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.