by: Erasmo "Doc" Riojas        Email:       docrio

 

 

 

 

David PaAaina    Navy SEAL    Martial Arts Competitor

 


Dave, Lil Rio, Rio Grande, Kimo Aipia and baby Manu Aipia mother, Luana Kalili Aipia

 


Lourdes Tolentino and Luana Kalili Aipia

 

LouLu and Dave PaAaina

 


PaAaina & Lil Rio

 

 

 

 

Mike Day was shot 27 times and lived !

X

 

 

RUDY DAVIS,  U.S. Navy Frogman/ SEAL



From: Rudy Davis                  12 Mar 2016             to: Doc Rioja 

Doc - 
Every thing was good about Apollo 15, until the last shot. It was an ariel view of Apollo 14 (Jan. 1971) which I was also on - with the 2 rafts Toad Stool and Lilly Pad. - Admiral Rohrbach (then LtJG) was in the raft as Decon. Swimmer and helped the Astro out. Mike Bennett, Doc Holmes and Fred Schmidt were lifeguards in the water. I recovered the "Apex Cover" which had be jettisoned, approx. 300 yards to the south. 

LtJG Schmidt was then chosen to be in charge of Apollo 15 (Aug. 1971) which occured 6 months later; He chose Jakuboski and myself Davis as his 1st Recovery Team. It was much more fun because NASA had decided that there was no Moon Viruses and we could shake their hands and bullshit with the Astronauts.

 

 

 

 

Harry Butler   aka:  Flight 014  PHOTOS

Harry Butler

Doc, 

I made a couple of boo boo's on the UTB 7101 names, it's been 45 years. One was Gerry Nolte, I was thinking of the Midnight Cowboy. The other was Mike M. the correct spelling is on pg. 3 of the handout. 
014Photos by
Flight014 (your name goes here) or however you want to title the pictures.  
                            Doc, 
Why I use Flight014 which was my old Gruuman/Gulfstream Flight Test #.
        Thanks For The Memories!!! 
Amigos,     I think I've got this request figured out!!!     Harry Butler   aka:  Flight 014 


 I also need help with the description of them because i don't think i got them right.  thanks,              RIO


From:Flight014         19Mar2016
to: Doc Rio
Doc,
I had sent you a few pics that I had on slides. One was our trainingg. class pic, on the back of the pic I had everyone's signature except Bill McNally's + mine.
UDTB 7101 - Class 51 East Pic Front + Rear!!!
This may be of interest.
FITH (Fate Is The Hunter),
Harry Butler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxMISSING
Plymouth Rock.jpg 


Reply to Flight014 <flight014@unseen.is>

 

 

1952 Hell Week:    Little Creek VA.  Amphib Base  UDT Replacement Training courtesy 
of:
Jake Hays mailed-by: pilotonline.com signed-by: pilotonline.com date: Tue, Jan 19, 016 subject: Re: your article on Hell Week UDT training at Little Creek Amphib base 1952         Jake Hays wrote: Feel free to do so Mr. Riojas! I'm a big fan of your page and have visited it many times over the years! -All the best - Jake

     Somebody out there in Frogville;  write me and tell me which class you think this is.    Thank you very much:      Email me HERE !

David PaAaina    Navy SEAL    Martial Arts Competitor

 


Dave, Lil Rio, Rio Grande, Kimo Aipia and baby Manu Aipia mother, Luana Kalili Aipia

 


Lourdes Tolentino and Luana Kalili Aipia

 

LouLu and Dave PaAaina

 


PaAaina & Lil Rio

 


David PaAaina

 


Dave's Nephew and Damien Rio Vasquez at  Paaoa, Hilo, Hawaii

 

                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                        
UDT-22 in Artic                                                                                David F.  Godshall

 

 

 


Adm. Harward

 

 


Richard Marcinko

 

 


Zinke

       

 

 

 

 

   

 

 


Navy SEAL back to action 
49 when he re-enlisted in 2006; needed hip surgery By Jeanette Steele .May 2, 2010
Mike Carrol

Genesis of Navy SEALs

The Concept
By: Charles W. Sasser Date: September 7 , 2011 Special Contributor Credit: Navy SEAL and SWCC. 

Credit: Navy SEAL and SWCC. 

This is the first article in a three-part series from Charles Sasser, about the Genesis of the Navy SEALs. The second post is “Genesis of the Navy SEALs—The Early Years.” The third post is “Genesis of the Navy SEALS—Today.” 

Who do you call if, say, the most ruthless terrorist leader in the world needs his ticket punched? You call for a real breed apart, for men who are warned during BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolitions/SEAL) training that “twenty five percent of you may not live until you’re thirty”—and they still take the job. 

How does America produce such men? 

Although World War II is looked upon as the start of the SEAL legend, the concept of waterborne commandos actually stretches back to at least Syracuse in ancient Sicily. Under siege by Athens in 414 B.C., Syracuse constructed palisades to impale enemy watercraft and dispatched swimmers to sabotage ships threatening the city. 

Tyre in present-day Lebanon used swimmers to cut the anchor ropes of enemy ships when Alexander the Great besieged it. 

Italians at the beginning of WWII were the first to actually deploy combat swimmers in modern times. They used swimmers with underwater breathing devices to sink three British ships at Gibraltar. 

Not that the United States lacked the capability for such operations. Even before Pearl Harbor, Americans had access to a remarkable self-contained underwater breathing system developed by Christian J. Lambertsen that permitted a swimmer to breathe underwater for an hour or so without expelling telltale bubbles. Since the U.S. Navy showed little interest in the beginning, Lambertsen went to the U.S. Army, where he was charged with equipping and training “operational swimmers” for the OSS, Office of Strategic Services, forerunner of today’s CIA. 

Invasion forces preparing to land in North Africa in the autumn of 1942 faced a situation that required an unorthodox approach—combat swimmers. Vichy French had constructed a massive boom and net arrangement across the mouth of the Wadi Sefou River near Casablanca in Morocco. Beyond, a large stone fortress bristling with 155mm and 75mm guns guarded the river entrance against an invasion force. Planners recruited a demolitions expert, Navy Lieutenant Mark Starkweather, and 16 other men to clear the mouth of the river. Their official designation was CDU—Combat Demolition Unit. Starkweather became the grandfather of America’s undersea commandos. He was the first. 

On 11 November 1942, CDU succeeded in blowing up the obstruction in the river and clearing the way for a successful Allied landing. 

That same year, the Navy began to waken to the potential of combat swimmers. It banded with the U.S. Army’s Alamo Scouts to establish Amphibious Scouts and Raiders to function as commandos in island warfare. The concept of “sea warriors” serving as unconventional forces ashore had been planted, although Scouts and Raiders never became as broadly based as are the SEALs or Army Special Forces (Green Berets) today. Instead, on 6 June 1943, Admiral Ernest J. King gave orders for the unit to shift its primary focus to underwater demolitions. 

Navy Lt. Commander Draper L. Kauffman, a bomb disposal expert, was handed the task of organizing the first Naval Clearance Diving Unit (NCDU) at Fort Pierce, Florida. The unit was so secret that virtually no one in the Navy knew about it. Volunteers learned hydrographic reconnaissance and mapping as well as demolitions. They operated out of small boats and wore full combat fatigues with life belts and combat boots to protect their feet from coral reefs. Hooked to safety lines, they were not expected to do any swimming. 

However, the tragic invasion of Tarawa in November 1943 alerted the Navy to its need for underwater surveillance. Not because swimmers were used there, but because they weren’t. Landing craft loaded with tanks and Marines ran aground on coral reefs surrounding the island and were cut down by murderous Japanese fire from ashore. More than 1,000 Marines were killed and 2,500 wounded trying to breach the island’s reefs. More Americans were killed trying to reach the island than were slain in actual fighting. 

