A retired Navy SEAL who was present for Osama bin Laden‘s May 2011 assassination is telling his story in the new book No Easy Day, and he tells CBS’ 60 Minutes that it’s already drawing controversy. “My worry from the beginning was that this is a political season,” explains the former SEAL, who goes by the name Mark Owen. “This book is not political whatsoever. It doesn’t bad mouth either party.”

“We specifically chose September 11 [as a release date] to keep it out of the politics,” he says. “If these crazies on either side of the aisle want to make it about politics, shame on them.”

But Owen’s book doesn’t just tell his story, but also the stories of the “hundreds of Americans who spent years gathering intelligence, planning and training” for the eventual assault. As far as Owen is concerned, the SEALS “just took care of the last 40 minutes.”

He even details the “dress rehearsal” that took place at a full-scale replica of Osama bin Laden’s compound built in the United States. He says that went “fine.”

Owen’s 60 Minutes interview airs one week from today, Sept. 9, on CBS. Watch a preview video below: