking the time to do an AMA.

1. I know you're a retired operator, but what would you say makes a 'good' troop commander 'good' (for a lack of a better word)? What advice or tips would you give to a guy who wants to serve a SEAL officer (with the goal of serving in an SMU one day)?
2. Without going into details, how stressful was BUD/s compared to Green Team? What would you do to prepare for it if you had to do it all over again?
3. What foreign CT/SOF unit impressed you the most?

Two questions.

1. How would you handle Iraq if given the power to do so?

2. What exactly do you think of airsoft? I only ask this because of the overwhelming amount of military personnel who hate it.

Thank you for your time, drive on dude. And here's to hoping the censors didn't butcher No Hero.

Hey Mark! Big fan, I loved your book, it's what inspired me to hopefully pursue and attempt a career as a Naval Special Warfare Operator! So I have a few questions! What's the best advice you could give to get past the cold of BUD/S? How much more difficult was green team than BUD/S? How has your transition from being a member of DevGru back to being a civilian been?

I have a couple of questions because I am pursuing becoming an officer in the teams.

1. What is the officer's life as a SEAL like compared to enlisted?

2. Do officers do the specialized things such as breaching, sniping, and heavy weapons?

3. What was the best part of being a SEAL in your eyes?

4. My final question is do you have any funny stories that didn't end up in No Easy Day that you can say without revealing too much.

Thanks for doing the AMA, and thank you so much for your service to our country.