For decades, the Navy SEALs have been among the most
recognized names of the U.S. military's elite warfighters. This month
marks 64 years since the establishment of this storied force, which
traces its roots back to the amphibious scouts, raiders and demolition
units of World War II.
The SEALs — an acronym for sea, air and land — are the Navy's most
well-known special operations force. They require some of the most
grueling training in the world; only a fraction of those who try out for
the notoriously difficult six-month Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL
training course finish it. After BUD/S, only those who graduate from
SEAL qualification training are lucky enough to be awarded the coveted
trident insignia and earn the Navy special warfare operator rating.
SEALs can gain access to hostile operational environments and
undermine adversaries, according to the Naval Special Warfare Command,
and they've protected American interests in nearly every major conflict
of the past 80 years.
How It Began
To understand the SEALs' origin, you have to go back to World War II,
when the Army-Navy scouts and raiders, naval combat demolition units
and underwater demolition teams were created. The scouts and raiders
were trained particularly for amphibious reconnaissance ahead of the
invasion of North Africa in November 1942, while the NCDU mission
cleared landing zones for the European theater. The UDTs focused on
similar missions in the Pacific because they were more knowledgeable on
how to clear island-related obstacles, such as coral reefs, said Guy
Nasuti, naval historian.
Demolition team recruits had to be intelligent, on-their-feet thinkers,
in great shape and without fear. Many came from naval construction
battalions, known as Seabees, who were the only sailors trained in that
type of demolition at the time.
By the end of World War II, only the underwater demolition teams
remained in existence. Many combat demolition unit personnel were
absorbed into those teams after their mission in Europe concluded.
Within a few years, the UDTs were expanding their skillsets in Korea,
conducting inland raids behind enemy lines, targeting railroad tunnels
and bridges along the Korean coast and disrupting enemy movements. These
operators, who earned the nickname "frogmen," took part in some major
operations: the amphibious landings at Inchon, mine-clearing in North
Korea's Wonsan harbor during an 861-day siege,
and Operation Fishnet, which destroyed North Korea's vast fields of
fishing nets, severely damaging one of the North's main economic
industries.
A New Focus, A New Name
By the late 1950s, minor conflicts between the U.S. and countries
such as Laos and Cuba, including the Bay of Pigs invasion, led to the
need for more forces across the services with special operations
capabilities — units like the Army's Green Berets and the Marine Corps'
force reconnaissance units. But instead of expanding UDT missions
further, Navy officials decided to create new units to focus on
unconventional warfare, counter-guerrilla warfare and clandestine
operations in maritime environments.
The SEALs emerged from those decisions. By January 1962, two SEAL
teams were formally established, with personnel mostly drawn from
preexisting UDTs, whose amphibious warfare skills remained highly
sought-after. SEAL Team 1 was based at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado,
California, while SEAL Team 2 was assigned to NAB Little Creek,
Virginia.
Their existence, however, was highly classified, a fact that remained
throughout most of the Vietnam War, where the SEALs mostly played an
advisory role. They initially arrived in the country to teach South
Vietnamese commandos their tactics. By 1966, however, they also helped
carry out ambushes as well as conduct reconnaissance patrols and special
intelligence operations via small, six-man teams.
Their presence grew throughout the war, as did their reputation for
carrying out daring missions that were becoming increasingly necessary
in the modern era of warfare. Between the Vietnam War and Sept. 11,
2001, the SEALs took part in missions in Grenada, Panama, Somalia,
Bosnia, Haiti, Liberia and in the Persian Gulf, including during
Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
The SEALs had boots on the ground in Afghanistan within a month of
the 9/11 attacks. During Operation Enduring Freedom, they carried out
more than 75 special reconnaissance and direct-action missions while
also operating in the Philippines and the Horn of Africa. Their most
famous raid came on May 2, 2011, when SEAL Team 6 raided an al-Qaida
compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, killing Osama bin Laden, the
mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks.
Navy records show the largest SEAL deployment in history came during
Operation Iraqi Freedom, when they captured or killed several high-value
targets and raided sites suspected of having hazardous materials and
weapons. The SEALs were vital to humanitarian aid missions and to
securing oil infrastructure and offshore gas and oil terminals.
Notable SEALs
While most SEALs stay under the radar, a few have become well-known for their bravery and actions.
Capt. Phil Bucklew — known as the father of naval
special warfare — ironically never qualified for BUD/S, but he had a
storied career spanning decades. He began his service with the scouts
and raiders in World War II and was involved in the invasions of North
Africa and Normandy, France. He even went on a scouting mission in China
to gather intelligence on the Japanese. In 1962, Bucklew was selected
to command Naval Special Warfare Group 1, consisting of SEAL Team 1 and
three other units. He was so respected in the community that, in 1987,
the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado was named in his honor.
Retired Rear Adm. Thomas "The Hulk" Richards served
with SEAL Team 1 in Vietnam in the early 1970s and received the Purple
Heart and Bronze Star for his actions. Years later, he led SEAL Team 1
as its 13th commanding officer before finishing his 30-year career as
the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command in the late 1990s.
Two Navy SEALs who served in Vietnam, Lt. j.g. Joseph Kerrey and Lt. Tom Norris,
received Medals of Honor for their actions. Kerrey lost his leg during a
raid that captured key Viet Cong political leaders and prevented a
planned attack against U.S. ships. He went on to become the governor of
Nebraska, a U.S. senator and a Democratic candidate for president in
1992.
When Norris couldn't become a pilot, he joined the SEALs. He was on
his second tour of duty in Vietnam when he earned the Medal of Honor for
leading a ground mission to rescue two downed pilots in enemy
territory. Norris went on to become an FBI agent and was an original
member of the agency's hostage rescue team.
Former SEAL Cmdr. William McRaven led several
high-profile operations, notably the capture of Saddam Hussein and the
rescue of Richard Phillips, the captain of the hijacked cargo ship
Maersk Alabama, which inspired the Tom Hanks movie "Captain Phillips."
He also developed and oversaw Operation Neptune Spear, which led to the
death of bin Laden. That raid led to him becoming the runner-up for Time
magazine's person of the year in 2011.
From Afghanistan, Lt. Michael Murphy and Petty Officer 1st Class Marcus Luttrell
are often mentioned. During Operation Red Wings in 2005, the two men
were on a small recon team looking for a high-level target in the Hindu
Kush mountains when a horde of Taliban fighters ambushed them. Murphy,
who led the team, didn't survive. He was, however, the first sailor to
receive the Medal of Honor since Vietnam.
Luttrell, who was seriously injured, evaded capture by finding
sympathetic locals who hid him in a nearby village for days until U.S.
forces rescued him, all thanks to a rescue call that Murphy made before
his death. Luttrell was the only man to survive the mission. His book
about the ordeal, aptly named "Lone Survivor," was turned into a
blockbuster movie.
Similarly, Chief Petty Officer Chris Kyle became the
most lethal sniper in U.S. history during his four tours in Iraq. He
wrote the book "American Sniper," which became a New York Times
bestseller and was also turned into a hit movie. Sadly, about four years
after his retirement, Kyle was killed by a fellow veteran with
post-traumatic stress disorder whom he was trying to help.
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