Page Nine

Barry W. Enoch   R.I.P

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Chief Gunner’s Mate Barry W. Enoch, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism on 9 April 1970 in connection with operations against enemy forces in the Republic of Vietnam.

  While serving with a detachment of Sea-Air-Land Team ONE (SEAL-1), Chief Petty Officer Enoch was the Senior Advisor and radioman/grenadier to a combined United States Vietnamese SEAL combat patrol against the Viet Cong infrastructure leaders in Long Phu District, Ba Xuyen Province. 

After insertion and patrolling to the target area, Chief Petty Officer Enoch observed six armed Viet Cong attempting to evade. Rushing forward and exposing himself to hostile fire, he succeeded in accounting for three enemy casualties. The SEALs then came under intense B-40 rocket and automatic weapon fire. Realizing that his small force was surrounded, Chief Petty Officer Enoch deployed his men in a defensive perimeter, and although under intense fire, continually shifted position to more effectively employ his weapon, relocate his men, and survey the enemy’s locations and tactics. 

Although his radio was damaged by enemy fire, Chief Petty Officer Enoch directed fixed-wing and helicopter air strikes on the enemy’s positions, some strikes as close as twenty meters to his position. With his men running low on ammunition and still encircled, Chief Petty Officer Enoch directed air strikes on the shortest route between his position and the river, and then led the patrol through the enemy encirclement before the latter could close the gap caused by the air strikes. 

By his heroic and decisive efforts in the face of almost overwhelming odds, Chief Petty Officer Enoch was directly responsible for the safe extraction of the patrol members and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. 

General Orders: Authority: Navy Department Board of Decorations and Medals Action Date: 9-Apr-70 Service: Navy Rank: Chief Gunner’s Mate Company: Sea-Air-Land Team 1 (SEAL-1)

John Duggar, Hal Kuykendall, Cort Traylor and larry Metzler
Enoch Boykin Kassa

From: Pete Slempa,
Date: 28Dec2012
BARRY AS A NAVY RECRUITING ZONE SUPERVISOR

DURING THE PERIOD OF 1973 TO 1976 I WAS THE CHIEF RECRUITER FOR NRD PORTLAND,OREGON AND HAD THE HONOR OF SERVING ONCE AGAIN WITH BARRY, THE SOUTHERN ZONE SUPERVISOR. BARRY AND I BOTH SERVED IN ST-1, BUT IN DIFFERENT PLATOONS. AS PLANK OWNERS OF ST-1 BARRY AND I MAY HAVE BEEN IN NAM AT THE SAME TIME, BUT IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AND POSITIONS. OUR PATHS CROSSED MANY TIME IN MY 11 YEARS WITH THE TEAM BUT SELDOM DID WE MEET.

BARRY WAS ASSIGNED AS SOUTHERN ZONE SUPERVISOR WHEN I REPORTED ON BOARD NRD PORTLAND IN JUNE OF 1973. AS THE NEW CHIEF RECRUITER I SCHEDULED A ZONE SUPERVISOR CONFERENCE AT H.Q. AND BECAME REACQUAINTED WITH BARRY AND HIS LOVELY BRIDE LOLETA.

IT WAS BARRY’S LEADERSHIP SKILLS THAT MADE THE SOUTHERN ZONE THE ONE TO BEAT ON MAKING AND MANY TIMES EXCEEDING ALL ASSIGNED RECRUITING GOALS. THAT WAS EXCEPTIONAL BECAUSE OF THE 5 ZONES COVERING THREE STATES SOUTHERN ZONE EXCELLED. BARRY UNDERSTOOD THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DELEGATING RESPONSIBILITY AND THE ART PRAISING IN PUBLIC AND REPRIMANDING IN PRIVATE.

THE RANKS OF ST-1 PLANK OWNERS ARE DWINDLING AND AS A UNIT WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN ONCE AGAIN WE CROSS PATHS WITH THOSE GONE BEFORE US. LIFE BEGINS AS A SUNRISE AND ENDS AS A SUNSET. IT IS WHAT WE DO IN-BETWEEN THAT ESTABLISHES OUR STATUS AS A WARRIOR.

FAREWELL BARRY AND HOOYAH TEAMMATE.

MCPO PETE SLEMPA –RET.

I am sure the Bear is guarding the streets with a Stoner and catching up on old stories with his Brother and Team Mate, Bill Machen .

One of the swimming instructors from Buds that was Dick Allen’s Partner during Bears time is my shipmate Carl Fletcher, although like me, not a team guy Carl has a warm spot for all the UDT/SEAL Guys; especially those he helped make it over the hump. Bear can also watch the Wooden Butterflies on San Clemente Island over at Northwest Harbor. God Bless Him and may he be at rest.

V/R John WestJohn Westfall (UDT/SEAL NW)

Franklin Anderson

to: Bill, Chester, Clarence, d.harrist, Doc, Don, Don, Ferman, Francis, Gerry, Harold, Harry, Jack, Joe, Ken, Lee, Lloyd, Mack, Phil, Phil, ron, Rudy, Steve, Susie, Tom
date: 30Dec2012

We have lost another SEAL ICON—Barry was the epitome of A SEAL WARRIOR—He was a Plank Owner of SEAL TEAM ONE,, Later an instructor, and also was on the raid the Bob Kerrey received the MOH—Barry had a son in the Special Forces. A GREAT LOSS –RIP Franklin

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TEAMATES:  SEALs at WAR
by:  Barry W. Enoch, Chief Gunners Mate, U.S. Navy (Ret.)  with Gregory A. Walker

http://www.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=4150 "Bear" Enoch, Navy Cross
From: gary lee
To: docrio45  [at] gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2010 
Subject: Names of the Dirty Doze

 

Doc Rio- 

Let me begin by saying that I love your website and it is an honor to address you. I feel a little out of my league in addressing you as I have read of your bravery and dedication in several accounts concerning your interactions with Seal Teams. I have never served in the military, though my father fought and was wounded in the Aleutians in WW 2, and 2 of my older brothers served in the fleet. 

So I mean you nothing but respect and honor. Welcome home. I read on one of your pages that you were trying to identify the members of the now famous “Dirty Dozen” photo as to who was who. 

In Barry Enoch’s book he identifies the team as follows:  

Lt. (?) Bliss Lt. 
Scott Lyon 
David Wilson 
Dale Moses 
Steve Frisk 
Mike Beanan 
Chip Maury 
Don Crawford
Barry Enoch 
John Ware
Bud Gardner 
Larry Hubbard 
Chip Maury is in the glasses on the far right. Barry Enoch is kneeling in front of him David Wilson is behind Barry Enoch with the blackened face. Mike Beanan is 2nd from the left in the front row. Scotty Lyon is 2nd from the left standing.

Bud Gardner is the person kneeling with an M-60 next to Barry Enoch
John Ware is behind David Wilson.

 This is as far as I have been able to ascertain so far. I know that several of the team have written to you, and as you all seem to share such a close nit brotherhood,

 I may actually be providing what little I know much too late. Thanks again for your career, and I have no idea, but I hope this little helps. 

Sincerely,  Gary Lee.

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Barry Enoch, Book Signing
ALPHA Platoon SEAL Team ONE 'nam
ALPHA SEAL Platoon with Captured Medical Cache
Barry W. Enoch
Beanan & Frisk
Billy W. Machen KIA
Billy W. Machen KIA 'nam
Steve Frisk
SEAL, SEAL, Barry W. Enoch
SEAL walking in Agent Orange Defoliation
Solano KIA 'nam

WEBMASTER NOTE: I would like to label all these photos with the SEALs names, somebody out there from SEAL Team ONE, ‘nam war games please help me.    Doc Riojas

SEAL Team ONE 'nam "The Dirty Dozen"
Billy Wayne Machen
SCPO Don Shipley
Marcus Luttrell 2012

Jack N. Reynolds  R.I.P.

Norfolk VA. –
Jack Neal Reynolds, 87, passed away
proudly served his country in the United
States Navy, serving in WWII and and the
Korean Conflict. While in the Navy he
served on UDT teams 2 and 21. After
retiring from the Navy, Jack began a career
with North Ship Co., where he retired
after 15 years.

Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Patrick D. Feeks

Feeks grew up wanting to be a Navy SEAL. He enlisted in the Navy in 2006 and then completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training and advanced training. He served with a West Coast-based SEALunit beginning in May 2008. After serving two tours of duty in Iraq, Feeks was deployed to Afghanistan in December. 

The Sunday beforehe was killed, he sent an email to his family saying he felt like he was doing what he was supposed to do, his father, Thomas said. When Feeks? family got the news that he had been killed in a helicopter crash, they were devastated. But they knew the risks their son was taking, Virginia said. ?We all knew thiscould happen,? she said. Feeks was an avid reader, bicyclist and triathlete. He also had an interest in guns. 

 He left behind a wife, Emily, his parents and sister, Regina, who is in the Navy.

Feeks? awards and decorations include the Bronze Star with Valor, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal,National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal,Global War On Terror Service Medal, Global War On Terror Expeditionary Medal,  Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the NATO Service Medal, Expert Rifle Marksmanship Medaland the Expert Pistol Marksmanship Medal.

 http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/local/edgewater-seal-buried-at-arlington/article_
6c2db4a0-4b4c-53ef-a0af-bd3ed7973d94.html

Former SEAL reacts to tell-all book

Seals Reveal Truth about Bin Laden Raid Seals Reveal Truth about Bin Laden Raid

From: fastphil [at] rochester DOT rr DOT com
Date: Wed, Aug 22, 2012
Subject: Seals Reveal Truth about Bin Laden Raid
To: lrdthree [at] gmail DOT com 

 

Osama Bin Laden was killed within 90 seconds of the US Navy Seals landing in his compound and not after a protracted gun battle, according to the first account by the men who carried out the raid. The operation was so clinical that only 12 bullets were fired. The Seals have spoken out because they were angered at the version given by politicians, which they see as portraying them as cold-blooded murderers on a kill mission. They were also shocked that PresidentBarack 0bama announced Bin Laden’s death on television the same evening, rendering useless much of the intelligence they had seized. 

Chuck Pfarrer, a former commander of Seal Team 6, which conducted the operation, has interviewed many of those who took part for a book, Seal Target Geronimo, to be published in the US this week. 

<palign=”left”> The Seals own accounts differ from the White House version, which gave the impression that Bin Laden was killed at the end of the operation rather than in its opening seconds. Pfarrer insists Bin Laden would have been captured had he surrendered.

  There isn’t a politician in the world who could resist trying to take credit for getting Bin Laden but it devaluedthe intelligence and gave time for every other Al-Qaeda leader to scurry to another bolthole, said Pfarrer.

