How many here actually know legit navy seals? Like no chit slithering through sewers and slitting throats and banging hot chicks kind of navy seals?

My cousin was a SEAL, at the time referred to a Blue Berets if my memory is correct) was doing recon missions in North Viet Nam in the early ‘60’s…..long before most of America had even heard of Viet Nam!

He doesn’t talk a lot about what all he was involved in!

I have a friend that was a pretty “bad ass” individual that was in Special Forces and a “tunnel rat”! Had a necklace of gold teeth! memtb

We've not remained in contact but when I was in the Navy, specifically language school - I was fortunate enough to consider 2 of them friends. One of which was there from being a BUDs instructor. Great dude, funny as hell. We stood a couple fire watches together. Had a kick ass 77/76 Bronco too.

I have a friend that I shoot with that was a Seal in the Vietnam era. He’s in his 70’s now. I asked him once what was the deepest he ever dove. 360’, just amazing. Hell of a nice guy. Doesn’t make a big deal about it and proud of his service

Know a fam that has one.
Clean cut young kid.

I know about 30 active and retired Seals, they are good people with many and varied talents Most are good family men. Rio7

I can't say.

If I did I'd have to kill you.

LOL

The OP asks thousands of people on this board if they have even known a SEAL in their lifetime....and you come up with THIRTY???

C'mon man, seriously?

He could be so lucky

I was in the Navy just after 9/11 and I only ever saw maybe 30 SEALs together in one place - 1 time. Training deal I got to be part of. That was it. So about 12 hours out of 4 years, 3 months and 17 days - I can say I saw more than 5 together at one point.

That was a great movie.

I’ve known three- all retired. Two were Vietnam Era lows UDT/BUDS classes, other one in both Gulf Wars then was working for Blackwater or something similar (He told me “FBI” wink wink”) in the late 2000s early teens.

Does seem like a lot of navy seals to know? I could see 1-2 maybe 3 but golly gees 30????

oh, and let me add self confidence oozed from their pours. Same feeling I got on talking to Chuck Yeager. Their is pretend Alpha and the real deal.

No Seals...
But have served with plenty of cats that went onto SF and Delta...

Pshaw.

Burns knows *all* of them!

Don’t forget green berets

My BIL is ex Seal, ex Annapolis grad. I don't know much about what he did as he was already out due to a bad knee when he married my SIL & he didn't elaborate much.

After getting out, he worked for DOD until he retired. I do know he went to ME & Afghanistan several times to conduct training.

Shot pistols with him a few times & he could shoot pretty well. Liked Sig's.

MM

Not going to discuss this on a public forum.

OK, before I blast you, have you ever lived near Little creek or Coronado?

Next, I’m shocked that you say most are good family men, when the acknowledged divorce rate for SeALS is like 80%. Of course, it could be the wives having all the affairs…

So, I think you’d do yourself a favor by explaining how you made all your SeAL contacts. You could give us a good story. I’m giving the opportunity ….

Ooh secret squirrel stuff…

I have a cousin who was a SEAL. Worst part about he was Army Infantry for 4 years before going over to the Sleep Eat And Lift. Honestly I don't know him that well since he was about 3 years older than I am and lived in town growing up so I'd only see him a handful of times each year.

We had a SEAL attached to us for a while in Afghanistan (2 months maybe?) and a bunch of them came and stayed out at our BCP for a couple of weeks. The only one I got to know very well was the one attached to us.

Thank you for your service, Teal.

There was probably 15 guys from the 101st alone in my commo class.

The old wildlife trooper here used to be a seal. Complete a-hole by most of the stories I have heard.

I know a reservist seal. Does that count?

18E?

I know SF live in their own world. I was at Lewis and Carson we saw green berets but they do/did not generally associate with conventional Army guys. Would they answer dumb ass question sure they would. But you were not going to get invited to a backyard SF bbq. So for a guy to say he knows 30 navy seals is quite the accomplishment, for them to allow him in their world.

He probably gives five of them free hunts each year.

