Navy SEAL author's identity is revealed
The writer behind the Navy SEAL memoir about killing Osama bin Laden is anonymous no longer. The author of "No Easy Day" is now said to be Matt Bissonette, a 36-year-old former Navy commando who is retired but who earned five Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart during his time in the military.
Fox News reported the author鈥檚 identity less than a day after the book was announced. The book had been scheduled for released on Sept. 11 under the pseudonym Mark Owen. Penguin, the publisher behind 鈥淣o Easy Day,鈥� says that the production schedule for the book will not be changed by the revelation of Bissonette鈥檚 identity.
There was criticism of Penguin, whose imprint, Dutton, will publish the book, when the book was first announced. The Defense Department says the book needs to be approved by them before publication because of the information about the department within the book. A Pentagon spokesperson, Lt. Col. James Gregory, said they have not received a copy of the book for approval, and Colonel Tim Nye, a spokesperson for the US Special Operations Command, told Bissonette could be subject to 鈥減otential investigation鈥� because of this.
Dutton spokesperson Christine Ball said there wasn鈥檛 any information that could be construed as classified in 鈥淣o Easy Day,鈥� and a 鈥渟pecial operations attorney鈥� has looked through the book for information pertaining to military tactics or procedure, according to Reuters.
鈥淭he two reasons [Bissonette] wrote this book were to raise awareness about the sacrifices the SEALs make and to raise money for charities that support fallen SEALs,鈥� Ball said.
Nye told Reuters that approval by Penguin's "special operations attorney" was 鈥渋rrelevant.鈥�
Bissonette lives in Wrangell, Alaska, according to the Fox News report.