  The men who did this and their valorous act deserve better. It’s a pretty shabby way to treat these guys. The first hint of the mission came in January last year when the team’s commanding officer was called to a meeting at the headquarters of joint special operations command. The meeting was held in a soundproof bunker three stories below ground with his boss, Admiral William McRaven, and a CIA officer. 

They told him a walled compound in Pakistan had been under surveillance for a couple of weeks. They were certain a high-value individual was inside and needed a plan to present to the president. It had to be someone important. So is this Bert or Ernie? he asked. The Seals nicknames for Bin Laden and his deputyAyman al-Zawahiri are a reference to two Muppets in Sesame Street, one tall and thin and the other short and fat. We have a voice print, said the CIA officer, and were 60% or 70% certain it’s our guy. McRaven added that a reconnaissance satellite had measured the targets shadow. Over 6ft tall. 

When McRaven added they would use Ghost Hawk helicopters, the team leader had no doubt. These are the most classified, sophisticated stealth helicopters ever developed, said Pfarrer. They are kept in locked hangars and fly so quiet we call it whisper mode. Over the next couple of months a plan was hatched. A mock-up of the compound was built at Tall Pines, an army facility in a national forest somewhere in the eastern US. 

Four reconnaissance satellites were placed in orbit over the compound, sending back video and communications intercepts. A tall figure seen walking up and down was named the Pacer. Obama gave the go-ahead and Seal Team 6, known as the Jedi, was deployed to Afghanistan. The White House cancelled plans to provide air cover using jet fighters, fearing this might endanger relations with Pakistan. Sending in the Ghost Hawks without air cover was considered too risky so the Seals had to use older Stealth Hawks. A Prowler electronic warfare aircraft from the carrier USS Carl Vinson was used to jam Pakistan’s radar and create decoy targets.

  Operation Neptune’s Spear was initially planned for April 30 but bad weather delayed it until May 1, a moonless night. The commandos flew on two Stealth Hawks, codenamed Razor 1 and 2, followed by two Chinooks five minutes behind, known as Command Bird and the gun platform. On board, each Seal was clad in body amour and night vision goggles and equipped with laser targets, radios and sawn-off M4 rifles. They were expecting up to 30 people in the main house, including Bin Laden and three of his wives, two sons, Khalid and Hamza, his courier, Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, four bodyguards and a number of children. At 56 minutes past midnight the compound came into sight and the code Palm Beach signaled three minutes to landing. Razor 1 hovered above the main house, a three-story building where Bin Laden lived on the top floor. Twelve Seals roped the 5ft-6ft down onto the roof and then jumped to a third-floor patio, where they kicked in the windows and entered.

  The first person the Seals encountered was a terrified woman, Bin Laden’s third wife, Khaira, who ran into the hall. Blinded by a searing white strobe light they shone at her, she stumbled back. A Seal grabbed her by the arm and threw her to the floor. Bin Laden’s bedroom was along a short hall. The door opened; he popped out and then slammed the door shut. Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo, radioed one Seal, meaning eyes on target. At the same time lights came on from the floor below and Bin Laden’s son Khalid came running up the stairs towards the Seals. He was shot dead. 

Two Seals kicked in Bin Laden’s door. The room, they later recalled, smelt like old clothing, like a guest bedroom in a grandmother’s house. Inside was the Al-Qaeda leader and his youngest wife, Amal, who was screaming as he pushed her in front of him. No, no, don’t do this! she shouted as her husband reached across the king-size bed for his AK-47 assault rifle. The Seals reacted instantly, firing in the same second. One round thudded into the mattress. The other, aimed at Bin Laden’s head, grazed Amal in the calf. As his hand reached for the gun, they each fired again: one shot hit his breastbone, the other his skull, killing him instantly and blowing out the back of his head. 

Meanwhile Razor 2 was heading for the guesthouse, a low, shoebox-like building, where Bin Laden’s courier, Kuwaiti, and his brother lived. As the helicopter neared, a door opened and two figures appeared, one waving an AK-47. This was Kuwaiti. In the moonless night he could see nothing and lifted his rifle, spraying bullets wildly. He did not see the Stealth Hawk. On board someone shouted, Bust him!, and a sniper fired two shots. Kuwaiti was killed, as was the person behind him, who turned out to be his wife. Also on board were a CIA agent, a Pakistani-American who would act as interpreter, and a sniffer dog called Karo, wearing dog body armor and goggles. Within two minutes the Seals from Razor 2 had cleared the guesthouse and removed the women and children. They then ran to the main house and entered from the ground floor, checking the rooms. One of Bin Laden’s bodyguards was waiting with his AK-47. The Seals shot him twice and he toppled over. Five minutes into the operation the command Chinook landed outside the compound, disgorging the commanding officer and more men. They blasted through the compound wall and rushed in. 

The commander made his way to the third floor, where Bin Laden’s body lay on the floor face up. Photographs were taken, and the commander called on his satellite phone to headquarters with the words: Geronimo Echo KIA Bin Laden enemy killed in action. This was the first time the White House knew he was dead and it was probably 20 minutes into the raid, said Pfarrer. A sample of Bin Laden’s DNA was taken and the body was bagged. They kept his rifle. It is now mounted on the wall of their team room at their headquarters in Virginia Beach, Virginia, alongside photographs of a dozen colleagues killed in action in the past 20 years. 

At this point things started to go wrong. Razor 1 took off but the top secret green unit that controls the electronics failed. The aircraft went into a spin and crashed tail-first into the compound… The Seals were alarmed, thinking it had been shot down, and several rushed to the wreckage. The crew climbed out, shaken but unharmed. The commanding officer ordered them to destroy Razor 2, to remove the green unit, and to smash the avionics. They then laid explosive charges. They loaded Bin Laden’s body onto the Chinook along with the cache of intelligence in plastic bin bags and headed toward the USS Carl Vinson. As they flew off they blew up Razor 2. The whole operation had taken 38 minutes. 

The following morning White House officials announced that the helicopter had crashed as it arrived, forcing the Seals to abandon plans to enter from the roof. A photograph of the situation room showed a shocked Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, with her hand to her mouth. Why did they get it so wrong? What they were watching was live video but it was shot from 20,000 feet by a drone circling overhead and relayed in real time to the White House and Leon Panetta, the CIA director, in Langley. The Seals were not wearing helmet cameras, and those watching in Washington had no idea what was happening inside the buildings. They don’t understand our terminology, so when someone said the insertion helicopter has crashed, they assumed it meant on entry, said Pfarrer. 

What infuriated the Seals, according to Pfarrer, was the description of the raid as a kill mission. I’ve been a Seal for 30 years and I never heard the words kill mission, he said. It’s a Beltway [Washington insiders] fantasy world. If it was a kill mission you don’t need Seal Team 6; you need a box of grenades. 

Hooyah!

 As Paul Harvey would say: You now know the rest of the story! 

Please pass this on to everybody in your e-mail address book

</palign=”left”>

John Wilbur
J.R. Schooley
Doc Clark, Richard Marcinko, Rudy Boesch
Deavareau "Bull" Knox
SEALTeam TWO "Men With Green Faces"

Bill H. McRaven & Eric T. Olson

Schwedler honored at new SEALs facility

Joseph Clark Schwedler, who was killed in action while serving with the Navy SEALs in Iraq in 2007, recently was honored when an East Coast SEAL team dedicated a new building in his honor. This wall plaque hangs outside the facility. (U.S. Navy photo)

LITTLE CREEK, Va.?On May 25, an East Coast-based Navy SEAL team dedicated a newly constructed building here in memory of on Iron County native.
 It was named in honor of Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) 2nd Class Joseph Clark Schwedler, a Crystal Falls native and Forest Park High School grad. 
 Schwedler was killed in action in Iraq while serving with the SEALs in April 2007. He was 27 years old.
 The SEAL team also honored 20 other fallen teammates who served with the command throughout its history, with a memorial in their memory at the building aboard Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va.
 Schwedler, who enlisted in the Navy in March 2002 and started training with the SEALs later that year.


 He was deployed to Iraq in 2006 and completed two combat tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and took part in more than a hundred combat operations. 
 He was killed on April 6, 2007, while performing a building cleaning with his teammates.
  A description of Schwedler?s actions during the incident appear on a plaque that was unveiled during the ceremony.
 He posthumously received the Bronze Star with Valor, the Purple Heart and the Combat Action Ribbon for his sacrifice.
 ?I think we all recognize that we are putting more than the Schwedler name on this structure,? said Cmdr. Ryan Croley, commanding officer of the SEAL team.
 ?We are setting the bar for what we expect from our operators, service members, officers and enlisted.
 ?Service with honor, bravery, valor and humility are evoked in naming the building after Clark?someone who completely exemplified the SEAL ethos and will inspire others to serve at the same level.?
 Capt. Timothy J. Szymanski, commander of Naval Special Warfare Group 2, attended the dedication and spoke about the naval traditions and the significance of the dedication. 
 He also noted that the ceremony was taking place just before Memorial Day.
 ?In the spirit of Memorial Day,? he said, ?we do not mourn our fallen comrades, but rather we honor their memory and sacrifice to a cause greater than themselves, greater than ourselves.?
 Schwedler?s sister, Kate Kokotovich, expressed her family?s gratitude to the members of the SEAL team.
 ?It?s been great to see the building,? she said.
 ?It?s beautiful, and it?s an honor to be chosen to honor Clark in this way. ?He would be extremely proud to be part of this building. I know he was so proud to be a part of what you guys are doing every day. It means a great deal to our family.?
 The dedication ceremony ended when his mother, Susan Schwedler, broke a champagne bottle on the building and christened the building in honor of her fallen son. ?God bless our troops!? she said as the bottle broke.

Joseph Clark Schwedler

For A Navy SEAL, Balance Between ‘Heart’ And ‘Fist’>
NPR

After his studies, Greitens became a US Navy SEAL, serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, and founded a group called The Mission Continues, which works with wounded or disabled war veterans to contribute to their communities at home. In a new book, …

 

Navy SEALs at  the
Master Divers Reunion
Panama City FL  15 May 2011

Pictures by: E.”Doc”Riojas

Doc Riojas Phyllis Bill Daugherty
??, ??, Mrs. Naus & Mike Naus
"Dusty" Rhoades
Billy Kitchen
W.D. Power & Bill Langley
Doc RIojas Bill Langley Danny McEvoy
Erasmo Doc Riojas & Tommy Shoulders

SEAL Team TWO Plank Owners

Photographs taken from the SEAL Team's
TWO 25th Anniversary Cruise Book

The real ST-2 Plank Owners are:  (38 total)

List from Rudy Boesch

Harry M. Beal

Gordon Ablitt *

Reinold Lloyd Benzschawel

Roy H. Boehm

Rudolph E. Boesch

Donald Wayne Boles

William N. Bruhmuller

Charles Bump

William E. Burbank, Sr.

John F. Callahan, Jr.