And follows the Texas rule of “multiply by six”

LOL

We had a ton of seals on the boat (submarine), hell every hull piercing had two seals. 😁

Question - would those running selection have been required to pass selection? I worked with a guy, Major who was a Ranger and he was the first guy I ever met to really harp on the difference between being "Ranger Qualified" and being in a battalion. Claimed to have been an officer that oversaw parts of selection. Always wondered about it.

I think he's just confused "guys in the Navy" with actual SEALS.

I am friends with one retired SEAL.

Solid family man--wife, three kids. His oldest is ROTC right now. Works in the medical industry.

He was pre-9/11.

He was "Bullet-Proof" (lots of action--never got hit). He was not "Rock-Proof", however.

On a parachute drop, the wind took him into some rocks and severely inured his back.

He deals with that and severe tinnitus now.

BMT

I do not know any, though I chewed some of the same ground with some many years ago! Our current Congressman in the 3rd district was a Seal, Van Orden! Seems like a squared away dude! I take that back, one of my mentors on Ski Patrol years ago in Winter Park, Co was a Seal, Viet Nam! His name was Lloyd!

A good friend of ours has 4 sons…1 is a SEAL, 1 is a SWCC boat driver, 1 (2nd youngest) texted us 2 weeks ago and told us that he had his BUD/S assignment. The 2nd youngest has been training for this and it’s all those 3 boys wanted to do since they were young. The youngest boy has Downs Syndrome and will require full time care for his entire life. The juxtaposition of 3 men from the same family that are the epitome of the self-sufficient warrior and their youngest brother is the epitome of the sweet kid with Downs that will rely on others for his everyday needs.

I’ve “known” 1 other SEAL in my life (that I know of). He attends our church when he’s in town visiting .. he’s given small group “talks” at church and once spent an hour and a half talking about his story. That was one of the fastest 1.5 hours I’ve ever experienced. I was wearing a T-Shirt he’d given me in Disneyland years ago when another guy came up to me and introduced himself. He is the neighbor of the SEAL in San Clemente or wherever and we struck up a conversation….it’s a small world sometimes.

I never got to know any SEALs of AF PJs but I did drop them for training. We dropped SF too. SEALs were a different breed in my association with them. They were nice guys but there was something about them that was kind of like LE dogs. They wag their tail but you know they can FUBAR you PDQ.

SFAS was all SF tabbed guys. There are officers in charge of it, but the actual course is run by the NCOs. There might of been officers at the graduation, but I honestly don't remember.

I never tried for the SMU stuff so can't comment on that.

Oh there is a world of difference between having the Ranger Tab (ranger qualified) and just having the Scroll ie being in Bn.

And to be fair - I don't know what he meant by "oversaw" either. That's kinda vague. Approve expense reports or in the woods with NODs? both sort of fit the definition lol.

I'm pretty sure this is legit. Rio hosts hunts on his extensive ranch for disabled vets amongst others.

Couple things, in the Army you don't instruct a course you haven't graduated. I went to Ranger school from the 82nd making me "Ranger qualified". Never served in Ranger regiment.
All Cadre in SFAS are Green Berets in good standing.

IIRC he was a Bn guy. Been a good 10 years since we talked, which reminds me - he has one of my old Magpul videos yet.

Yeah, I wanted 18C my MOS wish list was Charlie,Bravo,Echo and Delta although if I would of got Delta I would stayed in the regular Army.

Worked with seals all my life, mostly they are not as 79S described. Mostly they kept fluids in and dirt and moisture out.

I remember yrs and yrs ago my company cdr had a ranger tab and we told him guys from regiment said having the scroll was more important than the tab. He stopped smiling and said those ph uckers had no idea what they were talking about. I can say I known plenty of Army Rangers. One of my good friends grew up in regiment.

Rene:

Career military.

Never met a SEAL.

RIO7:

Landlocked, desert rancher:

Knows 30 SEALS.


LOL

Had a good friend that was a Seal, known 4 green berets, all Bad Ass's a different breed of men.

Well to be fair as an Infantry officer you're usually not going very far without a Ranger Tab. My understanding is that in Regiment once you reach a certain rank you are pretty much required to go to Ranger School anyhow.

