If you want to find out which Navy SEALS have helped to shape history or if you are interested in becoming a SEAL for yourself and want to find someone who you can look up to then this is the guide for you. Take a look below to find out more.
1. Richard Marcinko
Richard Marcinko is the founder of SEAL Team 6. He went on to become a very popular author and military speaker. Even before Team 6 was formed, he had an established reputation as being a top killer. He underwent two deployments as a SEAL in Vietnam and he also had a key role in the Offensive of 1968. He went on a mission to rescue a schoolteacher and showed his heroism time and time again. He handpicked the members of the Red Cell unit and he retired in 1990 after serving thirty years. He and a few other SEALs were indicted after a conspiracy, where he served 21 months in federal prison. He has since released a memoir, entitled the Rogue Warrior.
Read more about famous Navy SEALs on NavySEAL.com.
2. Adam Brown
Adam Brown has a very unique story. He is highly decorated and he enlisted in 1998. He ended up in training after a boot camp and he lost his eye in a freak accident. He chose to press on and learnt how to shoot with his left eye. In another accident, he lost the use of his right hand, his dominant hand at the time. He pushed on and learnt how to shoot with his left. If that wasn’t enough, he was approached to see if he wanted to try out for SEAL Team 6. The selection process was brutal, with the washout rate being 50%. So far, he’s the only SEAL to have passed selection, with only one eye. He was killed in a firefight in 2010 and was given the Purple Heart, Bronze Star with Valor and a Silver Star.
3. Robert O’Neill
Robert O’Neill is said to have fired the shot that killed Osama Bin Laden. Before he joined the Navy, he intended on joining the Marines. The recruiter for the Marine Corps was on a lunch break at the time, but luckily the recruiter for the Navy was on-hand. He talked to him and convinced him to join, with the rest being history. Various SEALS have come out to accuse O’Neill of violating the Warrior Ethos in his time, saying that no SEAL should advertise their nature of work, or seek recognition. He was involved in 400 missions that spanned across Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a Fox News commentator and public speaker these days.
4. Scott Taylor
Scott Taylor served as a state representative and a Navy SEAL. He was a sniper in the Operation Iraqi Freedom mission and additionally, served a number of missions in South America. He experienced an injury which forced him to become a marksman instructor, and it was then that he decided to focus on achieving new goals. He served the Virginia House of Delegates and supports anyone wanting to serve in the military.
Are Navy SEALs the best military operators? Read more here.
5. Marcus Luttrell
If you have seen the film Lone Survivor then this SEAL doesn’t need any introduction. He is the sole survivor of Operation Red Wings. The mission revolved around the SEALS trying to capture a high-value target but the team were spotted by some herdsmen. They were unarmed, and therefore could not engage due to the rules of engagement. This resulted in the team being compromised. What ensued was a fight between 200 Taliban fighters and four SEALS. The SEALS had to endure hours on end of gunfire, with the result being the death of three out of the four SEALS. Luttrell was unconscious, with a broken back and multiple broken bones. A local Afghan local tended to his wounds before reporting his position to the base. These actions saved his life.
6. Chris Kyle
Kyle is known as being the most deadly sniper in the history of the US. His kill count states that he took out 150 enemies during his tour but according to his memoir, his kill count stands at over 200. He was such a force that the Iraqi military put a price on his head. The enemy hunting him, should they be successful, would be awarded $80,000. Kyle and a friend were tragically killed. Former marine Eddie Ray Routh went to a shooting range with him, as part of a dedicated program that helped veterans to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. Routh then shot him in the head, with neither Kyle nor his friend’s pistol being fired.