A.D. Clark

John W. Dearmon

Joseph D. DiMartino

Samuel R. Fournier

William H. Goines

David H. Graveson

William T. Green

Stanley S. Janecka

Charles W. Jessie, Jr.

Michael David Kelley

Claudius H. Kratky

Louis A. Kucinski

James P. MacLean

Richard E. Martin

Frederick McCarty

Richard Nixon

Paul T. Schwartz

Dante M. Shapiro (Stephensen)

Bobby G. Stamey

Donald Stone

John D. Tegg

James C. Tipton

James T. Tolison

Robert A. Tolison

Per Erik Tornblom

James D. Watson

Leonard A. Waugh

Charles C. Wiggins

Harry R. Williams

Let me know if you need anything else.

  Rudy Boesch MCPO Ret.

Dante Stephensen & Lenny Waugh agree with the above list, but there is still debate because some men that had orders to ST-2 did not arrive on the date of the Team Commissioning.       * added by Dante.

A talk with Captain Duncan Smith

Written by: Lars Finanger
Date: Sun Nov 16 2008
http://www.slowtwitch.com/Interview/A_talk_with_Captain_Duncan_Smith_611.html

 

Captain Duncan Smith joined the US Navy SEALs in 1985, and transferred to Naval Reserve to attend graduate school in the early ’90s. He returned to active duty with the SEAL teams in the weeks following September 11, 2001. 

Since that time he has deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa. Most recently he headed up the Naval Special Warfare Recruiting Directorate. As a competitive adventure racer during the 90?s, Smith competed in the ?96 Eco Challenge (part of that year’s ESPN X-Games), the ’97 Southern Traverse of New Zealand and was on the top finishing American team in the 1997 Raid Gauloise.

 During that time he completed his MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School and worked as an investment banker before he combined his experience as a SEAL and his background in adventure racing to start up the Presidio Adventure Racing Academy. Presido was the world’s first adventure racing training institute. 

His corporate clients included Deloitte Consulting, Stanford Business School, the FBI, and Oracle and Jian Software. As of late, Smith has been instrumental in garnering media attention for SEALs at high profile events including the X-Games and Ironman Hawaii as well as continuing to lead the nationwide Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge.

http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-06-07/news/29628160_1_
navy-seal-cartel-command-center
:   Captain D.SMITH (SEAL)

Part 1: Navy SEALs: Navy on a Mission to Build Up SEAL Force
Burn out SEAL P.T. !

They train over on Coronado, but little is known about them. The Navy SEALs — that stands for sea, air and land — are renown for their stealth, speed, and precision. KPBS Radio’s Andrea Hsu has more.
(Photo: Navy SEAL hopefuls undergo strenuous training. Naval Special Warfare Center).
More?
Part 2: Navy SEALs?
Part 1: Navy on a Mission to Build Up SEAL Force
Mar 26, 2007
Andrea Hsu

They train over on Coronado, but little is known about them. The Navy SEALs — that stands for sea, air and land — are renown for their stealth, speed, and precision. It’s well known that they’re operating in Iraq and Afghanistan. What exactly they’re doing over there is kept secret. But as KPBS Radio’s Andrea Hsu reports, one mission is clear — and that’s the need to build the force.

As military installations go, the Naval Special Warfare Center is remarkably modest. But pass through the gates, and you immediately sense a very robust presence.

In a courtyard known as the GRINDER, more than 200 young men are well into a 90-minute high-intensity workout. A shirtless and heavily tattooed instructor shouts out orders. Other instructors pace up and down the aisles with megaphones. These SEAL recruits are in the last week of In-Doc — a three-week ramp-up to their formal training.

This is a scene that makes Commanding Officer Captain Roger Herbert happy.

Herbert: For the first time in years I’ve got a full class out there. Class 264 that you observed looks like a battalion, doesn’t it? We don’t usually see that.

This is especially good news for the SEALs now. The Pentagon wants the force of just over 2,200 to add 500 new SEALs by the year 2010. Captain Herbert says it’s not going to be easy.

Herbert: Growing the force is very problematic. It’s not just a spicket you can turn on and off. For the SEALS, from the day that a guy gets here to the day that I give the guy his trident, the SEAL insignia takes 59 weeks minimum, if he makes it through the first pass.

And so – the Navy SEALs are changing how they recruit and how they prepare recruits for the most grueling of training pipelines.

Commander Duncan Smith heads up the Naval Special Warfare recruiting directorate. He travels the country, dropping in on triathlons, athletic camps, the ESPN X-games, in search of the next generation of SEALs.

Smith: We find that wrestlers do well, water polo players, non traditional athletes do well – snowboarders, big wall climbers, ice climbers, who are able to crank out 42-44 pullups. You can recognize immediately after talking to them. They have personal discipline and drive to succeed at any kind of physical or mental challenge.

And then there’s the Navy SEAL SuperFrog.

Smith: A 1.2 mile rough water ocean swim, a 54 mile bike against hot wind, and a 13.1 mile soft sand run, are you ready?

The triathlon — held on Coronado Island every fall — is open to anyone who wants to take on the Navy’s top athletes. The recruiting directorate has made a TV special about the event that they hope to get on a national broadcast. It’s part survivor and part infomercial for the SEALs. Commander Smith says putting this sort of public face on the force was unheard of until now.

Smith: Traditionally we’ve had the luxury of not sharing any of our tactics, techniques, procedures. Today we don’t have that luxury. We want to make sure the young man who has interest and the desire and the drive also has information.

Information on just how physically and mentally stressful the training is going to be. And how dangerous the work is — especially at a time of war.

Smith: Because we don’t want the young man who was talked into this, or because he was given a 40K bonus. When cold, dark, wet, waves are crashing, only person that has to drive the decision to be a seal is truly you.

For those who decide to take the plunge – literally – there’s help to be had. The SEALs recently began a mentoring program in which retired SEALs help recruits with specific weaknesses in swimming or running for example. They hope better preparation will help more of them go the distance. It should be noted that those that make it will almost certainly see combat. Eighteen SEALs have died so far in the war on terror.

For KPBS I’m Andrea Hsu.

(Photo: Navy SEAL hopefuls undergo strenuous training. Naval Special Warfare Center).

Part 2: Recruits Undergo Strenuous Training to Become SEALs
Mar 28, 2007
Andrea Hsu

 

For anyone interested in becoming a SEAL – or for those who simply want to test their strength, spend the next few minutes with me as I take you through the Physical Screening Test, or PST. This is what all SEAL hopefuls have to pass before they can get orders for BUD/S – Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training.

It’s barely dawn on Coronado Island. Ten active duty sailors line up on a pool deck in swimming trunks. These guys are hoping to become SEALs.

Carl Romahn has been one for the last 18 years. Today, he’s giving the PST.

Romahn: This thing is a very hard evolution. And this is just scratching the surface. This is easy to some of the things they’re going to do in BUD/S and in seal teams themselves.}

Here’s what the PST involves. First, a 500 yard swim, in under 12 ? minutes. A minimum of 46 pushups and 50 sit-ups in under two minutes each. Then, at least six pull-ups. And finally, a mile-and-a-half run in under 11 ? minutes. Oh, and by the way – you do that in boots and pants.

Before it all starts, Carl Romahn offers the guys a few words of encouragement.

Romahn: Don’t put any pressure on yourself. That’s why I’m known as Uncle Carl. I want you guys to pass this thing. I want you to get over to BUD/S. I want you to get orders.

Among those here is Jeremiah. We’ve been asked not to reveal his last name given the nature of his future work, if he makes it. He’s already failed the PST twice.

Jeremiah: I was pretty nervous. I’m not going to lie — a little scared. But I’ve changed it. I?m not scared this time.

No time to think about it now, anyway. It’s time to start.

Romahn: There is no freestyle, no arms coming out of the water. Sidestroke or breaststroke. is everyone prepared and ready.}

That’s right – no freestyle. Romahn explains why.

Romahn: If you watch, you can see how low profile it is. You can barely see them. Low profile is what we’re all about.

Everyone passes the swim. And it’s on to pushups. Romahn has Jeremiah demonstrate the proper technique.

Romahn: What do we have here? What kind of angle? Everybody – past 90 degrees. Correct.

The guys all make the minimum in pushups and sit-ups. In fact some break 90.

Then it’s time for pull-ups. Romahn has noticed that the biggest guy here, Josh, has been struggling all morning.

Romahn: Good job big guy, come on, get another one – at least. Come on push. There you go, very good.

And lastly – over to the track for the run.

 

Romahn: Are we ready, set, go. 

The ten take off. Jeremiah looks good. But soon Josh is falling behind.

Romahn: Well, big guy?s has found that running 1 ? miles is pretty hard after all the other evolutions. We’ll give him the talk afterwards. 6:56 – come on big guy. You’re going to have to put out if you’re going to make it.

A bunch of guys cross the finish line with only seconds to spare. The time to beat  remember is 11:30.

Jeremiah, who failed the run twice, has made it.

Jeremiah: Oh man, the feeling’s indescribable. Mind if I say something to my parents? Hi mom and dad. Hi everyone back home in Barrow. I did it — see you Monday.

That’s Barrow, Alaska if you’re wondering. Well over a minute after everyone else, Josh comes around the last bend.

Uncle Carl attends to him immediately.

Romahn: Don’t feel bad, that’s the worst thing you can do.

A few minutes later – Josh offers his thoughts on the PST. 

Josh: It’s no joke. And I mean, this is just the test. The main event leading up to hell week is the thing everyone tries to prepare for. I wasn?t ready – but I will be.

He’ll be back in about a month to try again.

 

For KPBS, I’m Andrea Hsu.

(Photo: Navy SEAL hopefuls undergo strenuous training. Naval Special Warfare Center).
Part 1: Navy SEALs?      http://www.kpbs.org/news/local?id=7828

Private Warriors and interview with Doug Brooks, FRONTLINE


SEALS streamline training, recruiting

Published: April 10, 2007 at 10:04 AM

CORONADO, Calif., April 10 (UPI)
www.upi.com/Security_Terrorism/Briefing/2007/04/09/seals_streamline_training_recruiting/

 A U.S. Navy program to boost the elite SEALs force is starting to pay off, the Navy Times reported Monday.

The newspaper said that the Naval Special Warfare Command had overhauled both its recruiting and training techniques in the past year in a bid to boost volunteers to the under-strength force and also to boost recruits in their efforts to pass the unit’s demanding training program.

The NSWC and the Navy had even set up a mentorship program to ease the transition of recruits in their training process, the newspaper said.

The paper said a new recruiting division at Recruit Training Command had been established to strengthen teamwork concepts among recruits, boost physical training levels and capabilities and boost their overall general performance.

The Navy Times said the program was already showing some improvements in recruitment figures and in the percentage of recruits who made the grade.