STFU Mr. clot shot enforcer

I know one Green Beret. He is 80 something, about 5'6" buck 30 now, drunk a lot, great personality.

I know no one that wants to F with him.

'Flave - you're seriously underestimating the man.

My neighbor was a former seal. When I knew him he was working in counterterrorism with a three letter agency. First time I met him I asked what he’d done in the military, and he said he spent time on subs. I figured out later he was riding to work on them.

Old70

OK dude. Lol

Can you find your own dick ?

My wish list was: Charlie, Bravo, Delta, Charlie. Wrote a note off to side "if you're going to make me an Echo, I'll come back in 6 months when you need a Charlie!"
I had already been Cadre at Sapper school so it was an easy sell. Haha

Ranger tab for enlisted infantrymen goes a long ways as well. Majority of CSM’s in the infantry world have the ranger tab. You want to see a sad infantrymen with a ranger tab? Send them to an Armor battalion.

Why are you looking for it?

My cousin's brother in law started with the tab and ended up as a Kiowa pilot. He always said it seemed to give him opportunities. He was a Ranger tho, not just qualified.

Of course they would have had to been qualified with time and experience to be a instructor.
Whether it be in batt or line dog unit world.
I was just a line dog 11B and was not a tab wearer.
But also had plenty of Identifiers for me to stand up and instruct and not fake the funk.
Screwed me with alot of responsibilities at times others in same pay grade never got tasked with.
But also made alot of connections from it all also.
Don't regret a minute of it.
I never blended comfortably into the background.

My platoon in 3rd ACR had the only 2 enlisted 19Deltas with Ranger tabs I ever saw. I got a bullet point on my NCOER because they both worked for me when the went to Ranger School.

I would say the minority of the officers had a tab, maybe 25%.

It is legit.

Rio7 has hosted dozens of SEALs and their families on his place and hundreds of other wounded military members and their families. I've had the honor of guiding some of their family members on his place and I'll echo his comment on them being great family men. Not perfect, but solid men.

Ed

Thanks Rene - makes sense. I don't know, exactly, what he was doing in that role from an RRE perspective or what he meant exactly by "oversaw parts of selection" either but I guess it makes sense. Qualified in areas to teach areas, don't have to be an end to end expert.

I know 1 no longer active duty SEAL pretty well...have shot and hunted with him pretty often. He is currently working as a Contractor at an Embassy somewhere. Have casually met a few of his fellow team members, but wouldn't say I know them. Am very good friends with a former SWCC who is now a Cdr working in Naval Intelligence. Also good friends with a former 5th SFG Green Beret and have a cousin who is an Active Duty Marine Raider. Know some Nam era Force Recon and Army SF guys through my old man

My Dad was a Green Beret. Retired an E-8. Finest man I’ve ever known.

I wrote a brief explanation on the football thread Cowboy's and some one else hope it answers some of you're Questions. Rio7

KSMITH lives 60 miles from me...

Never met him...

You must be underwater.

Dude...
I had a CSM in G3 last tour in Korea.
19K with a Ranger Tab
Black dude.
He was not happy about not getting a Battalion.

Both majors
All us 7 and 8,s
Our 6,s and below
Jump Toc and Jump Tac
Complete set up and run G3
Security responsible was my 12 hour shift with 2 sqds of 11B,s

All of us 11 Series except our CSM

Dude was like fuuug me I'm in 11 land...
But he knew his schit and how to run things.
Technical and Tactical highly proficient
He was probably one of the very few black CSM tab holders in the Army per Armor Branch.

Only other ones I had was CSM Jerry Wilson in 1/ 502nd
And CSM Jochim Diaz in 1/502nd.
Both useless...
One KIA who got one of my soldiers KIA also...
Diaz went over to the Rakkasans as BDE CSM.
Then retired and then Crabtree made BDE CSM over their.
I used to fuuk with Crabtree so fuukkng bad when he was a young e5 in scouts in 2/327th.
Red on the noodle like a Peter on a poodle is what I used to taunt him with.
Ran into his alky dirt bag unshaven needing a haircut self.
At wally world about 1.5 yrs ago.
Total civilian looking unkempt dirt bag appearance.

