NEW YORK, January 31, 2017— Former Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill, the decorated special operations soldier who fired the shots that killed Osama bin Laden, will publish his memoir with Scribner and Simon & Schuster U.K. on April 25, 2017. Titled The Operator, the book will vividly recount O’Neill’s remarkable 400-mission career, from the extreme SEAL training he endured, to the missions that earned him more than 52 decorations with honors, including two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars with Valor, and a Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor. The Operator will take readers on a journey into these missions, providing intimate accounts of the rescues of Captain Phillips from Somali pirates and of “Lone Survivor” SEAL Marcus Luttrell from behind enemy lines in Afghanistan. It will offer powerful stories about—and new insights into—our war against terror, and will capture the fierce and unique brotherhood among SEALS—many of whom spend up to 300 days away from their families and rely on team members for their survival. Most significantly, the book will recount the painstaking preparation for and execution of the clandestine U.S. attack on Osama bin Laden’s secret compound in Pakistan in May 2011. An audio edition will be released simultaneously by Simon & Schuster Audio.

“I wrote The Operator because I wanted to share the human side of the warriors who are fighting for and protecting our nation,”  said O’Neill.  “They are extraordinary people, but they are also normal and I was proud to serve with them. I also wanted to show that it is possible to do anything you want, no matter where you are from, as long as you work hard, avoid negativity and never quit.”

“Robert O’Neill’s career provides an extraordinary opportunity to share with American readers the essential heroism of our men and women in service to our country,” said Nan Graham, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Scribner. “The Operator is a riveting inside story of the most important military mission in our recent history.”

“The Operator is going to defy a lot of expectations,” said Scribner Vice President and Executive Editor Rick Horgan. “It’s an adrenaline-rush all the way through, but also one of the most enlightening accounts ever of how we make modern war, and the unique mix of courage and self-discipline that is bred into the elite units we rely on to be the tip of America’s spear.”

Rick Horgan acquired world and audio rights from literary agent Howard Yoon of the Ross Yoon literary agency.

Scribner is an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., a part of CBS Corporation. Simon & Schuster is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats.  Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom.  For more information visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.

01/31/17

Contact: Brian Belfiglio
V.P., Director of Publicity
Scribner
(212) 632-4945
brian.belfiglio@simonandschuster.com