Bill McRaven kicked tail for a living. He joined the elite Navy SEALs in 1978 and later took command of SEAL Team Three, based in Coronado, Calif.

In 1995, McRaven added another title to his resume: author. His book, “SPEC OPS: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare: Theory and Practice,” tells eight war stories, from the 1940 German glider assault on Eben Emael to the 1976 Israeli raid on Entebbe.