Looked like deer in the headlights when he seen me.
I'm like do I know you???
I'm Crabtree man.
I just chuckled and actually apologized to him for fuuuking with him long ago.
We talked for about 15 mins.

He smelled like booze at 11 or 12 in the morning.
Whatever..
Was looking for fishing stuff.


It's a small planet.....

I’ve personally met more green berets than seals, and that was one. I’ve sure met a lot that claimed to be SEALS or their buddy is, etc.

Charlie Sheen was great in that movie.

I'm sure a few SF types met a good friend of mine from long ago in line dog world then went SF and wound up at Bragg assigned to selection.
MSG Loftin.

They probably even heard the fat Eskimo chick with diarrhea changing into a black nighty story in Fairbanks too.
🤣🤣🤣

Yep. EN1 Commeree was my LPO for a hot minute.
5’-5” of pure badass.

Worked with one after he got out.
Knew his stuff. Was a buddy of Val Kilmer.
He worked with Val’s dad……
Another guy that was a SEAL and then an instructor for SEALs taught my daughter to shoot in California
Very nice guy.

Sort of, woman at work had a brother who was a recent SEAL. He was an officer and went right to BUDS from college (some Maritime school in New York City). He had 11 years in and broke both his shoulders in a parachute jump getting blown across a rock jetty! Double shoulder replacement.

He got out on a full disability, graduated from Harvard business school and runs a successful business!

Didn't read all the previous replies but wanted to tell my encounter.

I know a guy that claims to be a Navy SEAL Sniper from the Vietnam War. He tells EVERYONE that he encounters and wears a SEAL hat, etc...

Started watching Don Shipley on YouTube and how he calls out phony seals and learned that I could have Don verify (or not) if someone is actually a SEAL for a $20 donation and an email with some of the persons basic info.

Got an email back the next day from Don Shipley stating that the guy I know is not and has never completed BUDS training and is not in the SEAL database. He told me that I should do a FOIA request to get the guys service record to see what he did in the military, or if he was even in the military.

Absolutely astounds me that someone would lie about something like that.

The Dr. that delivered my youngest was a SEAL.

Dr. Michael Nolan.


He passed away a couple years ago.

Haha.

Tell us about all the MLB players you know…

😂😂😂😂

Not a Seal, but I worked for a year side by side with 3 former Delta guys. One of them was Speedy, mentioned in the book “Not a Good Way to Die”. Great group of guys and really opened our eyes to different training methodologies.

Please think, guys - think ! Blue has no reason to lie - to anyone, about anything - and particularly to the lesser experienced and the loudmouths. If you would like to understand how that has happened, try asking. For you to push the ridicule might be self-embarrasing. (add Rooster, tzone, BigDave, hatari, etc.)

What?

Oh and we did piss off a Seal team once. They train here at Ft Knox on the Salt river with their river craft and the MOUT site in Mount Eden. We had a group of students doing a recon mission run right through their ops. They were pissed. We regrouped the students, had them do an about face, and hauled ass away.
They live fire along the Salt River quite a bit.

Just noticed that Ed stepped up and explained some of the why and how of the "30". All well and good.

Reasonable doubt is one thing and that is good - riducule based on ignorance is another.

Only ever knew one. He was a bad ass and nucking futs crazy. Absolutely fearless. He did a few tours in Vietnam and didn’t talk about it - unless he was drunk. He once told me about being assigned to capture a NVC General. He snuck into the guy’s house at night and got him; then swam back across the river with him in tow. I asked him how the hell he managed the swim with a struggling prisoner. His answer - oh, he didn’t struggle at all! 😬

I was a 19D with a Ranger Tab. Went as a E7. We had quite a few 19D’s in the 82nd go through. We also had a guy (SSG) get both the Ranger tab and Sapper tab.
Son got his tab as a CPT in the medical support branch, and he is now a MAJ in USASOC.

Why didn't you teach your daughter to shoot?

Back in the early 80s selected Navy SEALs went to Army service schools. I was in one school with a couple of them. For the first week they would only talk to the SF guys but after that they lightened up some. They had some stories.