Following Tarawa, Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner, amphibious fleet commander, vowed that such a debacle would never happen again. He issued orders for the creation of special teams of men trained to scout out enemy beaches, remove natural and man-made obstacles with explosives, and guide invading forces ashore. With Turner’s encouragement, LCDR Kauffman at Fort Pierce designed a tough new program for the soon-to-be designated UDTs (Underwater Demolition Teams) to train special men for demanding duty. 

LCDR John T. Koehler, commander of UDT-2, took the concept a step further in realizing that the future of UDT operations lay with swimmers. He abandoned conventional ties to watercraft, took to the sea, and began studying the use of fins and dive masks, compasses and mine-detecting devices. 

Kauffman’s and Koehler’s organizational setup became the pattern for all UDTs—and subsequently cleared the way for SEALs when they arrived on the scene. Each UDT consisted of one headquarters division and four operational platoons of three officers and 16 men each, for a total team strength of 100 men. Two teams (still designated NCDU at the time) were sent to the Mediterranean, where they participated in the invasion of France. One went to England and participated in the D-Day landing on Normandy. Two were sent to Guadalcanal and three were assigned for use by Admiral Turner out of Hawaii. It was said a man had to be “half fish and half nuts” in order to join up. 

Each man of a team in action was flagged with blue-green paint as camouflage and then marked with black stripes from toes to chin and down each arm in order to use his body to measure the depth of water near shore. “Frogmen,” as they were dubbed because of their unusual camouflage markings and near-naked bodies, caused a stir wherever they appeared. 

There is an amusing story of appreciation about how Kauffman was called by the landing beach master for a consultation on the Saipan beachhead. He and a UDT lieutenant hailed a passing amtrac and rode it in. They were dressed in swimming trunks and sneakers, and still had stripes painted around their bodies. 

A Marine looked out of his foxhole. “Christ, I’ve seen everything,” he cracked. “We ain’t even got the beach yet and the tourists are here already.” 

The “tourists” were here to stay, to eventually become the toughest, most flexible unconventional force in the world. By VJ Day 1945, UDTs had developed a distinctive pattern and methods that would later be assimilated into the formation of the more broadly-based SEALs. The idea of “sea warriors for all seasons” in the U.S. Navy had been born and a pattern was emerging. Symbol

Focus On: Special Operations Teams —The Early Years 

By: Charles W. Sasser Date: September 16 , 2011 Special Contributor 

This is the second article in a three-part series from Charles Sasser, about the Genesis of the Navy SEALs. The first post is “Genesis of the Navy SEALs—The Concept.” The third post is “Genesis of the Navy SEALS—Today.” 

It became apparent by the autumn of 1962 that the Soviets were moving intercontinental ballistic missiles into Cuba. SEALs, who had already been mapping possible invasion sites, training resistance forces and conducting spy and assassination missions against Castro, were tasked to provide evidence of the existence of missiles on the island. Events revolving around the USSR, Cuba and the U.S., as Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara put it, were forcing the earth to face its “greatest danger of a catastrophic war since the advent of the nuclear age.” 

Ham-fisted Navy Lieutenant Roy Boehm, commander of SEAL Team Two, and SEAL Petty Officer “Lump-Lump” Williams linked up with a CIA “spook” known only as “John” to obtain that evidence. “John” briefed the two SEALs aboard the submarine Sea Lion as it dove in the Florida Straits on its way to Cuba. 

“Gentlemen,” the CIA agent began. “You are about to embark on the most significant mission of your military careers. The forces of communism and the forces of the free world are being compelled into a standoff the outcome of which only God knows. The world may be only days away from nuclear confrontation. . . The United States has good reason to believe the Soviet Union has moved ICBMs into Cuba. President Kennedy will not back down, not even from nuclear war. The President will broadcast it to the world as soon as we can confirm intelligence reports that Castro and Khrushchev are installing ICBMs to target the United States.” 

The three men locked out of the sub off Havana in the middle of the night and swam ashore. Photos of ICBM sites they obtained soon appeared in Time magazine and other news sources and became part of a mountain of undeniable documentation that led to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Newly-commissioned SEAL teams were starting to make their mark on a Cold War that was fast producing a new style and concept of warfare. Spy versus spy, covert terrorism, espionage, sabotage, assassination, snooping and popping to catch your enemy with his pants down. . . Specials operations forces like the SEALs were designed for the times, designed deadly and efficient like the man-eating shark. War entered the Atomic Age with its face painted black and green, an assassin’s dagger in one hand and a peace dove in the other. The dove blew up if you handled it wrong. 

May 25, 1961, five weeks after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, a year and a half before the Missile Crisis, President John F. Kennedy had announced his intent to build unconventional warriors for unconventional times. Addressing a joint session of Congress in one of the most important speeches of his presidency, he set a goal for rocketing an American to the moon before the end of the decade—and he called for a major restructuring of the nation’s military to pull it back from sole reliance on “massive nuclear retaliation.” 

“I am directing the secretary of defense to expand rapidly and substantially, in cooperation with our allies, the orientation of existing forces for the conduct of non-nuclear war, paramilitary operations, and sub-limited or unconventional war. . .” 

He ordered the Pentagon to set aside $400 million to beef up Special Forces, primarily Army Green Berets and a naval commando force capable of operations on land, in the air, and on and under the sea. UDTs from World War II would provide the foundation. 

In 1945, there were 34 UDTs consisting of about 3,500 men. By 1948, that number had dropped to a skeleton crew of seven officers and 45 enlisted men. Naval unconventional warfare may have died out entirely but for the insight of Commander Francis Douglas Fane, who struggled to preserve UDTs and expand upon their capabilities. 

“I realized,” he was to explain, “that if we were going to come in, in future wars, we would have to be better prepared than just swimming on the surface of the water. . . I thought of the idea of working underwater all the way. Working with submersible out of submarines. Coming in surreptitiously at night. Of being dropped by helicopter into the water. I envisioned this whole system.” 

The postwar role of UDT stopped shrinking as Fane sought to expand missions for sea warriors and worked with scientists from around the world to develop new equipment. By the time the Korean War erupted, UDT training had been modified to encompass land operations, small unit tactics and weapons familiarity. Frogmen previously confined to the water were looking to the land and to the air as well. 

Navy Bos’n Mate Roy Boehm survived WWII as intrigued by UDT Frogmen as Fane. The thought of sea commandos rising out of the depths like sharks to strike terror into the hearts of the enemy fascinated him. He completed the Navy’s First Class Diving School, then applied for and was accepted for UDT. He was the oldest man of approximately 240 who began UDTR (Underwater Demolitions Training) Class-13 in July 1954. Twenty one men survived the training; Boehm was one of them. The attrition rate for UDT was about 90 percent, about the same rate as for SEAL training today. 

Boehm always said he learned something vital in UDTR that he never forgot: the men you could depend on most were those who had to work hardest to get what they wanted. The bonding of a team through an experience such as UDTR built a band of brothers, elite operational rogues who would willingly sacrifice their lives for each other. 

By 1961, Boehm had been commissioned into the officer corps and was operations officer of UDT-21. The team’s skipper, Lt. Commander Bill Hamilton, shared Boehm’s vision of “sea warriors.” Although Boehm was aware of President Kennedy’s vow to create unconventional troops, he was unaware that plans were already underway deep in the bowels of officialdom toward that end. 

Hamilton summoned Boehm to his office following the Bay of Pigs. “Roy, can you make commandos out of our people?” 

“We’ve already started training them.” 