It said that SEALs class 263, which completed a six-month basic course on March 30, produced 46 men SEALs out of 144 class members who started the program, giving a success rate of 32 percent. This was a significant improvement on the old average completion rate of 26 percent, the Navy Times said.

U.S. security concerns have created a growing demand for the skill sets of the SEALS. However the current force level of 2,270 SEALS is below the officially required level by 12 percent. The Pentagon wants the force to grow to 3,038 SEALs by 2011, the report said.

Brandon Stone WIA
Ric Walker says: "click on my picture"

Ex-Navy SEAL has lived by `The Heart and the Fist’

By Harry Levins ? Special to the Post-Dispatch STLtoday.com | Posted: Sunday, April 10, 2011 12:00 am | 


St. Louisan Eric Greitens gives an explanation for the title “The Heart and the Fist” in his subtitle: “The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL.”

Greitens writes clearly and with wide perspective, quoting both the wisdom of the ancient Greeks and the obscenities of his fellow SEALs. Curiously, his most vivid writing takes place thousands of miles from the combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. That’s his account of SEAL training near San Diego, climaxing with what the instructors call Hell Week. In Greitens’ account, Hell Week seems worse than anything the enemy threw at him in Iraq or Afghanistan.
“We learned that we could hallucinate and still function,” he writes. “We learned that we could take turns passing out and still function. And we learned that we could fight off mind games.”
Although Greitens has yet to turn 40, he has been a Rhodes scholar and a White House fellow. In 2008, he published “Strength and Compassion,” a book of photographs and essays. His photos were exhibited last year at the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center.
He has performed good works and seen combat in countries far from home. Now, he extends a helping hand to young Americans who suffered wounds in the service of their country.

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/books-and-literature/reviews/article_5cfe9a4f-a512-5d4b-9a69-85b5ecdfefa8.html

William H. McRaven
nominated for fourth star, top post of U.S. Special Operations Command

Published: 06:35 PM, Wed Apr 06, 2011 

Gates said he was recommending McRaven for nomination to the position and for the promotion.

McRaven is commander of the Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg and also commander of Joint Special Operations Command Forward, which involves forces away from Fort Bragg.

In his earlier announcement, Gates said JSOC “ruthlessly and effectively (took) the fight to America’s most dangerous and vicious enemies.”

If confirmed by the Senate, McRaven would succeed Navy Adm. Eric T. Olson, who has headed the command since 2007. Olson has not announced his plans.

McRaven would be the second Navy officer to lead the four-star command that has 60,000 people and oversees Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine special operations forces. The Army has the largest number of people in the multiservice command, which has most often been lead by Army generals.

The Senate on March 16 confirmed the president’s nomination of Joseph L. Votel for promotion to three-star general and to replace McRaven at JSOC.

http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2011/04/06/1084612?sac=Home

War on the Rocks          Admiral McRaven’s Reading List   by:Ryan Evans 

America’s top operator, Admiral William H. McRaven – the Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) – has released his reading list for next year. Its intent, he says, “is to motivate members of the SOF [Special Operations Forces] community to grow professionally and personally. The USSOCOM Reading List represents important works for all SOFofficers, enlisted and civilians as well as those supporting the USSOCOM mission.”

SEAL Team TWO
Fourth Platoon

OIC LT William (Bill) Gardner
AOIC Lt Ace Sarich
 Plt Chief DMCS Thomas Blais
BM 1 Pat Martin,
EM 1 Kenneth Mac Donald
AE1 Curtis Ashton
                 (PRU Advisor)(KIA)
PR1 Steven Dunthorn, 
HM2 Stephen Elson
GMG2 Daniel Olsen
MR2 Ronnie Rogers

RM2 James Burison
PR 3 Gregory Frisch
BM3 William Bibby
QM3 
David Suthurland

Archie Grayson , Jim Tipton
Bill Langley
Henry Speigle and Joe "Red" Coyle

rom: jebarnes121 [at] aol DOT com
to: docrio45 [at] gmail DOT com
date: Thu, Mar 24, 2011
subject: Re: a few new pictures here
Hi Doc,
Looked at the pictures and you have me down in one with Red Coyle. The man is Henry Speigle who is much younger than me and probably has more money. I know he is better looking also. Don’t know how you came up with my name.
Hope you can correct it before Henry gets on your ass. your Friend: Old as dirt Jim Barnes.

WEBMASTER NOTE: thank you “Older than Dirt” Jim Barnes. I wish everyone would find their picture on www.sealtwo.org and send me corrections as you did.

Clay and Margaret Grady
Gary G. Gallagher and Alex Verduzco

from: LionOnTheBeach X frog341965 [at] hotmail DOT com
to: RIO DOC <docrio [at] warpspeed1 DOT net

dateWed, Mar 16, 2011 at 1:11 PM
subject: ALEX VERDUZCO AND GARY GALLAGHER

Hi Rios,
Found this in some old pictures i had, something to put up on SEAL hasbeens. Gary was my swim buddy he was ararded Navy Cross.

Gallagher, Gary G.
Yeoman Third Class, U.S. Navy
Advisor, Vietnamese Navy SEAL Team 1, Vietnamese Navy
Date of Action: October 10 – 11, 1968

Citation:
The Navy Cross
is awarded to Yeoman Third Class Gary G. Gallagher, United States Navy (SEAL), for extraordinary heroism on 10 and 11 October 1968 while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in armed conflict in the Mekong Delta region of the Republic of Vietnam. Distinguishing himself by his exemplary leadership and selfless courage, Petty Officer Gallagher, serving in the capacity of reconnaissance Unit Adviser, led his unit in a capture mission deep into an enemy-controlled area. As the operation progressed and the unit began picking up prisoners, the unit split and advanced on both sides of a small canal in an effort to capture additional members of the Viet Cong infrastructure. At this time, an earlier-acquired captive made a warning sound to his comrades in the vicinity.

 Immediately, heavy fire from a numerically-superior enemy force was encountered by the separated half of Petty Officer Gallagher’s patrol unit. In order to prevent his prisoners from escaping, he forced them to lead the way while crossing the canal to assist his stricken troops. Rallying his reconnaissance unit, Petty Officer Gallagher boldly exposed himself to the hostile fire while directing return fire on the enemy. 

His driving determination to succeed in his mission served to inspire his men and resulted in the temporary neutralization of the enemy attack. Petty Officer Gallagher then led a hasty, yet professionally executed, withdrawal ? with his entire unit and all prisoners-of-war intact. 

Before concluding the extraction phase, he administered lifesaving first aid to a seriously wounded companion and carried the man over eight kilometers to safety. 

Petty Officer Gallagher’s heroic response while leading this Vietnamese force, his demonstrated initiative and valor, and his selfless dedication under concentrated enemy fire were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

from: LionOnTheBeach X   <frog341965  [at]  hotmail  DOT com>
to:     docrio45  [at] gmail  DOT com
date: Wed, Mar 16, 2011 
subject: Hispanic Frogmen in the Teams

The only Hispanics I remember are George Nunez and Gilbert Espinoza,
Gil is the fire chief in Denver Colorado. I get mail from him often,

 George i don’t know what happen to him. There were not very many guys in the teams back then W.C.   I graduated  in class 34 W.C., never thought about it till now i was the only beaner in the class. 

Had a Hispanic instructer ,Vince Olivera, he was a good guy but a real tackmaster.Anyway thanks for posting the pic ,i’m gonna send a mail to Gary , he’ll be real surprised. 

thanks again , keep in touch i might show up at your doorstep one day, may we go open a taco stand.
stay healthy, your teamate; 
ALEX VERDUZCO


WEBMASTER NOTE:  Thank you Alex.    I remember from the East Coast:   Martinez, Erasmo Riojas, Fred Toothman,  Ray Ramos, Julio Ramos, Roberto Ramos (these Ramos are not related all Puerto Rican)

CPO Chris Nicola (SEAL) Retirement

USS Texas in San Jacinto TX
Chris Nicola
Joe Soto CHris Nicola Dave Kappus
Officer, Chris, Mrs. Nicola
The Nicola Brothers and their Father in Center
Nicola brothers, three a USNavy SEALs
Marine and CHris Nicola
The Retirement Cake
CHris Nicola Photos by Chris Nicola

Birthday Party,for a SEAL CPO,  Nicolas, in Attendance

     12, 2011

CPO, U.S. Navy SEAL
Mark Nicola

Joe Sr. Heather Rodriguez & Julieann Tennison

 
ID’s by Heather Rodriguez      thank you.     ER

Norman H. Olson, Capt.USN Ret. SEAL, marks his 80th birthday with his 4,000th parachute jump

Norman H. Olson, Capt.USN Ret. SEAL, marks his 80th birthday with his 4,000th parachute jump
  
3/14/2011

by CAPT Norm Olson (reprinted from “The BLAST”, 2nd Quarter 1996)

During this time frame (1961-1962), PHC Gene “Gag” Gagliardi (D-546) of UDT-11 had gained considerable HALO and Sport Parachuting experience in Southern California, which had then become a hotbed for Skydiving. When LCDR Norm Olson, one of the early East Coast jumpers, reported as Commanding Officer, UDT-11, Chief Gagliardi immediately introduced him to the local jumping elite. He immediately got caught up in the euphoria of their advanced expertise and slowly became accepted as a mainstay in the San Diego Skydivers, one of the nation’s first sport parachuting clubs.

Subsequently, at the goading of Chief Gagliardi, LCDR Olson recommended to COMNAVOPSUPPGRUPAC that consideration be given to creating a small demonstration team comprised of a cadre of highly qualified freefall jumpers.

At the outset, personally owned parachutes and equipment were utilized, which provided little uniformity and sense of purpose, not matter how well the jumps were executed. To overcome this dilemma and still remain within the “no cost to the government” provision, unique procurement techniques were employed. Innovation being the mother of invention, known only too well by the Teams of that era, produced Pioneer Jumpsuits, Bell Helmets, French Jump Boots, Altimeters and Para-Commander Parachutes, the most radical change in parachute design in thirty-five years.

The Team initially consisted of five jumpers: LCDR Olson, PHC Gagliardi, PR1 Al Schmiz, PH2 “Chip” Maury and SK2 “Herky” Hertenstein.

Over the next decade, the West Coast “Para-Team” grew in size and adopted the name ‘Leap Frogs.’ With this growth came more professionalism and national recognition as a group of jumpers to be reckoned with. Subsequently, under the leadership of LT “Scotty” Lyons, the Team was officially designated by the Navy Recruiting Command as the Navy Parachute Team (NPT).