I was in Armored Cav for all of my Regular Army time (8 years). Airborne, Air Assault and Ranger for Enlisted were pretty much a pipe dream.

I've posted before about a good friend of mine of 33 years, another writer, who was a Navy SEAL, Vietnam service. He died 2½ years ago, stomach cancer, a result of Agent Orange. I asked him about the BUD/S training and he told me how rough it was. He said, however, he had an edge on the other "tadpoles" because he was born and raised in Los Angeles. He began swimming, then surfing, and SCUBA diving in the Pacific Ocean at a very early age, so he was used to the really cold water. The other "tadpoles" were not and the cold water was a contributing cause of many of them either quitting or being dropped.

I know another SEAL who is now retired but had in 21 years. I ran into a young man at the gym who was writing up contracts there where he worked. He told me he'd been a Navy SEAL but had had to quit because of a really screwed up knee. There was something about hm that just did not ring quite legitimate to me, so I e-mailed the SEAL i knew who was stationed at that time at the SEAL base in Little Creek, Virginia. I told him the guy's name and his claim, and I wondered if he'd actually been a SEAL??

My friend E-mailed me and said to give him a couple of days and he'd get back to me. He did later and in his e-mail he stated, "The young man has not been forthcoming with you. He was in BUD/S for several weeks, but was DFP, Dropped For Performance. "

The next time I was at the gym, he was gone. Never saw him again.

So it goes.

L.W.

I thought he was coming to kick your ass? He didn’t show? Who wouldda guessed?

A friend of mine has gotten close with a group of seals that train at a huge place he has access to in South Georgia. He routinely sends me pictures of pigs he has shot using some of their crazy night vision stuff. Not standard stuff any of us can buy, but real battle tested equipment

I’ve got a much smaller piece of property the same friend hunts some and he brought one of the seal guys with him one day. Guy was in his late 20s not real tall and very lean/wiry. Had hearing aids due to being too close to blasts without ear pro in combat. They went back on the property to put up a stand and my buddy said the seal climbed the tree like a monkey to set the stand. The guy was very humble

Deployed. Commissary. You're supposed to tip him once he gets your bags in the truck - they work for tips.

I have lots of nut-swingers...

None ever show.

Sad part is Laura usually has warm cookies waiting...

Not only do I know a bunch but 4 of them came to my retirement ceremony in 2014. I was a member of Riverine Squadron One and we worked with both SEALs and SWCC.

My nephew is an active seal, always tells my his mom he’s training in Germany and Norway. His dad was 101st airborne.

Yep. I know a couple. Dove hunting with one and the boy could handle a shotgun 😊

When my son was in the Navy i met several and they were all good guys.

The good ones don't like to tell everyone what they have done or do.

I would trust them because i know them.

If true, I apologize for giving you schidt, Rio.

And I also commend you for doing that for our vets.

I worked for an old man that was UDT in the Pacific was wounded at Okinawa. He swam at Iwo Jima, Tinion and Okinawa. Kamakazi sunk his ship at Okinawa. One of the finest men I've known, I was proud to call him a friend.

I know one... was in Vietnam... He has a picture of his graduating class (buds) on the wall in his living room. Does not really talk about it much or make a big deal of it. Overall a great guy who would help you if you needed it.

The fact that Blu didn’t respond to you all’s ridicule is a testament to his character. Believe him when he says he knows thirty seals. Some very high profile people hunt his place. Security is a high priority and they use the best they can find. Probably acquainted with more than that. Those are just the ones he knows personally.

Good on you Rooster. Seems like a few others should man up and do the same.

He was a good man. Delivered my first son, while wearing cowboy boots and blue jeans.

I worked for an FCCS/E8 on my first ship. He’d gotten broken up somehow and couldn’t continue being a SEAL. He was small guy, probably 5’6” and 150 pounds. Would do the PRT push-ups on one arm. Never learned any specifics of what or where he did his time while with them. He was a seriously squared away and professional guy. Later I learned he’d got commissioned. I don’t if it was in the regular navy or as a limited duty officer.