“Start selecting the men you want from UDT. This is classified Top Secret. I want you to select and train men as a nucleus for a Special Operations force to be incorporated into the Underwater Demolitions Units. You will discuss the creation of the unit with no one except me. You will volunteer information on the purpose of training to no one, not even the men undergoing it. Is that clear?” 

Boehm had been waiting years for an opportunity like this. 

“We’ve somehow been granted carte blanche to create the finest band of unconventional warriors in the world,” LCDR Hamilton continued. “President Kennedy has taken a lot of flack for the Bay of Pigs. He’s not going to let it happen again. He’s caught up in the unconventional warfare concept and has authorized us to do it the way we want. . . Lieutenant Boehm, I know how you’ve wanted to see this happen. Now, do it your way. Get men who can successfully complete any mission anywhere in the world. . . Work fast, Lieutenant. I don’t know how much time we have.” 

To Boehm’s surprise, he was assigned a Presidential Priority One in obtaining men and equipment. Thirty seven men reported aboard in January 1962; 19 more reported for duty as soon as they completed training or returned from other operations. They were men like Bob “The Eagle” Gallagher, who would become a legend feared by the Viet Cong; Gene Tinnin, later killed in action along the Cambodian border; J.C. Tipton, who would log countless missions into Latin America and Asia; Bill Bruhmuller, a brave man who let himself be captured by the VC in order to obtain information and escape; “Hoss” Kucinski; Hoot Andrews; Rudy Boesch; “Lump-Lump” Williams, who would soon accompany Boehm into Cuba and later go to Vietnam as advisor to the Vietnamese junk force. . . 

Over the next months, Boehm traded out training with Army Special Forces in parachuting, foreign weapons, small unit tactics, counterinsurgency, demolitions, espionage. . . His men learned to pick locks, fly airplanes, burgle buildings, escape from the enemy, sky dive in addition to military parachuting. . . 

There are a number of different possibilities on how the acronym SEAL (SEaAirLand) evolved. Whatever its origin, the designation and the men behind it soon became admired by allies and feared by enemies. Backdated to January 1, 1962, the U.S. Navy SEALs were commissioned into service as the Navy’s answer to guerrilla warfare and Army Special Forces in the Cold War. Sea warriors had become a reality. 

Boehm received orders as acting commanding officer of SEAL Team Two on the East Coast, over a force of ten officers and 50 enlisted. SEAL Team One under the command of Lieutenant Dave Del Guidice would soon be formed on the West Coast. Roy Boehm, salty old sailor and WWII vet, former bos’n mate, received the first SEAL orders. Acting commander of the very first SEAL team to be commissioned in the United States Navy. 

The First SEAL.  

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Today By: Charles W. Sasser Date: September 23 , 2011 Special Contributor 

CP Note: This is the third article in the three-part “Genesis of Navy SEALs” series from Charles Sasser. The first post is Genesis of the Navy SEALs—The Concept. The second post is Genesis of the Navy SEALS—The Early Years. A U.S. Navy SEAL team member, with Special Operations Task Force – South, provides security overwatch via hilltop during the early morning hours of a village clearing operation in Shah Wali Kot District, June 25, 2011, Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Missions such as these are conducted in order to hinder Taliban influence and improve overall security throughout the province. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Daniel P. Shook. Caption credit: DVIDSHUB. 

A U.S. Navy SEAL team member, with Special Operations Task Force – South, provides security overwatch via hilltop during the early morning hours of a village clearing operation in Shah Wali Kot District, June 25, 2011, Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Missions such as these are conducted in order to hinder Taliban influence and improve overall security throughout the province. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Daniel P. Shook. Caption credit: DVIDSHUB. 

Hardly had the Navy SEALs been formed than they were combat tested in Vietnam. Two instructors from Team One arrived in-country on 10 March 1962 to teach the South Vietnamese how to conduct clandestine operations. A month later, the first SEAL mobile training team (MTT) of 19 enlisted men and one officer, Lieutenant (j.g.) Philip P. Holtz, left for Vietnam on a mission to train the South Vietnamese Coastal Force in reconnaissance, sabotage and guerrilla warfare. 

During this early period of the war, SpecOps SEALs and Green Berets were “advisors.” It was not until February 1966 that the SEALs entered the war for active combat duty when Team One sent Detachment Golf, consisting of three officers and 15 enlisted men, into the Rung Sat Special Zone near the capital city of Saigon. This zone was a delta area composed of huge mangrove swamps crisscrossed by meandering streams between Saigon and the South China Sea and the mouth of the Mekong River to the southeast. Control of the region was critical for both sides and became a major area of operations. Americans needed it because their supply ships had to be able to move safely up and down the river to Saigon. For the Viet Cong (VC), it was a major transit route from the vast Mekong River Delta to the war zones of the north. Struggle for the zone continued throughout the war. 

Working with the riverine patrols in the Delta, Detachment Golf, soon joined by Detachment Hotel, was the unit that most frequently clashed with the VC and the source of many of the legends about SEALs. Although there were never more than 200 SEALs in-country at any one time, the “men with green faces,” as they were now know, became the most highly-decorated unit of its size in the war: two Navy Crosses; 42 Silver Stars; 402 Bronze Stars; two Legions of Merit; 352 Commendation Medals; three Presidential Unit Citations. 

Vietnam refined the SEALs into the most highly-trained and effective commando force the world had ever known. Much of their effectiveness derived from the SEAL philosophy of always doing the unexpected and doing it with elan. 

“Hit the enemy tonight if he expects you tomorrow,” one SEAL explained. “If he waits for you to come by sea, go across the mountains or arrive by parachute. If he’s looking for a chopper, fly an airliner. If he comes at you with a knife, shoot him. Throw the rule book away. There are no rules in this kind of war.” 

As Lieutenant Roy Boehm envisioned, SEALs were truly becoming men for all seasons, ready and prepared to conduct any mission anywhere on the globe. From Kwajalein Atoll during WWII, SEALs and their immediate predecessors have fought in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Latin America, Panama, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and have conducted hundreds of missions in dangerous and little-known backwaters of the world. 

The U.S. invasion in October 1983 of the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada—Operation Urgent Fury—was the first time since before WWII that an avowed communist government was replaced by a pro-Western one. The action resulted in the deaths of four SEALs, the first combat losses of SEALs since Vietnam. 

Grenada was the most massive American invasion since the Inchon landing of the Korean War, involving 13 ships, hundreds of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, and more than 7,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen. Twelve operators from SEAL Teams Four and Six were tasked to pave the way by inserting onto Salines Airfield to mark the drop zone for an Army Ranger airdrop. Eight-foot waves and 20-knot winds caught the SEALs as they parachuted through pitch-black darkness into offshore waters. Four SEALs vanished in the treacherous seas and became the first casualties of the operation. Official casualties for the action were 19 American dead, including the four SEALs, and 123 wounded. Forty-one Grenadians and 29 Cubans were killed and several hundred wounded. 

Four more SEALs were killed and eight wounded during Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989. 

For years, the United States had been at odds with the Panamanian strongman, General Manuel Noriega. President George Bush set Operation Just Cause in motion on 20 December 1989 to depose the dictator and arrest him after U.S. Federal Courts in Florida handed down indictments accusing him of drug running. The essential task of shutting down Noriega’s escape routes fell to Navy Special Operations. Three SEAL missions were planned. 

As the operation began, SEALs aboard two Navy river-patrol boats and two Army landing craft closed off the harbor at Colon on the Caribbean side of the isthmus. AT 11:30 p.m., H-Hour minus one hour and fifteen minutes, four SEALs wearing black wetsuits and carrying satchel charges blew up Noriega’s yacht, the President Porras, as it rode its lines tied up to a pier in Balboa Harbor. That left Noriega’s Learjet at Panama City’s Punta Paitilla Airport as his last readily available means of escape. That was where things started to go wrong. 

