Admiral McRaven recounts his time in SEAL training in California, near the Pacific Ocean. Every morning, McRaven woke up and made his bed: “It was the first task of the day. A day that I knew would be filled with uniform inspections, long swims, longer runs, obstacle courses, and constant harassment from the SEAL instructors” (10). Immediately after, his commanding officer called the men to attention and inspected McRaven’s person and effects. Having done the job well “was not going to be an opportunity for praise. It was expected of me” (11).

McRaven tells another story about working aboard a submarine in the sickbay. The medical attending officer insisted that those under his command keep to high standards: “[I]f the beds were not made and the room was not clean, how could the sailors expect the best medical care?” (11).

Finally, McRaven shifts to the time of the attacks on September 11, 2001. Though he was recuperating from a serious parachuting accident, all he wanted to do was get out of bed and help. Eventually, US forces captured former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, but the detail that stood out to McRaven was that as a dictator with many underlings, Hussein never made his own bed when imprisoned.