Good man, Rooster - this speaks so highly of you.

I have met a few while down at RIO7's place during hunting season. Some of that time, Ed too many letters was there too. I don't have a count but several. miles

Don't know any seals,my oldest is a green beret. He is an all around solid humble dude, loves his mother, loves his dog, good example and mentor for his younger siblings. He is an incredible shot and a skilled operator.

My buddy James, y'all may have seen pics of him from years back when he hunted Nilgia with Doc and me. he was a green beret in the Gulf Wars. We went to school together, built hotrods, etc.

I'm heading to Kokomo In. tomorrow for a huge Vietnam Vets reunion. Almost every reunion since 2011 I've met some Navy Seals that are still classified and can't talk about what they have done along with Rangers, and the Green Berets . No Deltas yet.

Yes, there's a difference between the two.


Frog-----OUT!

I know one green beret. Have never met any seals

I do…

You weren't "just a line dog". You were the backbone of the Army. Also known as a leader of good men. I'll take 100 of your kind to one tab. Just my take on it all.

kwg

Don't know any, but have met a few. There is a Seal coldwater training detachment in Kodiak. You drive past it going out to the Kodiak dump. They used to come work out at our CG Gym.

Two - one I ‘knew’ a little better than the other.

One was my buddies neighbor. Vietnam era. Multiple tours. He had POW plates. He raised Flemish Giant rabbits and was also certified Bird Of Prey recovery person. Whatever that’s called. Never spoke to him about his service at all, but I did buy a rabbit off him. I asked once about his service and made it clear he did not want to talk about it. Then the next time I saw him, he offered me a book to read called Devils With Green Faces. There was a picture of him in it, with another soldier, and they were holding up a dead VC’s head much like you would raise a trophy bucks for a snapshot. He was an odd bird. We had a love of rabbits in common.

Other was my knife service guy, for like literally 30 years. Every restaurant from Boston north that I worked at, I used his service. So I’d see him at work every other week during that stretch when he was working his route. Great guy. Incredibly affable. Little Italian. Did a lot of tunnel work in Vietnam, I guess. Cambodia. All over that mess. Multiple tours. I asked him about the book the other ex SEAL had given me to read, and he said he knew him.

Once, when he was coming through the kitchen grabbing our knives, I was im the process of cleaning soft shell crabs and he exclaimed “holy schitt, you’re skinning him alive!” And I chuckled mirthfully and responded “well I bet you’ve seen that before”….

There was a lonnng awkward silence and he very quietly said. “Yes. Yes I have.” He did not say another word that day, which was unusual. Just silently went about replacing all the knives and slipped out without saying goodbye. I felt bad about it.

Another time, he came through for the knives and I was in the midst of throwing a tirade at my staff for burning a large quantity of pine nuts. I was pounding my fist on the table berating my sous chef over the burned nuts and saying how I hated the smell of burning nuts because it smelled like burning money. I screamed a rhetorical question at my sous chef - “can you think of anything that smells worse than burning nuts?!!!”, my knife guy quietly said “i can. A big pile of burning bodies.”

That was another awkward silence and quiet exit day.

He’s retired now chilling with his family. I miss seeing him.

Had a neighbor who was a few years older than me.

He joined the Navy in '64.

Saw him years later and asked him about his service in 'Nam and if he was a Seal.

All He would say was he was in special forces.

I told him I'd never heard if he had made it back, and he said he knew "X" amount of them didn't.

Virgil B.

Does Underwater Demolition Team members AKA "Frogmen" count? Once in a while, early sixties, we'd see some of them after they had cleared the beaches during landing exercises or having a few beers in the service clubs. I don't think they had evolved into what the Seals are today but I believe most of us considered them as capable of handling higher risk, tougher jobs then we ever even considered. Best I recall most of them were "lifers" and a little or in some cases a lot older than us. On liberty they seemed like pretty low key, easy going guys.

A good friend of mine, hunting and fishing buddy was in Marine Recon Battalion and his brother was a SEAL. They both told some good stories but at a point, when I continued to ask question of the SEAL he said I can't tell you anymore.