Navy SEAL veteran begins new life’s chapter as an author

From the battlefield to the bookshelves, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL has taken his experience in combat to the pages of his thriller novels.

We sat down with veteran Jack Carr about how he transitioned from a warrior to an author.

Although he’s currently focused on publishing his next book, Carr knew from an early age he would serve in the military.

“My grandfather didn’t make it back from World War II,” Carr told WINK News. “He served as a Marine Corps fighter pilot.”

That is who Carr says served as a direct model for himself growing up.

“I looked up to him as my idea of a hero, and I knew that one day I would serve my country in the military,” Carr said.

When he asked questions, Carr’s mother, a librarian, took him to work and made him do his own research.

There, he learned about the Navy SEALs.

“My takeaway is, at 7 years old, was the SEALs were some of the toughest fighting forces in the world and the training, some of the hardest ever designed by a modern military, so that’s all I needed,” Carr said.

Carr enlisted after high school.

“Our SEAL team was on Guam on 9/11,” Carr said. “We watched the towers fall on the one TV in the barracks.”

And, a few days later.

“We were on airplanes to the Middle East, and I was go, go, go from then on,” he said.

For Carr, this chapter in his life is truly a transition after achieving his ultimate goal. And he says there was no road map, just determination.

“Now, I am an author, so I was a SEAL. I didn’t plan any of this out ahead of time,” he said. “I never thought I would fail in either one of those cases. I always knew I would be in the 20% that made it through.”

Carr has a new book, “Savage Son,” coming out soon, and he will be at the Southwest Florida reading festival at the downtown Fort Myers library Saturday. The festival runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Never pay attention to the odds,” Carr said. “If I paid attention to the odds, I never would’ve gotten into the SEAL teams. I never [would’ have] submitted a book to Simon and Schuster.”