Navy Seals in Iraq

In the summer of 1941, training began for a small group of units referred to as Amphibious Scouts and Raiders, and in the spring of 1943, the first group of volunteers selected from the Naval Construction Battalions (Seabees). They were organized into special teams called "Navy Combat Demolition Units" (NCDUs) and were trained at Waimānalo, Hawai'i and Fort Pierce, Florida (the latter is the home of the Navy UDT-Seal Museum, see below for link). The units reconnoitered and cleared beach obstacles for troops going ashore during amphibious landings. They evolved into Combat Swimmer Reconnaissance Units, known as frogmen. Some of these frogmen were recruited from breath-holding divers who dived for abalones on the California coast before the war. The Navy frogmen were then sent to the top secret Camp X in Australia to train with British and Australian commandos for a possible invasion of Japan. The NCDUs distinguished themselves during World War II in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. In 1947, the Navy organized its first underwater offensive strike units. During the Korean Conflict (June 1950--June 1953) these Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs) took part in the landing at Inchon as well as other missions, including demolition raids on bridges and tunnels accessible from the water. They conducted mine-sweeping operations in harbors and rivers. Each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces formed its own counterinsurgency force. The U.S. Navy's UDT personnel formed units called SEAL teams. On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy requested the U.S. Congress to authorize the establishment of the Navy SEALs. In December 1961, Navy SEALs were authorized for operations via the Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Arleigh Burke. At 1300 hrs on January 1, 1962, SEAL Team ONE was commissioned in the Pacific Fleet and SEAL Team TWO in the Atlantic Fleet. These teams were developed to conduct unconventional warfare, counter-guerrilla warfare, and clandestine operations in both blue water and brown water environment. In 1963, the first Vietnam War-detachment, composing elements from SEAL Team One, was sent to Da Nang, Vietnam. They served under the command of the CIA Chief of Station. In 1964, SEALs became subject to the Commander-in-Chief (CINC) of Vietnam's theater forces. In 1967, the Naval Operations Support Groups were renamed "Naval Special Warfare Groups" (NSWGs) because of the increased perceived need for special operations by decision makers. In 1983, existing UDTs were renamed "SEAL teams", or "SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams", and the requirement for hydrographic reconnaissance and underwater demolition became known as "SEAL missions". In 1987, SEAL team SIX became the DEVGRU (DEVelopment GRoUp). DEVGRU is still based out of Dam Neck, Virginia. On April 4, 1987, the Naval Special Warfare Command was commissioned at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in San Diego, California. Its mission is to prepare Naval Special Warfare forces to carry out their assigned objectives and to develop special operations strategy, doctrine, and tactics. In 2002, under Operation Enduring Freedom in the Philippines, SEALs were involved in the capture and killing of a key Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorist leader[citation needed]. In March 2002, SEALs were involved in Operation Anaconda in the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, and in March 2003 participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

YouTube | March 12, 2008

Tags:. .abalones. .abu. .admiral. .afghanistan. .amphibious