Near midnight, a U.S. Navy patrol boat idling about a mile offshore in Panama Harbor launched fifteen Zodiac rubber boats loaded with three platoons of 16 SEALs and an Air Force combat controller, their objective the waterfront Paitilla airfield to disable Noriega’s jet. 

The SEALs reached the airport without incident. But as they moved toward the hangars, a force of PDF (Panamanian Defense Forces) guarding the Learjet opened fire. In an instant, seven SEALs were hit, one fatally. The storm of fire continued for almost a minute. 

“We were filling that hangar with rounds; 40mm grenades were going everywhere,” one SEAL recalled. 

The PDF retreated under withering return fire. Four SEALs lay dead on the runway and eight were wounded. A Panamanian intelligence officer later revealed that three PDF soldiers died in the exchange while eight others were carried away wounded. Surviving SEALs completed their mission by blowing a hole through Noriega’s jet with a 40mm grenade round. 

Mission always came first. 

Navy SEALs have continued to pull off operations like these in far-flung regions of the world, some of which are too secret to reveal. Often referred to as “the Quiet Warriors,” SEALs have a mandate to live in the shadows. Sworn to confidentiality, they rarely divulge secrets about their missions. You only hear about SEALs if something goes wrong, or if they go very right. 

During the Persian Gulf War of 1991, SEALs launched ops in the Gulf against shipping and trained Kuwaiti Special Forces. SEALs led the War on Terror after 911, conducting missions against ships suspected of having ties to or carrying al Qaeda. During the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, a joint Special Ops unit of Green Berets, SEALs, CIA and U.S. Air Force Special Tactics killed or captured over 200 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters and destroyed thousands of pounds of weapons and ordnance. SEAL Teams began rotating in and out of the country, pulling top-level secret missions against Taliban and al Qaeda leaders. 

Highly trained in everything from direct action and hostage rescue to counterterrorism, they are America’s surgical instrument. They are who you call when everything has to go right. Cocky, confident and dedicated, they come from all walks of American life. They are intellectuals and scholars, rodeo cowboys and race car drivers, professors and doctors. . . Many speak multiple languages. It is said that the average SEAL can outperform the average Harvard student or the average Olympic athlete. 

Only approximately 2,000 in number, they are organized into two groups under the Naval Special Warfare Command and the U.S. Special Operations Command. Odd-numbered SEAL Teams One, Three, Five and Seven are headquartered on the West Coast under Naval Special Warfare Group One out of Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado, California. Even-numbered SEAL Teams Two, Four, Eight and Ten on the East Coast belong to Naval Special Warfare Group Two at Little Creek Amphibious Base and Dam Neck Annex in Virginia. 

Each team is composed of six platoons and a headquarters element. Two officers and 14 enlisted men make up a platoon, which is generally the largest element committed to a mission. A platoon may be further subdivided into two squads or four elements. 

While there are eight confirmed SEAL teams, there is one additional team that is so highly-classified that no one is supposed to know it even exists. SEAL Team Six, otherwise known as Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) caught the eye of the world on Sunday, 1 May 2011, when 24 of them led by the CIA dropped into Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan and delivered a simple but hard-hitting message: From American with love. 

The modern form of counterterrorism (CT) as practiced by SpecOps forces got its start in the late 1960s to thwart Palestinian terrorists hijacking airplanes in the middle East. Most countries lacked full CT capabilities until after the 1972 Munich Olympics during which so-called Black September terrorists massacred eleven Israeli athletes. Nearly every nation since then has fielded elite CT elements. 

Although SEAL Lieutenant Norman J. Carley of SEAL Team Two began training a special squad in 1978 called Mobility Six, or MOB-6, to act as a CT reaction force, the U.S. Navy’s official involvement in CT began with the failed 1980 attempt to rescue American hostages from the U.S. Embassy in Iran. During the Iran Hostage Crisis, the Pentagon assigned a tough Navy maverick named Ricard Marcinko to work on possible rescue plans. Commander Marcinko had already proved himself inhumanly tough in missions in Vietnam and other places—blowing up supply junks, charging through minefields, jumping at 20,000 feet with a malfunctioning parachute. . . It was said of him that he made Arnold Schwarzenegger look like Little Lord Fauntleroy. A sign at the entrance to Marcinko’s retirement estate bears the warning: Trespassers will be shot, survivors shot again. 

Ronald Reagan’s election as president in 1980 brought an end to the hostage crisis, but Admiral Thomas Hayward, Chief of Naval Operations, approved Marcinko’s plans to create a SEAL CT unit. He authorized Marcinko to design, build, equip, train and lead the best counterterrorist force in the world. SEAL Team Six with 75 enlisted men and 15 officers became operational as of 1 January 1981. 

Since its secret debut, Team Six has been involved in many classified missions, much of which are still classified. Those that are known include: the 1991 rescue of Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide under cover of darkness following the coup that deposed him; the capture of Saddam Hussein in Iraq; tracking down war criminals in Bosnia; rescuing Private Jessica Lynch after she became a POW in Iraq in March 2003; shooting pirates off the coast of Somalia; and, of course, the operation at Osama bin Laden’s compound. “Maritime,” Marcinko was famously quoted as saying, is any operation in which SEALs carry canteens of water. 

On 6 August 2011, 30 American Special Forces servicemen, most of them elite Navy SEALs, some from SEAL Team Six, died when a Chinook helicopter either crashed or was shot down during combat operations in Afghanistan. Kimberly Vaughn, wife of SEAL Aaron Vaughn, gave CNN a fitting epitaph for her husband. What she said of her husband could be applied to any SEAL. 

“There was no way—even if you could tell him this would have happened, he would have done it anyway,” she said. “All those men are like that. They’re selfless. I want to tell the world that this was an amazing man, that he was a wonderful husband and a fabulous father of two wonderful children. He was a warrior for Christ and he was a warrior for our country and he wouldn’t want to leave this Earth any other way than how he did.” 

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 SEALs—Today 

By: Charles W. Sasser Date: September 23 , 2011 Special Contributor 

CP Note: This is the third article in the three-part “Genesis of Navy SEALs” series from Charles Sasser. The first post is Genesis of the Navy SEALs—The Concept. The second post is Genesis of the Navy SEALS—The Early Years. A U.S. Navy SEAL team member, with Special Operations Task Force – South, provides security overwatch via hilltop during the early morning hours of a village clearing operation in Shah Wali Kot District, June 25, 2011, Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Missions such as these are conducted in order to hinder Taliban influence and improve overall security throughout the province. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Daniel P. Shook. Caption credit: DVIDSHUB. 

A U.S. Navy SEAL team member, with Special Operations Task Force – South, provides security overwatch via hilltop during the early morning hours of a village clearing operation in Shah Wali Kot District, June 25, 2011, Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Missions such as these are conducted in order to hinder Taliban influence and improve overall security throughout the province. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Daniel P. Shook. Caption credit: DVIDSHUB. 

Hardly had the Navy SEALs been formed than they were combat tested in Vietnam. Two instructors from Team One arrived in-country on 10 March 1962 to teach the South Vietnamese how to conduct clandestine operations. A month later, the first SEAL mobile training team (MTT) of 19 enlisted men and one officer, Lieutenant (j.g.) Philip P. Holtz, left for Vietnam on a mission to train the South Vietnamese Coastal Force in reconnaissance, sabotage and guerrilla warfare. 

