Guilty Pleasures: Richard Marcinko

I started reading about the Rogue Warrior since his first autobiography came out. Dick Marcinko founded Seal team 6 and was instrumental in establishing the modern Seal program. Later he was head of Red Cell, a group that tested the security of military installations. Along the way he gained the reputation of being a real life version of a cross between Dirty Harry and the Terminator. I didn't know whether he was for real or a blown up caricature of a macho warrior so I asked a coworker who was a former commander in the Navy. When I mentioned Marcinko's name, my coworker's eyes widened and he said "That guy is absolutely a wild man!" Yes, I guess it wasn't hype. Richard Marcinko parlayed his reputation into a career as a bestselling writer of fiction adventure stories centered around his life. Marcinko has been shot, blown up, and has survived more life-threatening scenes than you or I could ever imagine. Today Dick Marcinko is the head of a security consultant company and a motivational speaker on the side. What his biography and books don't mention is that he is also a genuinely nice person.

Here is a signed copy of one of his Rogue Warrior novels. It says "To Ken, Thanks for trying to mold young minds. Attack all of life's challenges." I can't think of a better philosophy of life.