Special-operations forces have been at the center of US combat operations in recent years, earning a high profile and reputation for pulling off high-risk operations.
That has not always been the case. The US special operators had to work very hard to take their place.
The US Navy Seals are among those forces. In the 60 years since their unit was formed, the SEALs have operated all over the globe, fighting on their own or in support of other US military units.
The SEALs have made their mark.
The frogmen of World War II were the origin of the Navy Seals.
The US military created special-operations units to fight Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. The Amphibious Scouts and Raiders, Special Mission Naval Combat Demolition Unit, and the Underwater Demolition Teams influenced the creation of the Navy SEALs.
During the island-hopping campaign across the Pacific, these units carried out unconventional-warfare missions in support of Marine Corps and Army units.
The Naval Special Warfare units fought in the Pacific theater, but their predecessors fought in Europe.
The D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944, were the deadliest day in the history of the Naval Special Warfare community, with 37 killed and 71 wounded in action.
In January 1962, with the war in Vietnam about to start, President John F. Kennedy gave the go-ahead for the creation of two new teams.
The Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training was the same as it had been before the Underwater Demolition Teams were absorbed by the SEAL Teams.
Navy SEALs have participated in almost all major US military operations since their inception.
The most famous mission of the Navy Seals was in May 2011.
In the middle of the night, a group of Navy Seals from the Naval Special Warfare Development Group flew from Afghanistan to Abbottabad, Pakistan, where they raided a compound believed to be that of Osama bin Laden.
The rescue of the captain of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama, who was taken hostage by pirates off the coast of Africa in April 2009, was conducted by Navy Seals.
A squadron from the Naval Special Warfare Development Group parachuted into the Indian Ocean and linked up with US warships to watch the situation.
When the Navy commander on the scene determined that life was in danger, the pirates had takenPhillips off the cargo ship and were trying to negotiate with him. The three pirates were hit in their heads by the three SEALs who ended the standoff.
The opening hours of the 2003 invasion of Iraq saw Navy SEALs and Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen work with Polish and British special-operations forces to attack and capture several Iraqi oil platforms.
Millions of barrels of oil were funneled into supertankers every day as the end of Iraq's only oil line to the Persian Gulf was near. US officials were worried that Iraqi forces would use them to dump oil into the Gulf and that they would be dispatched to destroy them.
When they saw our guns, they put their hands up.
In the 2000s, the operations of the navy increased. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 resulted in a 50% increase in the ranks of the SEALs. The largest number of Navy Seals in history were employed in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The Medal of Honor, the nation&s highest award for bravery under fire, has been earned by four of the seven Navy Seals who have received it. The other three got it for their actions in the war.
The Navy Seals solidified their status as a household name with the killing of Osama bin Laden. The experience of being part of the operation in Abbottabad has drawn former Navy SEALs into second careers as pundits, authors, and motivational speakers.
Their fame has helped the Navy with recruitment, but it has come at a cost to the unit. Drug abuse, assault, and allegations of war crimes have damaged the Navy SEALs reputation.
Let's be honest. Over the last 10 years or so, we have dropped the ball several times. A former Navy SEAL officer told Insider that public fascination with the media has played a part in our stepping into the spotlight, but we went along with it.
A 2012 movie that was commissioned by Naval Special Warfare Command and starred active-duty SEALs has come out in recent years.
There is only one way back to the shadows where we belong, and that is by keeping our mouths shut, according to the former officer. There should be a middle ground.
A defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran, and a graduate of the University of Baltimore, are some of the things that Stavros Atlamazoglou is.
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