WEBMASTER NOTE: Happy 80th Birthday and Congratulations Capt Olson! You have set the mark high for future Leap Frogs that wish to break your record at 80 years of age. E. “Doc” Riojas

Capt.Norm Olson (SEAL) marks his 80th birthday with his 4,000th parachute jump
http://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/news/ local/article_b05926ac-4f83-11e0-96f8-001cc4c03286.html
Click on above  LINK  for entire story

Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 8:00 am Villager marks his 80th birthday with his 4,000th parachute jump By JULIE SOMERS, FOR THE DAILY SUN The Villages Daily Sun

Submitted photo Villager Norm Olson participates in a 30-man parachute formation on Sunday over Zephryhills. Olson celebrated his 80th birthday and made his 4,000th parachute jump.

ZEPHRYHILLS ? Age is only a number. And as Villager Norm Olson celebrated his 80th birthday, his number that wowed the crowd at a skydiving facility in Zephryhills was 4,000.

That?s the number of parachute jumps the retired Navy captain and SEAL commander attained Sunday on his special day as his wife, three daughters and two grandchildren looked on proudly.

?I?m a little anxious, obviously,? Olson said as he prepared for his birthday formation jump involving 30 fellow divers. ?My mission is to make sure I do what I have to do.?

Olson was modest about the fanfare for his birthday achievement. Not surprising, perhaps, considering his military career often involved working dangerous covert operations around the world without accolades or public acknowledgment.

?When I retired from the Navy in 1983, I had 2,200 jumps, and after a FOR THE REST OF THIS STORY: Go to LINK above photo !

WEBMASTER’s NOTE: SOCOM Parachute Team, Admiral Eric Olson, Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command and his crew were part of the “Sky Fossil’s” extraordinary event. Laura designed and purchasing a T-Shirt honoring this event. They pulled off a great 30-way having it built above 9,000 feet. It took much planning and also practice. Tony took this (above) still photo of the dive and a video of the entire jump. The Team mustered for the awards ceremony where Capt. Norm Olson was presented my 4,000 skydive award, 60-Hour freefall award, and his induction into the Skydivers Over Eighty Society (JOES). A party followed and also a great dinner.

WEBMASTER’S NOTE:

DC-119 is what we jumped out of back in the 1960’s when I graduated from
Basic AirBorne training at Ft. Benning GA.  In the above video it looks 
like they still use the 40 ft. T-10 parachutesare. 
Notice that most ‘trooper’s landings
are NOT the “PLF’s” that they were taught in training.   LOL !

Back in our old days a few Navy SEALs got their Parachute Training at the USNAS Lakehurst N.J. 
They get five jumps in one week,  one monkey line jump then 4 freefalls. They missed doing the Airborne “Shuffle”
at Ft. Benning Jump School; it is a killer on the legs.  I graduated from the Army School.    Doc Riojas

DC-119 Paratrooper Airplane

March 4, 2011,

Patty Schwalenberg ,

Telephoned me yesterday with the news that Wally Schwalenberg  died on Tuesday (I think). They were down in Mexico on a diving vacation and he had trouble breathing.

 They got him up to the boat and he died en route to shore. Patty was very upset as should be expected and was working to get his body back to Wisconsin. 

The service in next Tuesday in upstate Wisconsin. Patty asked me to take part in the service and of course I accepted. I’ve gotten ahold of Warmack & Brechtel and plan to email W.D. 

If you can contact any others in class 35 please do.


That is all I know at this time. 


Dick Pouliot

From: Chip Detmer <detmer  [at}  jeol DOT com>
To: wdusne9ret <wdusne9ret  [at]  aol  DOT com>
Cc: chuck detmer, doc Rio <chuckdetmer@hotmail.com>
Sent: Sat, Mar 5, 2011
Subject: Son’s First Jump </chuckdetmer@hotmail.com>

Mr. WD, See below for the ‘Seal Story’ my father wanted to send you:    Regards, Chip. 

Son?s First Jump 

A group of us SEALs from SEAL Team TWO were busy preparing our gear for a day of parachuting. While we were waiting for the aircraft to show up, one of the guys just back from dog handling school arrived on the scene. Our interest quickly focused on his dog, as his handler had him rigged out in a harness and intended to jump with him. 

We all knew Army dogs were dropped by parachute, but we never had the opportunity to see the equipment up close. The harness fit firmly around the dog?s body, but head, tail and legs, were free to move normally. It had two clips located on the dog?s back, one just forward of the hind legs, the other right over the front legs. The clips would be attached to the rings at the handler?s waist that held his reserve parachute. The dog would hang from the handler?s middle, parallel to the ground. 

After the handler?s parachute opened the two clips would be released, allowing the dog to drop on a line and dangle twenty feet below his handler. This lessened the chances either of them would be hurt when they hit the ground. We all noticed that the dog didn?t have a muzzle, and since we would share the close quarters of a bouncing, noisy airplane with a 95 lb. German Shepherd just back from Attack School, we all voiced our concern. 

The handler just laughed and, hugging the dog, said ?Son is just a big baby and wouldn?t hurt a flea unless I told him to.? As if on cue, Son visited each of us, licking and rubbing against us as if he understood our apprehension and wanted to quell our fears. We all felt much better, but decided? just to be polite, mind you? we?d let Son be last on and first out of the plane. 

The plane arrived, and we all loaded aboard, eager to jump and to witness Son?s first jump. That dog was not at all bothered by the noise, dust, and fumes produced by the plane?s engines. He was just flat enjoying being one of the guys and, especially, being attached so closely to his handler. Son seemed to enjoy everything about the flight. Since he was closest to the open door, he got a good aerial view of Virginia as we gained altitude on our approach to the drop zone.

 However, Son?s enjoyment changed first to concern, then to down right panic, when his foolish handler gotdangerously close to the open door. Trying to alert his handler, Son began to nipat him. With the drop zone right below us, the handler decided the best way to handle Son?s panic was to get out of the plane as quickly as possible. But, the harder the handler tried to get out the door, the more Son tried to prevent this disastrous mistake by biting, scratching, clawing, and I swear, going spread eagle to keep from fitting through the door. The more strenuous Son?s objections became, the better my imitation of wallpaper got. 

Neither I, nor any of the other heroes onboard, were foolhardy enough to offer the handler any help. In fact, had the dog shot me a quizzical glance to find out whose side I was on?I?d have gone to scratching and biting that handler too. Finally, the handler, with one last desperate swipe,knocked the dog?s front feet free of the door, andboth tumbled out into space. The actions I?ve just described took only a few seconds, but I?m sure they seemed a lot longer to both dog and handler. 

The rest of us quickly exited the plane, without incident, eager to see what would happen next. As we fell, we quickly maneuvered to get a look at how the dog was reacting to his jump. If Son acted relieved when his parachute opened, I missed it. I did see that after the handler disconnected the clip holding the dogs rear, each effort to release the remaining clip was repelled by a blur of teeth that made any battle I?d seen on ?Wild Kingdom? seem as tame as a roll in the hay. Starting by disconnecting the tail clip turned out to be a big mistake:  this put the biting end of that95 lb. bone grinder in the best position to defend what he thought was his last link with survival. Finally, despite bites and scratches, too many to count, the handler was able to drop Son to the twenty-foot line and finally have some relief from the panicked dog.

 The handler was a sight: his clothes were in tatters, his hands bloody, and to add insult to injury, running down his uniform front was obvious evidence of the dog?s panic. Both dog and handler seemed relieved to be separated by the twenty-foot line and soothed by their gentle descent to the ground. The dog,of course, landed before his handler and shook himself in relief to have his feet finally planted firmly on the ground. The handler landed a second later and the dog seemed perfectly willing to forgive and forget. I watched a scene much like you?d see in a love story.

You know: two young lovers running toward each other her hair flowing, etc.. Just as the joyous reunion was about to take place, the parachute landed, covering them both, again panicking the dog and producing a final flurry of bites. Remarkably, despite all that had happened, it was only minutes before the bond between man and dog worked its magic, and Son and his handler were again completely enthralled with each other. The Handler was: Wally Swallenburg! Who went through UDTR Class #35 little Creek, VA. 1965 With 23 other men. 

NOTE:  Despite having encountered problems from both ends of the dog, Wally rebuffed our suggestions to outfit Son with pampers. The only change in equipment was to use a muzzle with dogs on all future jumps.     Chuck

By: Chuck Detmer, UDT-R  E.C. Class 31

This is a true story of one day in the exciting life of Navy SEAL Wally Schwalenberg. 
From: chuck detmer [mailto:chuckdetmer  [at] hotmail  DOT com] 

This story is about Wally Schwalenberg. He died last Tuesday, 1 March 2011, while scuba diving during a vacation in Mexico. He wasn’t around when I wrote this story and had it published in our quarterly Fraternal Mag. 

I sent it to a guy going to the funeral so his family will get to see it and requested that they let me write a follow on story. The gist of the story will be that Wally, after hearing that SEAL Teams would no longer be sent to Vietnam and all the dogs would be sent to Vietnam and turned over to the VN dog handlers.

 This didn’t set well with Wally who was to ship over and go to VN with his dog that week. Long story short, he loaded up his gear and dog and took off without being properly discharged. 

The Team wasn’t sure of what to do so they sent his paperwork to his home address and made up a story about the dog. It was a much friendlier Navy back then.

 

This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm

   

 

 

 

 

When the Vietnam war games started, Erasmo “Doc” Riojas was part of the great UWSS Instructor Team stationed in Key West FL.  Shore duty envied by any U.S.Navy diver.  An island paradise for my entire family whose home on Fleming St was short lived when we moved to Sigsby Park Navy housing.   I forfeited some of my shore duty to go to ST-2.

I wanted to go to Vietnam with the Navy SEALs before I got sent to the Fleet Marine Force again.  There were only two teams during those years.  I  telephoned Capt. Shaible at ST-1 in Coronado CA. to see if could be transferred there.  He advised me that I would have to get in line as there was a waiting list to come to ST-1.

 So, I called Capt. Earley in ST-2 at Little Creek VA. at the advice of some of the Frogmen instructors at UWSS.  Mr. Earley told me that SCPO Don Stone was on his way to shore duty and that I was welcomed on ST-2 as the team’s Medical Dept. Representative since I was a CPO, and senior to all the other HMs.  

 During those years there was only SEAL Team ONE on the West Coast and SEAL Team TWO in the East Coast.   I retired there after my third 6 month tour in Vietnam with 22 years, 2 months of total Naval Service.    As we used to say, “It all counts on 20.”

Four handsome Devils Erasmo "Doc" Riojas, Ray TUllis, Tom Blais, Jim Cook, Chuck Newell at Chuck's house in FL.
Riojas, Clark, Potts, Homes
SEALs Class 29
Danny Dietz SEAL Memorial, Chad N. Stodden, Shaun P. Carrizales
Statues of Axelson and ? ; 2 KIA SEALs; courtesy of Ken & Melba Delfino PBR Sailor
Dany Dietz statue
Marcus "Doc" Luttrell cartoon
GulfCoast SEALs at Marcus "Doc" Luttrell's book signing in Houston TX
Book "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Lutrell and Patrick Robinson
The forth coming MOVIE ! Does the Ghost Writer, Patrick Robinson, make $$$$$$$
The TV interview on TODAY Marcus "Doc" Luttrell
Lone Survivor" Marcus "Doc" Luttrell from Texas
Afganistan Native & Navy SEALs
From: Bill Langley Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007  Subject: Marcus Luttrell at the 2007 Ft. Pierce Muster

Thoughts on Marcus Luttrell and Tough Choices

On Saturday the 10th of November I attended the Navy UDT SEAL Museum Muster and met Marcus Luttrell for the first time.  Like many in the community who had not had the fortune to work with Marcus Luttrell, I received my information by reading his book and thinking about his actions and those of his teammates on that deadly mountaintop in Afghanistan.  At the Museum Muster banquet, Marcus received a standing ovation from the guests.  He was the only guest to receive a standing ovation, which doesn?t diminish the accomplishments of the other guests, such as Rudy Boesh, Richard Marcinko, Patches Watson…however it spoke volumes about the NSW community perception of Marcus.  I was curious if the success of his book, a movie deal and lavish attention from the press had taken a toll on him or penetrated his armor.  I was pleased to see that Marcus was still the quiet professional, and was left with the impression that he would much rather be in the field with the SEALs than receiving accolades for a book he wrote to honor the memory of his fallen teammates.  Events have a strange way of thrusting reluctant warriors into the spotlight.

Thus I was honored to meet Mr. Luttrell. The episode got me thinking about this man’s historic role and what it meant for the SEAL community and the country. 

My contemplation was punctuated by a timely Blog post from a compatriot in the Special Forces who took great pains to lambaste Marcus Luttrell and his book The Lone Survivor.  This fellow warrior claimed that he read parts of the book to his teammates and they had a good laugh about it.  He seemed to think the idea of Marcus? team having a democratic ?vote? about the fate of the Afghan goat-herders who stumbled upon them was absurd.  In a military unit democratic discussions do not, and should not, take place.  Further, merely the notion that killing the goat-herders was an option was akin to contemplating murder.  Finally, this fellow was certain there were ?at least 10? other options his team would have considered, none of which included killing the herders OR letting them go, which is what LT Murphy and his team did that day. 

While I respect the constitutional right to state ones mind in public, I would urge my Special Forces friend to take a deep look into his heart and set aside his service parochialism.  Special Operators are quiet professionals.  Same goes for Green Berets and Rangers.  Our missions and training are different, but we are all warriors in the service of a great country. 

In the Teams, our thinking is much less rigid than any other SOF unit.  Some of our best ideas come from the most junior enlisted man, whose mind has not become crusted with careerism and risk-mitigation.  It is not unusual to seek input from junior teammates on important operational matters.  As an officer I did this routinely and it got me out of some tight spots.  At the same time, the final decision always rested with me.  LT Murphy was no different.  He sought input, then made a call.  The way it happened may have appeared democratic to Marcus, but the bottom line is the LT Murphy had the final call.  The guys knew this, and supported their leader. 

Further, it is easy to second-guess what happens in the field. Unless you were there, however, it is best to be quiet about it.  The ground-level truth will be different depending on the observer, and never will it find it’s way to the media.  SOF operators knows that compromise is a very real possibility, and surviving a compromise a dim prospect.  We train hard and develop Standard Operating Procedures so that we don?t have to agonize over decisions, rather act immediately and with confidence.  However, SOP?s fall short when the situation revolves around a serious ethical dilemma.

I have to believe that there were no good options for the team in Afghanistan.  Like the classroom ethics exercise where you have to decide who to throw out of the boat to keep it from sinking, or all will die, they had a choice between two equally unacceptable options:  kill the goat-herders, or let them go and face almost certain death.  LT Murphy chose the latter after some discussion with his team.  This is the ?hard right? leaders talk about ? doing things that are counter to your own needs or even survival because it is the right thing to do.

Making ?hard right? decisions, and how you respond to a situation gone-bad is what separates great leaders from those just in charge.  LT Murphy made his choice.  Then he, Marcus Luttrell, Matt Axelson and Danny Deitz dealt with the consequences as heroically as any warriors in the history of mankind.  Marcus made it out alive through a combination of happenstance, his strong survival instinct and the support of the locals.  He has healed physically, but not a day will pass without remembering the teammates he left behind?and wondering about the decision.  He wrote The Lone Survivor so the memory of LT Murphy, Matt Axelson and Danny Deitz would survive with him.

This month, LT Murphy was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions trying to save his team.  This was the first MOH for a Navy member since Vietnam, and only the third in the Global War on Terror.  The MOH is an honor for Mike Murphy?s family, the SEALs, the Navy, the entire special operations community, and the country.

It would not have happened if Marcus had not survived to tell the tale and risked his reputation to write a book about it.  I believe that Murphy would want this award to be shared with his teammates ? they earned it together.  It is no laughing matter.

God bless our heroes

My generation, a lively bunch best known as the baby boomers, grew-up in the shadow of some remarkable men and women. The veterans of World War II, like my dad Ray Perry, withstood the Great Depression then headed overseas in their late teens, to beat back forces of tyranny that plotted to enslave the world. Victorious, they returned over 60 years ago to pilot our country through the Cold War and into a massive economic expansion. They are our country’s Greatest Generation.

Yet as these heroes of yesteryear grow frail in body, a new rank of heroes that embodies the same valor is stepping forward. I recently met one of these valiant men,a Navy SEAL named Marcus Luttrell, the son of a Texas rancher from Huntsville. Marcus and his twin brother, Morgan, both began their own SEAL training regimen at age 14. Now on active duty as SEALs, the brothers are committed to the point of tattooing respective halves of the Navy SEAL crest on their backs.

Marcus is the sole survivor of a fourman Navy SEALs team sent on a mission in northern Afghanistan to locate a Taliban official with ties to Osama bin Laden. Attacked by more than 200 Taliban fighters and hunted for days without water, he was eventually rescued by Army Rangers with the help of a local Afghan village in June 2005. Despite the dire odds, a SEAL never quits. Before being recovered,Marcus fell off numerous cliffs, including a 150-foot cliff, and dragged his shrapnel filled legs over seven miles of hostile ground to a water hole up in the mountains. There local Afghans found him, cleaned his wounds and carried him to their village where they put him under “lokhay warkawal,” Afghan for under the protection of the villagers. These Afghans shielded Marcus against the Taliban that came to the village wanting the soldier’s life.

“In the middle of everything evil, in an evil place, you can find goodness. Goodness. I’d even call it godliness,” Marcus told The Washington Post.

If you want to read the first draft of history, read Luttrell’s account of those deadly days in Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10.

Amidst the flurry of cynical articles published this year that report most men and women enlist for poor reasons, like a lack of ambition, Marcus’ account of his teams’ heroic deeds during Operation Red Wing rebuffs such speculation and reveals true patriots. Marcus received the Navy Cross. One of his’ valiant teammates, Lieutenant Michael Murphy, was recently awarded (posthumously) our nation’s highest award, the Medal of Honor.

I believe the acts of this newest generation of soldiers, like Marcus, will match the determination, valor and faith of such famed World War II combat groups as the Tuskegee Airmen, the Flying Tigers and the troops that stormed Normandy. Like the stories of our World War II veterans, this new breed of men and women will attain earthly glory as we retell their stories on the big screen, on the page and on every occasion to our children.

I am proud of my father and his many missions as a B-17 tailgunner in the skies over Europe. I am proud of all World War II veterans. And I am proud of our present day protectors: the more than one million Americans who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and continue to serve, to defend and protect our home.

This Veteran’s Day, let us remember to thank those brave men and women for all they gave to protect our country, the weak and the ideals of democracy. And as we revere the heroes of wars past, let us remember the new rank of heroes that battle global terrorism and signify what’s best about America.

God bless our troops. And God bless America.

Marcus "Doc" Luttrell & SEALs members of his squad
Luttrell in Afganistan
Awards presentaion at the Navy Memorial in Wash. D.C.
U.S.Navy Memorial Wash. D.C. Awards to two U.S.Navy SEALs posthumously
Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter will present the medals to the families of Sonar Technician 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew G. Axelson and Gunner?s Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny P. Dietz, who died June 28, 2005, near Asadabad Afganistan.
What do you mean who is the guy in the sharp suit? Hey! Gov Rick Perry TX !
Nov 2003: Executive Protection for Ross Perot during his visit to Branson Missouri ? honored guest and speaker for annual Military GALA (I still had blond hair)

Steve  Robinson (SEAL)  “No Guts, No Glory”

Oct 28, 2007
Steve,
Thank you  for sending me your book.  I spent 3 hours at McDonalds with “lil Rio” 

(he played and I read).  We came home and rested.   1.5 hours later we went to the park to 

feed the ducks at the lake.  I took three breaks and read.  We ended up at the Blue playground 

and I finished reading your book.  After reading the foreward by RD Russell, I just could not 

put down your book!    Chapter 4 about the database, for me it was information that answered

 many of the questions in my mind about that database and how RD came to have it. 

You guys have busted many men (using the word loosely) that have such low self esteem that 

drive them to fabricate such far fetched feats of Military Heroism.  Some of them are by 

definition true psychopaths.  “Stupid is as stupid does!”  I could not put your book down!

 My hat is off that him and Pam!  Bravo!  To you my sincerest congratulations for your great piece of art!  I salute you!                    Erasmo Riojas,  HMC (DV)(PJ) USN ;  Retired from  SEAL Team TWO 

From: Steve Robinson
To: Doc Rio
Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2007 10:49 AM
Subject: MANY THANKS, DOC! 
Doc, 
I was surprised and delighted to receive a collection of CD/DVD discs from you in the mail on 

Friday. I?ve been looking for a copy of MEN WITH GREEN FACES for many years without success, and cannot tell you how much I appreciate the copy you sent. Thanks so very much 

for also sending the music CD and the SEALS.

Rt. to Lt:   Mike Boynton, Tocci, Bill Langley, Erasmo Riojas, Jack Rowell, Chuck Jessie, Pete Peterson, ??, P.T.Schuartz,  ?? , the CPO on far left of photo is Robert “Eagle” Gallagher.

SEAL Team TWO, Little Creek, VA.    1968

I was one of the guys filmed for the movie they made AFTER that ?Green Faces?? it was  called ?SOMEONE SPECIAL?. It was intended to replace Men With Green Faces and to  ?update? the information which the Navy felt it needed to give to potential BUD/S volunteers. 

 We all thought it was laughable at the time, and we all joked that it was a huge waste of time,  resources, and manpower. Looking back, I now view it as an absolutely priceless window  into the world that we knew, the skills that we worked so hard to keep honed, and the truly  heroic men we had the privilege to know as our Teammates. 

I recently found a listing for the movie SOMEONE SPECIAL online on Amazon.com and  purchased a copy. I was saddened to discover that the original film had been cut apart and a  number of more ?modern? scenes had been spliced into the original film to augment the footage  we shot back in 1971.

 Many of the scenes which I recall from the original movie ? including  one in which I was shown painted in camo and patrolling through thick forest at Cuyamaka,   and another scene in which my voice was heard over a radio (I was the ?voice of HQ? for  guys calling in from ?the field?) ? have been removed from the film to make room for more  modern ?hooyah? type stuff to impress the recruits.

 There are still some scenes of  mountaineering training which we filmed out at Mission Gorge? but my memory for names  has not survived the 35 years since we filmed them. I see faces of men that I KNOW? I just  cannot put names to them. Advancing age is most certainly not for the timid! 

Hooyah! 

Steve Robinson (SEAL)

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From: Steve Robinson
To: ‘Doc Riojas’
Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Subject:The US Special Operations Command, SOCOM – aka the “snake eater community”* 

Rio, 

When I was going through cadre training out at Niland we nailed a big rattlesnake with a 

shovel? skinned it (I wore the dried skin on a headband for years afterward) and cooked it up.

 We?d washed the meat really well, then rolled pieces in egg, followed by rolling them in flour 

and crumbled breakfast cereal (wheaties I think). Then we fried it up in cooking oil. Damned 

tasty! And it had all of us watching closely for more snakes so we could get another taste? 

but apparently word got around in the snake community because no others showed up during

 the 3 weeks we were out there. 

Steve


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Nov 2007 Steve Robinson ( ? annual Military GALA  &   1971 at Camp Kerrey (Niland/Salton Sea/Chocolate Mtns area)

 

Virtual Team Compound (Discussion Board)

Webmaters Note: This is an email conversation between Steve Robinson and Erasmo “Doc” Riojas.  Steve is the Webmaster for the site: http://cyberseals.org/index2.html  which includes a V.T.C. (Virtual Team Compound (discussion board) ie: BLOG.   Steve has invited me to participate in some of the on going very entertaining “conversations” by SEALs.  This Blog is not open to the public.  SEALs Only.

—– Original Message —–
From: Erasmo “doc rio” Riojas  [mailto:docrio45 [at] gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 1
To: Steve Robinson
Subject: you da boss ! 

I posted on the VTC three different places.   Next year, I’ll do it again. 
thanks Steve .

Erasmo “Doc” Riojas
“Fac ut gaudeam; “Sit vis nobiscum”
https://www.sealtwo.org/


From: Steve Robinson 
To:  Erasmo ‘doc Rio’  Riojas
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 
Subject: RE: you da boss ! 

Rio, 
I?m gonna keep naggin? you mate. The VTC needs your Vida Loca mindset. 
Steve 


From: doc Rio [mailto:docrio45 [at] gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 
To: Steve Robinson
Subject:  Re: you da boss ! 

Yeah, right! 
I am a SEAL dinosaur, 
you got all young lions there talking about BUD/S 
and I was never there. 

thanks for asking 
Rio


From: Steve Robinson 
To: ‘doc rio’ 
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 2:03 PM 
Subject: RE: you da boss ! 

Rio?     in the VTC we?ve also got Ken (?the elder?) Garrett who was in UDTR in Coronado in 1950? and 3 weeks before they were due to graduate they got the word they were all going to war in Korea. The entire class packed up, including all of the instructors, and headed west from North Island Naval Air Station. They stopped in the Philippines to pick up 3 other Frogs and then went on the rest of the way to Korea. His class NEVER GRADUATED and they now refer to themselves as ?Class Zero? or ?Class Goose Egg? 

You?re a dinosaur, but so are all of us who remember when there were UDTs, and guys like Rudy who had served in WWII, and you who served in KOREA were the men we looked to as the guys who KNEW what was required and how to get it done because they?d done it the HARD WAY. Young lions are always the same no matter what decade it is? young, dumb, and full of cum. We were then? and they are now. But unlike many of the other institutions in our nation, military and civilian, the Teams VALUE and HONOR those who went before, those who laid the ground work, and those upon whose shoulders they stand. UDTR, UDTRA, BUD/S? whatever you call it, it was just a fancy framework in which to set the HELL WEEK picture. Your Hell Week was 2 years long and a damn sight harder than anything I?ll ever experience. Yeah? you?re a dinosaur? but you?re OUR DAMNED DINOSAUR, Doc! We need your witty repartee to keep us all in line, and I sure as hell hope you won?t wait a full year before you come back and lay some more of that crazy ?Mes?can? wisdom on us all. 

Hooyah DINOSAURS! 
Steve 


From: doc Riot [mailto:docrio45 [@]  gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 2:28 PM
To: Steve Robinson 
Subject:   Re: you da boss ! 

It was so freakin cold up in the Korean Mountains.  I kept looking for a BELL to ring and go for a hot shower and a hot meal. 
Never found the bell, much less a hot meal.
I was in the same boat as Joe Di Martino;   He never went through BUD/S , he told me there was no BELL to be found on Normandy beach.  LOL.

How do you convince the young lions that got drummed into their brain that HELL WEEK is what makes them what they are? It is true! What makes them what they are because they endured that week because of their intestinal fortitude.  That separated them from the boys.   Some of the guys have even gone through training twice!   The only guy that I remember is Tom Blais, there are others.   I cannot put myself in their class, that’s for sure.

They re-earned their “BUD” in war, same as some of us did. 
Thanks for the extremely well put assessment of what some of us went through to earn our “BUD.” 

Erasmo 


—– Original Message —–
From: Steve Robinson
To: ‘doc rio’
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 2:53 PM Subject:
RE: you da boss ! 

Doc, 

Brother?for you truly are my BROTHER? I don?t give a rat?s ass how anyone else sees it, nor am I gonna lose sleep over trying to convince them of what I know to be the truth. The fact of the matter is that what they are and what they do today is due directly to YOU, and JOE, and RUDY, and KEN, and the others who took a ?swimmer scout? job and made it into something the entire world looks up to as the absolute epitome of WARRIOR. The Orientals have their traditions of the ultimate warriors in their NINJA culture? and for generations all of the wannabe toughs here in America have acted like the oriental culture was the ultimate way of life; they dreamed of carrying a Japanese katana strapped on their back, wearing black jammies and sandals, walking on rice paper without leaving a trace, and moving like a shadow in the night. 

The American navy has created its own culture of military excellence with the Teams at the top of the charts, and now all the wannabes are running around wearing cammo and talking trash from the SOCOM 3 NAVY SEALS video game and using words like ?tango? to mean ?target? and other such clique terms. The Teams are our American NINJAs. BUD/S is part of that whole ethos in the minds of the ?young lions? who grew up with SOCOM 3 and other video games? but those of us who joined the Teams when they were still virtually unknown are aware of the real basis for what the Teams can do. That heritage lies at Normandy and Iwo Jima and Inchon and in cold snowy places like the Chosin Reservoir? and the folks that served THERE never went through a formal BUD/S or HELL WEEK experience. They invented the shit that they needed to solve the problems that they faced. The young lions now aren?t doing nearly as much inventing as they are copying those of you who went before. 

I worry sometimes about what might happen when all their batteries run down and their fancy electronics don?t work. Will they still be able to land navigate in a snowy terrain with only rocks as landmarks? Will they be able to move through a swamp without getting stuck in the mud or climb a cliff without being able to call home for assistance? Will they know hand-and-arm signals enough to communicate important information when talking aloud ? even in a whisper ? will get them all killed? Will they know how to use an open ?iron? sight on a weapon at night and pick off a target without a battery powered night vision device, red dot aiming point, and thermal imaging scope? 

I hope so. 

Meanwhile the guys that invented how to do it originally, without batteries, under fire, are the guys I look to as MY heroes! I?ve got a friend here in nearby Branson? 92+ years old? NCDU Class 48? UDT-15? was at Iwo Jima and made numerous swims to the beach from a small boat to provide assistance to guys in trouble. You? Joe Di Martino, Rudy, Ken, Bill O?Brien? YOU GUYS are the ones that invented the damned Teams and made them what they are today. I just wish you would join the VTC conversations more often, my friend. Your delightful point of view on things is much desired and much needed. I won?t push? and I won?t whine much? but I do hope you step inside and offer comments more than once a year, eh? 

Steve Robinson        shadek [at] tri-lakes.net

Harry Constance "Good to GO"
Jerry Sweezy's son, and Tom Norris (SEAL) MOH
Ted Kassa and Erasmo "Doc" Riojas 'nam Vets
lt. to rt: Kotchy, Schultz, Riojas, Humphries, Hammerle, Thornton
Thomas Blais & Chuck Newell ST-2
Bob Rieve & Randy Dedrickson
Mrs. Hawkins & CDR Tom Hawkins

Ty Zellers Riding Airplane’s Wing

WWII UDTs:
FRONT: Frank Castellanos, Charles C. COsto, Raymond Gallo, Kade A. Cousins, Leonard Diveley
MIDDLE: Fabins S Elmore, William A harrison, Harold C. Lucas, A.M. Tomikle, Calvin W. Littles
BACK: Leroy P:earson, N.N. Upchurch, Arnold A Sockwell, Arthur F. Stack, Edward I. Seeley, Darvin E. Robinson, Elmer C. Huffman, H. S. Winters, Herbert W. Spears.

Class 33 E.C.   from   Fred Miller

Click on image to enlarge

Email from Fred Miller:

Dec 9, 2007;    Rio,   I Remember the Rats in Vietnam– big enough to stand flat footed and mug a Bull Dog– We use to go to the dump in Mytho and shoot them with the Starlight scope. 

When the 5.56 bullet would hit them they exploded into mass of Gue. When I used to shoot them in the water and missed and hit under them they would blow out of the water straight up about twenty feet in the air. 

Turtles do the same thing when you shoot under them with a high velocity rifle.—Fred

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Click on image to enlarge

UDT E.C. 1967  from Ty Zellers

Jim Tipton & Erasmo Riojas
Charles Richardson & John Pinkeiwicz at UWSS Key West FL
UWSS Frank Kappesser & Jim Hazelwood, Key West FL.
The Second FO UWSS Key West Reunion Panama City FL
Jim Hazelwood, DeepSeaDiver, Navy Frogman and Navy SEAL
ST-2 7th platoon, 'nam 1967, lt. to rt. Riojas, Ming, Hook, Jack , "Eagle" Roy Dean
CWO Charles Watson SEAL, Retired, Esq.
B.Henry
Doc Hammel 197
Rusty & Henry
Dr. Lambertsen
Erasmo Doc RIojas aka: Doc Rio Mx SEAL
Redmon, Gallagher,Gless, Isham, Riojas, Bailey, Clark
Dr. Riojas & Dr. Aquardo
Rio,2nd Yr.Med.Sch.

Gordon Clisham SEAL Team ONE Photo Album

Mr. Rick Hetzell provided platoon history& ID'd Photos
Taken at Gorden Clishams House last August Carol Hollar, Sandy Clisham, Denise Daugherty, Joyce Wood, Joan Shadnaw, Shanon, Linda Barnes (DJ's ) wife, Barnes (PK's) wife
Taken at class 255's SQT ceremony at the Coronado BUD/S compound These are all members of class 55 and we threw a buffet and a couple of kegs for class 255 at Mc P's Left to right -- Grant Telfer, Richard Jarke, Dan Potts in the back, Karl Heinz in uniform, Jim Mantalis back, Gorden Clisham Center, Rick Hetzell back, Eric Knudson far back, Mike Wood front, Jim Lake partly obscured, Buzzy Harlow, and Ret Adm. Tom Richards on the end.
Later that night at McP's Left to right top row -- Richard Jarke, Jim Lake, Eric Knudson, Buzzy Harlow middle row Left to right -- Jim Mantalis, Karl Heinz Front row Left to right -- Gorden Clisham, Mike Wood, Frank Richard, Rick Hetzell, and Dan Potts
Class 55 - Mud flats -Thursday of Hell week
Class 55 - Mud flats -Thursday of Hell week. Mother Moy on Woody Shomaker's back burying his head. BUT: Dan Potts says that this is he ! I dunno; Doc Rio

From: sandi clisham
Subject: Seal Team Pictures
To: docrio45 [at] gmail   DOT  com
Date: Monday, December 28, 2009, 12:40 PM 

Doc Riojas,
I am the wife of Gordon Clisham (Seal Team 1) Vietnam 1970. Almost every year for the past ten, we have had Seal Team One Reunions at our farm in Parkton, Maryland.

 I have some great pictures of the guys (and their wives) I would be happy to send.. Unit members include, Dav Shadnaw, Gordon, Dan Cergioni, Chuck Holler, Paul Barnes (P.K), Joe Murray, Don Barnes, Dan Petterson, Bobby Smith, Barry Strausbaugh, Biff Dougherty, Willie Stentinnius, Rick Hetzell and a few more that I would be able to tag. Let me know if you would be interested enough for me to send these pictures. 

As you requested, I asked Gordon if you could put these photos on your web site and he said it was OK. 

Thanks,  Sandi

webmaster:  Erasmo “Doc” Riojas  email:  docrio45 [at] gmail  DOT com

Arles L. Nash
David "doc" Hammer
Jerry Hammerle
Mr. Callahan
Jerry Hammerle
UDT/SEAL Reunion Ft. Pierce FL
UDT 21 platoon
Harold Aschenbrenner

SEAL TWO Photo ALbums by Doc Rio

Disclaimer Notice:   Some or all of this material was written collaboratively by Teammates or visitors to this website. While every effort is made to ensure that the content of this website is accurate, the website is provided “as is” and sealtwo.org makes no representations or warranties in relation to the accuracy or completeness of the information found on it. While the content of this site is provided in good faith, we do not warrant that the information will be kept up to date, be true and not misleading, or that this site will always (or ever) be available for use. For reliable information of any sort, you must consult an officially qualified professional in The U.S. Navy, or the Department of Defense.   You may use this site at your own risk that none, part of or all of what is posted is factual. By visiting this website you are accepting all the terms of this disclaimer notice. If you do not agree with anything in this notice you should not enter into this website. Some material on this website, including text and images, is protected by copyright law and is copyright to sealtwo.org unless credited otherwise. It may be copied, reproduced, republished, downloaded, posted, broadcast and transmitted  for your own personal only.  

 

Erasmo “Doc” Riojas gives up all rights to all articles and graphics on www.sealtwo.org and seeks no compensation for its use. 2016

Mi Vida Loca – Copyright ©1998 – All Right Reserved       Webmaster:  Erasmo “Doc” Riojas        email:   docrio45@gmail.com   

Disclaimer Notice:   Some or all of this material was written collaboratively by Teammates or visitors to this website. While every effort is made to ensure that the content of this website is accurate, the website is provided “as is” and sealtwo.org makes no representations or warranties in relation to the accuracy or completeness of the information found on it. While the content of this site is provided in good faith, we do not warrant that the information will be kept up to date, be true and not misleading, or that this site will always (or ever) be available for use. For reliable information of any sort, you must consult an officially qualified professional in The U.S. Navy, or the Department of Defense.   You may use this site at your own risk that none, part of or all of what is posted is factual. By visiting this website you are accepting all the terms of this disclaimer notice. If you do not agree with anything in this notice you should not enter into this website. Some material on this website, including text and images, is protected by copyright law and is copyright to sealtwo.org unless credited otherwise. It may be copied, reproduced, republished, downloaded, posted, broadcast and transmitted  for your own personal only.  

 

Erasmo “Doc” Riojas gives up all rights to all articles and graphics on www.sealtwo.org and seeks no compensation for its use. 2016

Mi Vida Loca – Copyright ©1998 – All Right Reserved       Webmaster:  Erasmo “Doc” Riojas        email:   docrio45@gmail.com   

Hello Folks, 

At long last I’ve published the third book in my Indomitable Patriot series, The Indomitable Patriot: the Submariners. 

The book takes us back to 1943 and the OSS. The USS Great White (SS-299) has just put an OSS team ashore in the Philippines and has gone hunting for Japanese tonnage to sink. She almost gets more than she bargained for when she tangles with a Japanese battleship with five escorts. Will she survive her assault and live to fight again? 
Lieutenant Commander Marcus Spencer, captain of the Great White experiences a number of twists and turns in his career as well, mainly involving the OSS and their covert activities in the Northern Mariana Islands. I’ve also introduced naval aviation into this book to present many thrilling scenes taking place above, as well as below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. 

As with my previous Patriot books, this book is historically accurate fiction. The book is geared toward submarine warfare and along those lines I read and reviewed dozens of actual patrol reports of USS Wahoo, Tang, and a number of WWII submarines. I lucked out in one additional way however.    My technical editor was a retired Navy Command Master Chief who spent his entire naval career aboard diesel and nuclear submarines. His tireless efforts have enabled me to write a book about submarine warfare a reader with no knowledge of the boats will understand and enjoy, and a submarine sailor (also called a “Bubblehead”) will enjoy the realism, jargon and accuracy of the story. 

If interested in looking further, just click this link and as-if by magic you will be transported to Amazon and the books listing. It’s available in both print and Kindle formats. 
http://www.amazon.com/The-Indomitable-Patriot-Submariners-Volume/dp/1530641098?ie=UTF8&keywords=carl%20mclelland&qid=1459365936&ref_=sr_1_4&s=books&sr=1-4 
I hope, regardless of your decision to check out the book, everybody is healthy and prosperous.

 All Best,   Carl McLelland, Vietnam Veteran

One of our guys, although he had the misfortune of going Army instead of Navy, has become a writer in
his old age. His first few books were about the paranormal… he likes to chase ghosts in his spare time. But his latest
endeavor; Wow! He has started a new series of books he calls Behind the Lines. His first book, recently completed and
published is titled “THE INDOMITABLE PATRIOT: Fertig, the Guerrilla General.” It’s a historically correct novel about Wendell Fertig in the Philippines in World War II. Here’s what the book looks like.
Cover Final :
May, 1942. General Wainwright has just surrendered the Philippines. Wendell Fertig, a Corps of Engineers Lieutenant Colonel, refuses to comply and flees into the mountains of Mindanao. Fertig is soon
joined by dozens of former Philippino Army scouts who encourage him to form a guerrilla Army. Over the next few months Fertig is joined by several other displaced American soldiers, one of whom builds a small, makeshift transmitter and establishes contact with the Navy.
General MacArthur denounces Fertig, going on record claiming it’s impossible for a guerrilla movement in the Philippines to succeed. The O.S.S. decide to take a chance and covertly supplies Fertig by submarine. Once he receives the tools to wage war, his achievements become legendary. By the time MacArthur returns to the Philippines in 1944 he is met on the beach at Leyte by a force of over twenty thousand of Fertig’s guerrilla Army.

This fictional accounting is based upon the actual military records and reports of one man’s impossible achievements against overwhelming odds; against an enemy who outnumbered him a hundred to one. Wendell Fertig, a civil engineer and untrained amateur in the ways of war, defied the predictions of the experts and brought the Japanese Army to its knees. Enjoy this first installment in the new Behind The Lines series of combat thrillers based upon historical records.
.

The book is available from Amazon in either print or Kindle versions, or by special order from almost any book retailer.
(He’s not Tom Clancy yet. They don’t stock his books but they can order them). These links will take you to the Amazon listings. If you look at the Kindle listing there is a Look Inside feature that lets you read through the first chapter.
Print:
http://www.amazon.com/Indomitable-Patriot-Fertig-Guerrilla-General/dp/
1512025623/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431972445&sr=8-1&keywords=the+indomitable+patriot

Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Indomitable-
Patriot-Fertig-Guerrilla-General-ebook/dp/B00XUSX4RU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1432050603&sr=
1-1&keywords=the+indomitable+patriot

About the Author Carl’s professional career began as an Army and then FAA air traffic controller. He advanced from a small radar van in the Central Highlands of Vietnam to the TRACON in one of our nation’s busiest airports. He also became a commercial pilot and flight instructor, retiring after thirty-nine years of flying. By 1986 he was experiencing severe burnout. He put himself through the police academy, resigned from the FAA and became a deputy Sheriff in Reno, Nevada. He retired after a distinguished career on the street. Not only the cop on the beat, Carl became a renowned traffic accident reconstructionist on his departments Major Accident Investigation Team, as well as a highly acclaimed crime scene investigator. Throughout his life Carl has been a student of the paranormal and often experienced the effects of the supernatural in his personal life. In 2012 he became involved in the saga of the haunted Allen House in Monticello, Arkansas and its resident spirit, Ladell Allen Bonner. The result of dozens upon dozens of paranormal interactions with Ladell led Carl to write his first book about Ladell’s life and death. Writing that first book sparked a latent avocation in his life: writing. Carl has always been a connoisseur of military history, and that interest began a new direction for his writing. This latest book is the story of Wendell Fertig, and the beginning of a thrilling new series, ‘Behind The Lines.’ While the stories are fictionalized, they are all based upon factual military history. Join in with Carl and enjoy his books as you gain an interesting new insight in what war is all about.

The following is typical of the reviews I’m receiving on the book:


Just finished your book and you get 4.0 marks from this old Navy Seal. Really enjoyed and it adds to my hobby of WWII.
Spent 22 years of my 34 in and out of the PI. Have traveled every island and was trained a marksman by RJ when we were
stationed at Team 2 during Vietnam. Still a very good friend I keep in contact with. Going to recommend it to my friends,
at least the ones that can read.