In the Korean War, SEALs began to broaden their horizon of skills from just clearing beach obstacles to destroying railroad bridges and tunnels behind enemy lines. This was some of the first guerilla warfare SEALs were involved in. In 1966, SEALs arrived in Vietnam, but it wasn?t until 1968 that they reached a peak strength of about one hundred men (Gendzel 941). T

On the land, the SEALs are known for their offensive tactics. In their attacks, they utilize the element of surprise. They strike an enemy target without warning and escape without being detected. Being able to overwhelm a target area by saturating it with a hail of bullets either eliminates an enemy or gives time for outnumbered SEALs to retreat (Watson 179).

In the air, SEALs will often use helicopters, or one of a couple aircraft. An MH-6 Pave Hawk has a mid air refueling probe, radar altimeter, night vision, and it can also carry SEALs and their Zodiacs long distances armed with .50 mini-guns and hellfire missiles. The MC-130 can skim waters at 300 plus knots, raise the altitude and drop the airspeed to 150 knots, drop the SEALs off along with their boats, and be skimming the water again in a matter of minutes (Phil 8).

he SEALs were a very valuable resource in the environment of Vietnam. Enemy troops feared the SEALs who they referred to as the men with green faces and the green devil. SEALs earned this nickname due to their heavy camouflage. In Vietnam, most SEALs were attached to Task Force 116, the River Patrol Force stationed in the Mekong Delta and the Rung Sat Special Area (Gendzel 491). They also took part in operation GAME WARDEN, which ran from 1965 through 1968, and operation SEALORDS, which ran from 1968 through 1969. Both of these operations were designed to cut Viet Cong river supply line that were coming from Cambodia. In Vietnam, the SEALs lost 43 men killed in action. But what they are most proud of is that not a single member of their team was captured or missing in Vietnam. After the war, the SEALs emerged as the most decorated units of the conflict in Southeast Asia. Three SEALs won the Congressional Medal of Honor, and twelve more were awarded the Silver Star (Labich 92).

Navy SEALs have five primary missions: Unconventional Warfare (UW), Foreign Internal Defense (FID), Direct Action (DA), Counter Terrorism (CT), and Special Reconnaissance (SR). A SEAL platoon consists of two officers, one Chief, and 13 enlisted men. In the career of a SEAL or UDT, they can be called away from home at literally a moment?s notice. No dead SEAL has ever been left on the battlefield (Woodcock 1).

In the last week of phase 1, students will be pushed like they have never been pushed before. The purpose of hell week is to weed out the week from the strong, because instructors are looking for the best of the best. The SEALs will paddle rubber boats for hours, run a daunting obstacle course over and over, perform grueling calisthenics using 300 pound logs all while instructors scream insults at them. During the five days of the week, the students will be allowed a maximum of four hours of sleep. It is not unusual if a student hallucinates in the middle of the ocean due to a lack of sleep. Students are working out literally around the clock, being kept wet, sandy, cold, and exhausted every minute of each day (Woodcock 1). Physicians are always standing by because hypothermia, torn ligaments, and broken bones are some of the more common injuries. After the week is over, an overwhelming 70% of the class has either dropped out of the program or is failing the program.

The SEALs operate three different ways, and they also have three different types of vehicles. The Desert Patrol Vehicle (DPV) is one of the specially designed vehicles to rescue downed pilots or target a site for bombing. The DPV has three weapon stations for the crew and a passenger gun that can take the MK-19 full-auto grenade launcher or the M-60. The DPV can reach speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour. In addition to the guns, it also has two AT-4 anti-armor missiles and it can carry Stinger surface to air missiles. The DPV looks like an overgrown dune buggy that is also heavily armed. The HumVee, or Hummer, can be fitted with the M2-.50 caliber heavy machine gun, the MK-19 grenade launcher, or TOW missiles. The m

Some topics in this essay:
Total SEAL, Arabian Sea, Underwater Demolition/SEALs, Vietnam SEALs, Altitude Low, SEALs Zodiacs, Vietnam Phase, HumVee Hummer, War SEALs, SEALs Vietnam, phase 1, seal team, navy seals, vietnam seals, six month probationary, month probationary, grenade launcher, seals involved, guerilla warfare, probationary period, gun mk-19, foreign internal defense, sea land air, navy seal team, phase 1 students,