Confessions of a Level III Boarding Team Boat Captain

I was besides myself when I received a letter from the VA with recent instructions that I found inescapable but the letter itself triggered me to begin to reminisce on a few notable moments in my life. I remember when I started working for the current company, I am employed with today, how far detached it seemed that it would be to finally get the letter from the VA that I since forgot I would expect almost a decade later. I guess the letter was a disruptive surprise because by the time I realized what it was, I also realized it also came with those flood of past memories I have since locked away.

Don't ask me why I started to look back into my past. Its just a side effect of dating yourself and remembering glimpses of the past as vivid dreams. I began to look to see how far removed society was to the work that was done during the years of piracy. To my surprise I did not find much on the topic in the form of literature besides this book by RADM Terry McKnight. I wanted to read this book and remember what went on during my time on CTF 151 and read this from the Admiral's perspective. He couldn't have said it any better when he wrote, "Studying our Navy is probably easier than studying Somali piracy. There are thousands of books and academic papers to read, thousands more experts on subjects wide and narrow to interview. Not so much with the Somali pirates and piracy. There's been relatively little depth written about them, and a convention of experts in the field could have easily been held in my cabin on Boxer with room left over for a squad of off-duty SEALs. - RADM Terry McKnight."

I know this is a known mystery for most people so I wanted to share RADM McKnight's book with you in hopes that one day when hear of this topic again you can now know...

What is Task Force 151?

The following is a 2008 bridge to bridge distress call recording from motor vessel (MV) CEC Future hailing for help as the Danish owned ship was attacked and boarded by pirates. The ship was hijacked and held for ransom for 71 days.