During this early period of the war, SpecOps SEALs and Green Berets were “advisors.” It was not until February 1966 that the SEALs entered the war for active combat duty when Team One sent Detachment Golf, consisting of three officers and 15 enlisted men, into the Rung Sat Special Zone near the capital city of Saigon. This zone was a delta area composed of huge mangrove swamps crisscrossed by meandering streams between Saigon and the South China Sea and the mouth of the Mekong River to the southeast. Control of the region was critical for both sides and became a major area of operations. Americans needed it because their supply ships had to be able to move safely up and down the river to Saigon. For the Viet Cong (VC), it was a major transit route from the vast Mekong River Delta to the war zones of the north. Struggle for the zone continued throughout the war. 

Working with the riverine patrols in the Delta, Detachment Golf, soon joined by Detachment Hotel, was the unit that most frequently clashed with the VC and the source of many of the legends about SEALs. Although there were never more than 200 SEALs in-country at any one time, the “men with green faces,” as they were now know, became the most highly-decorated unit of its size in the war: two Navy Crosses; 42 Silver Stars; 402 Bronze Stars; two Legions of Merit; 352 Commendation Medals; three Presidential Unit Citations. 

Vietnam refined the SEALs into the most highly-trained and effective commando force the world had ever known. Much of their effectiveness derived from the SEAL philosophy of always doing the unexpected and doing it with elan. 

“Hit the enemy tonight if he expects you tomorrow,” one SEAL explained. “If he waits for you to come by sea, go across the mountains or arrive by parachute. If he’s looking for a chopper, fly an airliner. If he comes at you with a knife, shoot him. Throw the rule book away. There are no rules in this kind of war.” 

As Lieutenant Roy Boehm envisioned, SEALs were truly becoming men for all seasons, ready and prepared to conduct any mission anywhere on the globe. From Kwajalein Atoll during WWII, SEALs and their immediate predecessors have fought in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Latin America, Panama, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and have conducted hundreds of missions in dangerous and little-known backwaters of the world. 

The U.S. invasion in October 1983 of the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada—Operation Urgent Fury—was the first time since before WWII that an avowed communist government was replaced by a pro-Western one. The action resulted in the deaths of four SEALs, the first combat losses of SEALs since Vietnam. 

Grenada was the most massive American invasion since the Inchon landing of the Korean War, involving 13 ships, hundreds of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, and more than 7,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen. Twelve operators from SEAL Teams Four and Six were tasked to pave the way by inserting onto Salines Airfield to mark the drop zone for an Army Ranger airdrop. Eight-foot waves and 20-knot winds caught the SEALs as they parachuted through pitch-black darkness into offshore waters. Four SEALs vanished in the treacherous seas and became the first casualties of the operation. Official casualties for the action were 19 American dead, including the four SEALs, and 123 wounded. Forty-one Grenadians and 29 Cubans were killed and several hundred wounded. 

Four more SEALs were killed and eight wounded during Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989. 

For years, the United States had been at odds with the Panamanian strongman, General Manuel Noriega. President George Bush set Operation Just Cause in motion on 20 December 1989 to depose the dictator and arrest him after U.S. Federal Courts in Florida handed down indictments accusing him of drug running. The essential task of shutting down Noriega’s escape routes fell to Navy Special Operations. Three SEAL missions were planned. 

As the operation began, SEALs aboard two Navy river-patrol boats and two Army landing craft closed off the harbor at Colon on the Caribbean side of the isthmus. AT 11:30 p.m., H-Hour minus one hour and fifteen minutes, four SEALs wearing black wetsuits and carrying satchel charges blew up Noriega’s yacht, the President Porras, as it rode its lines tied up to a pier in Balboa Harbor. That left Noriega’s Learjet at Panama City’s Punta Paitilla Airport as his last readily available means of escape. That was where things started to go wrong. 

Near midnight, a U.S. Navy patrol boat idling about a mile offshore in Panama Harbor launched fifteen Zodiac rubber boats loaded with three platoons of 16 SEALs and an Air Force combat controller, their objective the waterfront Paitilla airfield to disable Noriega’s jet. 

The SEALs reached the airport without incident. But as they moved toward the hangars, a force of PDF (Panamanian Defense Forces) guarding the Learjet opened fire. In an instant, seven SEALs were hit, one fatally. The storm of fire continued for almost a minute. 

“We were filling that hangar with rounds; 40mm grenades were going everywhere,” one SEAL recalled. 

The PDF retreated under withering return fire. Four SEALs lay dead on the runway and eight were wounded. A Panamanian intelligence officer later revealed that three PDF soldiers died in the exchange while eight others were carried away wounded. Surviving SEALs completed their mission by blowing a hole through Noriega’s jet with a 40mm grenade round. 

Mission always came first. 

Navy SEALs have continued to pull off operations like these in far-flung regions of the world, some of which are too secret to reveal. Often referred to as “the Quiet Warriors,” SEALs have a mandate to live in the shadows. Sworn to confidentiality, they rarely divulge secrets about their missions. You only hear about SEALs if something goes wrong, or if they go very right. 

During the Persian Gulf War of 1991, SEALs launched ops in the Gulf against shipping and trained Kuwaiti Special Forces. SEALs led the War on Terror after 911, conducting missions against ships suspected of having ties to or carrying al Qaeda. During the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, a joint Special Ops unit of Green Berets, SEALs, CIA and U.S. Air Force Special Tactics killed or captured over 200 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters and destroyed thousands of pounds of weapons and ordnance. SEAL Teams began rotating in and out of the country, pulling top-level secret missions against Taliban and al Qaeda leaders. 

Highly trained in everything from direct action and hostage rescue to counterterrorism, they are America’s surgical instrument. They are who you call when everything has to go right. Cocky, confident and dedicated, they come from all walks of American life. They are intellectuals and scholars, rodeo cowboys and race car drivers, professors and doctors. . . Many speak multiple languages. It is said that the average SEAL can outperform the average Harvard student or the average Olympic athlete. 

Only approximately 2,000 in number, they are organized into two groups under the Naval Special Warfare Command and the U.S. Special Operations Command. Odd-numbered SEAL Teams One, Three, Five and Seven are headquartered on the West Coast under Naval Special Warfare Group One out of Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado, California. Even-numbered SEAL Teams Two, Four, Eight and Ten on the East Coast belong to Naval Special Warfare Group Two at Little Creek Amphibious Base and Dam Neck Annex in Virginia. 

Each team is composed of six platoons and a headquarters element. Two officers and 14 enlisted men make up a platoon, which is generally the largest element committed to a mission. A platoon may be further subdivided into two squads or four elements. 

While there are eight confirmed SEAL teams, there is one additional team that is so highly-classified that no one is supposed to know it even exists. SEAL Team Six, otherwise known as Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) caught the eye of the world on Sunday, 1 May 2011, when 24 of them led by the CIA dropped into Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan and delivered a simple but hard-hitting message: From American with love. 

The modern form of counterterrorism (CT) as practiced by SpecOps forces got its start in the late 1960s to thwart Palestinian terrorists hijacking airplanes in the middle East. Most countries lacked full CT capabilities until after the 1972 Munich Olympics during which so-called Black September terrorists massacred eleven Israeli athletes. Nearly every nation since then has fielded elite CT elements. 

Although SEAL Lieutenant Norman J. Carley of SEAL Team Two began training a special squad in 1978 called Mobility Six, or MOB-6, to act as a CT reaction force, the U.S. Navy’s official involvement in CT began with the failed 1980 attempt to rescue American hostages from the U.S. Embassy in Iran. During the Iran Hostage Crisis, the Pentagon assigned a tough Navy maverick named Ricard Marcinko to work on possible rescue plans. Commander Marcinko had already proved himself inhumanly tough in missions in Vietnam and other places—blowing up supply junks, charging through minefields, jumping at 20,000 feet with a malfunctioning parachute. . . It was said of him that he made Arnold Schwarzenegger look like Little Lord Fauntleroy. A sign at the entrance to Marcinko’s retirement estate bears the warning: Trespassers will be shot, survivors shot again. 

Ronald Reagan’s election as president in 1980 brought an end to the hostage crisis, but Admiral Thomas Hayward, Chief of Naval Operations, approved Marcinko’s plans to create a SEAL CT unit. He authorized Marcinko to design, build, equip, train and lead the best counterterrorist force in the world. SEAL Team Six with 75 enlisted men and 15 officers became operational as of 1 January 1981. 

Since its secret debut, Team Six has been involved in many classified missions, much of which are still classified. Those that are known include: the 1991 rescue of Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide under cover of darkness following the coup that deposed him; the capture of Saddam Hussein in Iraq; tracking down war criminals in Bosnia; rescuing Private Jessica Lynch after she became a POW in Iraq in March 2003; shooting pirates off the coast of Somalia; and, of course, the operation at Osama bin Laden’s compound. “Maritime,” Marcinko was famously quoted as saying, is any operation in which SEALs carry canteens of water. 

On 6 August 2011, 30 American Special Forces servicemen, most of them elite Navy SEALs, some from SEAL Team Six, died when a Chinook helicopter either crashed or was shot down during combat operations in Afghanistan. Kimberly Vaughn, wife of SEAL Aaron Vaughn, gave CNN a fitting epitaph for her husband. What she said of her husband could be applied to any SEAL. 

“There was no way—even if you could tell him this would have happened, he would have done it anyway,” she said. “All those men are like that. They’re selfless. I want to tell the world that this was an amazing man, that he was a wonderful husband and a fabulous father of two wonderful children. He was a warrior for Christ and he was a warrior for our country and he wouldn’t want to leave this Earth any other way than how he did.” 

Symbol


 

 

         A SEAL Sniper Instructor's Review of The Movie Lone Survivor

From:Nick Nickelson 
to:     Al, Alan, Arles, Art, Bill, Bill, Bob, Bob, Brian, Brooks, Carl, Chip, Cliff, Craig, Dante, Dee, Dennis, Dick, Dick, Don, Duke, me, Eugene, Franklin, Gary 
From: Willits Sawyer 
Nick ,
A good review!

 
Willits Sawyer


 

From: Date: Sat, 14 Dec 2013
Subject:
A SEAL Sniper Instructor's Review of The Movie Lone Survivor
To:  Doc Rio
Looks like a good flick! 
         

M.F. 


http://sofrep.com/30510/seal-sniper-instructors-review-movie-lone-survivor/?awt_l=HyBm.&awt_m=3h661Hx5QQVzztD

 A SEAL Sniper Instructor’s Review of The Movie Lone Survivor 
Lone-survivor-review-movie-sofrep-axe-luttrell-murphy 


If you don’t want to read on then I’ll just save you the trouble, and get straight to the point. It’s a great movie, go see it. I was invited to attend a screening of Lone Survivor in New York last week, and invited a few friends of SOFREP to attend (including Ian our radio producer) with me. I was excited about the movie but secretly hoping Peter Berg did right by Marcus, and his book since the movie has produced some drama surrounding Dan Bilzerian’s role in the film.

 The movie didn’t disappoint. Few movies in Hollywood do right by the military men (and women) they represent, but this isn’t one of those. The scene where they make initial Taliban contact on the mountain slope is intense, and my back, and head hurt just watching the falling scenes. My only criticism? I thought it was a mistake to put Marcus in a supporting role in the film, it felt awkward to me to see him on screen as one of the SEALs knowing he was the hero of the story. 

This may be my own personal bias, and because I know, and trained Marcus when he went through the SEAL sniper course. Ben Foster get’s a 5.0 eval from me on his portrayal of Matt “Axe” Axelson. I know Axe as one of my personal student mentor candidates from sniper school, a great guy, and the consummate operator. Ben nailed it, I felt like I was watching Axe all over again. One of my favorite parts of the book is the complex cultural dynamic that existed (ultimately saved Luttrell’s life) between the local tribe elders, and the Taliban. 

If you haven’t done your research on Pashtunwali, the un-written code of ethics that govern the Pashtun, it’s worth looking into. Berg, and his actors did a great job honoring the men that gave their lives on that lonely Afghan mountainside. Go see it, and let me know what you think.

 

Marcus Luttrell  "Lone Survivor"



Navy
Fake SEAL Team 6 Commander Outs Don Shipley As Real Navy SEAL By Paul | December 17, 2013 
Don Shipley  SEAL Wannabe Buster !

 





Scott Co. natives working on submersible for U.S. Navy
December 16th, 2013 11:13 am by Marci Gore  
  Craig Short

     

 

                    
               "Moki" Martin 
SUPERFROG'S Moki Martin donates $1,500 to Coronado Islander Sports Posted by Steve DaLuz on December 12, 2013SUPERFROG Inc., producer of the SUPERFROG, SUPERSEAL and SEAL SPRINT races, presented a check for $1,500 to the Islander Sports Foundation on December 10th, 2013 to benefit Coronado Islander High School Athletics On Mon, Dec 16, 2013 at 8:09 AM, Franklin Anderson <fwaranch@wildblue.net> wrote: 

Jim --- I have this information on Joe—I don’t think we have any corpsman that comes close to his achievements. I also have photo’s of HM SELLS, JOHN ROBERTS and other outstanding corpsman that contributed so much to the SEALs in the field. I’ll scan Page 2 in a different msg. Franklin Doc,

I thought I'd printed the story in the BLAST, but I guess not. List I have is attached. I'll put the story on my to-do list. I'm currently trying to get the UDT-SEAL Cuba stories: Bay of Pigs, Mongoose, and Missile Crisis. Want to stay focused on that, since that's been my goal to get that story for several years. Merry Christmas John Chalus 

 

 


Mike Naus

 


Willits, Kassa, ST-1 guys

 

 

z
BUD/S video                Navy Seals - Danger Close

 


Mike Naus

 

      
Albright                                                    H. Birky J                               Joe Mc Carthy

 

           

J. Tolison                                           Eiehard J.  Solano

 

 
 Murphy

 

 


Aaron Vaughn

 


Dustin Turner

 


Adam Brown

 

      
Harry Humphries                                                   Lourdes Tolentino & Rio

 

 

 

                                                          
Matthew McCabe                                               Lil Ron ROgers                                      John Luke

        

Ron "Lill" Rogers                                       Jim O'Neill and Brad Hamilton

            
Rick Springs                                                    Layton Bassett

 

                            
Jeff Gonzalez                                Joe Smith                                                       Jorge Trevño    

 

     

   

  

Darren Greenwells's collection of SEALs autographs in London England

 


Durwood White

 

                 

 

 

                            
Cummings                                                                                             Steve  Elson MH School

 

 
John F. Rabbitt, Mike Naus, WO4 "Herb" ______  in Nha Be  Vietnam

 

                   

                                                                                                  SEALs Team FOUR Grenada war

 

Four SEALs lost in Grenada

Kenneth Butler

Kevin Lundberg

Stephen Morris

Robert Schamberger

Operation Urgent Fury was a 1983 United States–led invasion of Grenada, a Caribbean island nation with a population of about 91,000 located 160 kilometres (99 mi) north of Venezuela, that resulted in a U.S. victory within a matter of weeks. Triggered by the house arrest and murder of the leader of the coup which had brought a revolutionary government to power for the preceding four years, the invasion resulted in a restoration of the pre-revolutionary regime.

In 1983, SEAL Team SIX members were also responsible for the rescue and evacuation of Governor Sir Paul Scoon from Grenada during Operation Urgent Fury. 


During the predawn hours of October 24, 1983, in high winds, with little intel, 12 operators from SEAL Team SIX and 4 Air Force Combat Control Team members(CCT), were assigned to perform a night combat equipment water jump in the ocean about 40 kilometers off the north-northwest tip of Port Salinas, Grenada. 

One SEAL/CCT team performed  LAPES (Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System) to enter the water DropZone with Zodiac inflatable rubber boats. They were to do an Over the Horizon (OTH) transit approximately 40 kilometers to the vicinity of Port Salinas. Once there they were to scout out a suitable Beach Landing Site and send swimmer scouts ashore, infiltrate the island and cache the boats. They were to patrol the airfield, emplace the beacons and find a suitable hiding place and wait for the Ranger's airdrop. All the time sending intel reports back to the USS Guam. 

The four SEALs were lost during the parachute jump into the ocean. It is not clear why or how they drowned during the drop, but the hazards of jumping into the sea with a heavy combat load in high winds could have been overwhelming. These men were well trained for this type of operation, but even the best laid plans sometimes go wrong. 

The other SEAL/CCT team searched in vain for their lost teammates.  Dis-hearted they continued with their primary mission, however, half-way to the shore they had to take evasive measures due to an approaching Grenadean Patrol boat. As they cut their engines, the Zodiacs' motors were swamped by the Patrol boat's wake and would not restart.   The SEAL/CCT team then drifted out to sea and made contact with the USS Caron (DD970). The operation was aborted.

 

 

           
Everyone is dresseed like a  CPO.  Why is that HM3 not wearing the "BUD" ?

                                                                                                           

 

 

 

 


                                                                              Joe Hurt Bud/s Class 54

 
Joe Hurt    Bud/s Class 54

Joe !  Joe who?  I forgot his Last Name and CLass number !   HELP!

Email:   27Aug2013:  
From:Paul adkins
To: Doc Riojas 
Subj:  Joe !  Joe who?  I forgot his Last Name and CLass number !   HELP!

Doc ,
Lol....
You are so funny. Saw the pictures you added on page 16 my dad was Joe Hurt Bud/s Class 54 ( you put Joe who?) and the sniper one is Paul. Plus any word on LT. Norris sent email, smail and smoke signals? No word on my end? Any Morse code on your side. 
VR/ 
Paul Adkins 

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Joe

 

 


Gallagher & Warner

 


"Eagle" Gallagher and Warner aboard Carrier ??

 

       Manny Perez Email on the HM's in EAST Coast SEALs

  Subject: Re: Erasmo "Doc Rio" Riojas SEAL Web Page has changed
Date: Mon, 2 Feb 1998 13:58:16 -0500 From: MANNY_PEREZ@fossac.navy.mil (MANNY PEREZ)
To: el.ticitl@worldnet.att.net 

Here it is. 

HMI Issac Suazo 1966
HM1 Robert Cline 1966
HM1 Lappohn Joe D'Angelo
HMC Mike Brown HMC Curtis
HMC Mallory HM2 Crumley
HM2 Sterret HMC Fullerton
HMC Dave Turner
HMC Mike Beske
HM1 Jeff Johnson
MH3 Kevin Vance
HM3 McCraken
HM3 Behymer HM3 Howard
Hawaiian: Na Koa o ke ka "or warriors from the sea.
HMCS Paul Rocca    email: PLRO1  [at]  aol  DOT  com
HM2 Daderria
HM2 Connaster



______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Erasmo "Doc Rio" Riojas
SEAL Web Page has changed
Author: MANNY PEREZ   at FOSSAC01
Date: 2/2/98 1:51 PM 


Rio,

 I can't find it so I'll start again.
My fault for not saving it.
Robert "Bob" Harris was in SEAL TM 2, in the 70's. So were Jim Myers, Bob Poertner, Steve Shunk and Danny Day who is pictured in Harry's book erroneously as "Doc" Myers.


I have a picture of the 1st class of 8492 HMs that went through Key West in 1968, that were not Deep Sea Divers (8493) first. They were Joe Morgan, Jim Cantaloupi, Larry Hubbard, Jim Myers and Me. Cantaloupi, Myers, Morgan and I had all been to Nam previously.


I was with "C" Company 3RD Recon BN in 65&66. After I got out of the hospital I ended up at 2D Force Recon at Camp Lejeune.66-68. They sent me to jump school and SCUBA school. When I was in SCUBA school in June  67 they told me they were going to start a class for Corpsman to become 8492's in the coming year.  It started in Jan of 68 and I went to that class with the guys mentioned above. They just threw us in with the current UDT class.


After they left the HM's stayed on for recompression chamber operation and advanced medicine. When we finished that the rest of the guys went to jump school and I went back to the Marines. Because I was already jump qualified I always considered myself the first of the new breed 8492's (that is my license plate).


We graduated in Mar 68. In October of 68 I reported back to UWSS, Key West and filled a newly created billet for an 8492 to support the other 2 HM 8493's that were already on board.
Don Butler and Dale Moore were also in ST2 in the 70's. John Christy was another guy who spent a couple of years at SEAL Two in the mid  70's. He then went to recruiting duty and had a heart attack and died. I remember going to his funeral with a bunch of guys from ST2,in Dick Marcinko's Winnebago; but that is another story.

  Harold Sartin was in ST2 for a short time in the mid 60's but was afraid to jump out of air planes.  When he went to Key West for his SCUBA training he finagled an instructor billet there and never went back to the team. He was one of my instructors at Key West.


There was also a guy named Brian Bates at ST2 for a short time but he was kind of fucked up so we sent him to the Marines.


I hope this fills in some of the holes. I know I'll think of some more names of guys that came through UWSS while I was an instructor there.
A guy named Wolfe was one. He went to ST1 and lost his head to a helo rotor.


More later.
Manolito

  

webmaster:   Thank you very much Manny.  Doc Riojas


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18 April 2013 
From: Halolpal   halolpal  [at]  aol  DOT  com 
To:     Team guys


Plank owner Dennis McCormack took great pictures at the 2012 party. It's taken me 8 months to figure out how to put them in a slide show with music. Actually, I never did figure it out. Had to bring in a professional to crack the code. 

The young looking men in the pictures aren't Vietnam era SEALs who found the Fountain of Youth (except for Rudy). We invited a few active duty SEALs from Team One to give us an update on team life. It was great to have them with us. They impressed us and they had good enough manners to say we impressed them. 
Click on the video below and turn on the sound. I hope you enjoy. Thanks Dennis! 

https://vimeo.com/64320958  click on this link, please.


In the Save the Date that I sent on 3/12/13 I asked everyone to rsvp by July 15. We have 162 rsvps, more than we've ever received in the first 30 days. If you know you're coming and you haven't RSVP'd, please do so. We are concerned about capacity issues. 

RSVP at halolpal@aol.com. Include your name, name of guests), your class #, and which team(s) you were in. 
Thanks, 


Hal Kuykendall         http://www.flickr.com/photos/91857603@N07/page2/

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Hal Kuykendall

 

navy-seal-marcus-luttrell-honors-fallen-brothers

                    

Rescue Copter shot down in Afghan Attack and Killed 30 Servicemen some were Navy SEALs  

August 11, 2011 

KABUL -- The Department of Defense has released the names of all the service members killed in Saturday's crash of a CH-47 helicopter in Afghanistan.  Their mission was to rescue a SEAL squad that was in a fierce firefight.

                    Navy SEALs awarded Navy Crosses

 

31 US troops, mostly elite Navy SEALs, killed in Afghanistan 
7 Afghan commandos also die in attack; SEALs were from same unit but not same team that killed Osama bin Laden .         video interactive photos discuss x Next story in Afghanistan related.    Aslo 80 pictures released of the helicopter crash site.


The sailors assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit that were killed are: 


  within 15 minutes www.HartzUltraGuard.com Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, of Shreveport, La. 

Be the first to know! Sign up for FOX40 breaking news alerts. 

-- Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, Calif. 

-- Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Ark. 

-- Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Kraig M. Vickers 36, of Kokomo, Hawaii 

-- Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Brian R. Bill, 31, of Stamford, Conn. 

-- Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) John W. Faas, 31, of Minneapolis, Minn. 

-- Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Kevin A. Houston, 35, of West Hyannisport, Mass. 

-- Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Matthew D. Mason, 37, of Kansas City, Mo. 

-- Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas 

-- Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist/Diver) Nicholas H. Null, 30, of Washington, W.Va. 

-- Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Robert J. Reeves, 32, of Shreveport, La. 

-- Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Heath M. Robinson, 34, of Detroit, Mich. 

-- Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Darrik C. Benson, 28, of Angwin, Calif. 

-- Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Parachutist) Christopher G. Campbell, 36, of Jacksonville, N.C. 

-- Information Systems Technician Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Jared W. Day, 28, of Taylorsville, Utah 

-- Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) John Douangdara, 26, of South Sioux City, Neb. 

-- Cryptologist Technician (Collection) Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) Michael J. Strange, 25, of Philadelphia, Pa.



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      Dave Barber and Rick Springs, BUD/S class 75 

           
Front row (lt to Rt): Jean Barber, Sandie Vick, Robyn Levy, Kitty McMillan, Jackie Watkins, Diane Springs, Madeline Kohler.  BACK row (lt to rt) Dave Barber, Dale Vick, Bob Ley, Sandy Mc Millan, Mark Wardman, Jim Watkins, Jerry RUggles, Rick Springs and Dave Kohler.

 

The Veteran's Day reunion of BUD/S Class 75 at Ft. Pierce, Florida was an outstanding succes


Pac NW: Details are provided by Dave Barber and Rick Springs class 75 summary. The report is intended for the absentee members of the class but they agreed to share with the Chapter.
Guys: 

The Veteran's Day reunion of BUD/S Class 75 at Ft. Pierce, Florida was an outstanding success. The only disappointment was not seeing those of you who were unable to attend. 

On Friday night at the crab and shrimp dinner the stories started coming out, and yes, believe it or not, we even sang some BUD/S training songs. Then Dale Vick broke out an amazingly large collection of photos from training. (How did he ever manage to have a camera with him during all those evolutions?) Dale had prepared two CDs for all of us, one with all the photos presented as still shots, and the other as a video. If you didn't get copies, I'm sure he'd be glad to send them to you. 

On Saturday morning Rick Springs and I were proud to represent the class in the 5K soft-sand beach run. Both of us made it across the finish line, but my tongue was just about picking up sand from the beach by the time I got there. 

At mid day the show started with a jump from the Leap Frogs, and followed with a speech from Ross Perot and a operations demonstration from SEAL Team 18. I couldn't believe those guys arrived and departed the objective area in armored vehicles. How come we had to walk way back then? Then the Vets of all ages, sizes, service branches and distinctions were recognized. Just about everyone in the stands was on his feet at one time or another. Afterwards we got to tour the museum and gathered at our ORP where the attached photo was taken. Sorry for the fact that the quality of this photo is not all that great, but many more were taken and I'm sure you'll soon be getting copies of better ones. Nonetheless, you can see that we enjoyed the company of these beautiful wives who had joined us for the weekend. 

I had never seen the Museum before. It has excellent displays of artifacts from World War II to the present day that are presented with written and audio descriptions. Obviously a lot of time, effort and money have gone into it, thanks to many people including Dave Kohler who is on the Museum's board of directors. 

On Saturday evening we all went to the Cobbs Landing restaurant for dinner, where more stories came out. We toasted lots of different things, but most important was the one to Bob Baird's memory. At the dinner we resolved that we should make a special effort to get every one of us back again in 2013 for the 40th YEAR REUNION OF OUR CLASS. SO, MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW FOR VETERAN'S DAY 2013!!! No excuses! Tell your boss NOW that you want time off from work THEN! 

I understand there was a memorial service and the swimming to sea of ashes on Saturday morning. Unfortunately my wife Jean and I missed it because we had to be on our way back to Seattle before then. 

Thanks once again to Dave Kohler and Sandy McMillan for organizing our hotel accommodations and participation in the weekend events, and to Rick Springs who applied his detective skills from his career as a police officer to locate all of us and then initiate the communications. 

HOPE TO SEE YOU IN 2013!! 

Best regards, 

-- Dave Barber


 

Rick Springs remembers:

This past year, TIME magazine made "The Protester" as “THE TIME MAN OF THE YEAR.” I have never been a big fan of TIME, but still I read it. It is important to get our news information from various sources so our conclusions are based from mixed viewpoints. We all need to be open minded enough to at least consider what the other view is. 

Anyway, the runner up for Man of the year in TIME, and the first story told, which is always important; is our SEAL Admiral, "The Quite Admiral, William (Bill) MCRAVEN." When Ens, McRaven came to the TEAMS from class 95, in the mid 70’, he was initially assigned to UDT 11's, SDV Platoon under Lt. DAVE TASH. This is the officer from CLASS 75 that I had the deepest respect for. Even though it was always TASH and BAIRD, and you wouldn't say one name without the other, it was always a little more TASH than BAIRD. Mr. BAIRD had it a little easier because he was the gifted athlete. I know this also, if something would have happen to Mr.BAIRD in training and he had to drop out, for whatever reason, even during Hell Week, Mr. TASH would have made sure that the rest of us would have made it through. As far as I know, we were the first BUD/S Class to have a NO Quit Hell Week. We were a great class with great mentors. 

MR. TASH and Admiral MCRAVEN are still the BEST of friends. Mr. TASH has the deepest admiration for Admiral MCRAVEN and even more important to this story; Admiral MCRAVEN has mutual admiration for Dave TASH. Still today, when they email, Admiral MCRAVEN ends the email with “Your A.O.I.C.” Here is a 4 star admiral that respects Mr. TASH so much and what TASH meant so much from a time they worked together in the late 70's and early 80's, that still today he humbles himself and sign it “Your ASSISTANT OFFICER IN CHARGE.” No greater honor could be made to man whose military carrier was cut short do to a training jump that went bad. But Mr. Tash’s life didn’t stop there. 

As you will learn in the story, if you haven't already read it, Admiral MCRAVEN too had a parachute accident. Both accidents could have easily killed these men. Both men are honorable men; patriotic men and committed to those they have influence over. GOD kept them both here on this earth for a reason. I will tell you TASH'S story later, but you can read Admiral MCRAVEN'S story yourself. 

It is my strong belief that GOD would be honored if you posted Admiral's MCRAVEN's TIME story on your website. The reason I say this is this: Ens.Tash was the glue that kept us together. Lt. TASH and later LT. Commander TASH had this same affect on Ens. McRaven, who later became 4 star Admiral WILLIAM MCRAVEN. I am sure that Admiral MCRAVEN, like the rest of us, has had a number of mentors through his life, but it is obvious that Mr. Tash was one of his first. It is also my understanding that Admiral MCRAVEN'S Class, BUD/S Class 95, 20 classes after ours, was also a NO Quit Hell Week. Amazing how some things line up? 

It is our Christian belief that GOD set his plan in motion many many years ago, actually, billions of years ago. Admiral MCRAVEN has a unique relationship with this president that only GOD could have put together. Admiral MCRAVEN also had this same unique relationship with his fellow Texan President, GEORGE BUSH II, who was also my COMMANDER IN CHIEF, whom I did vote for. 

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2101745_2102133_2102330,00.html 

Admiral MCRAVEN has influenced both presidents in a powerful way. This tells me that Dave Tash has had a considerable influence on a number of people in his life. But the biggest picture in all of this: OUR GOD is the master planner. HE sets life in motion and HE is the pilot of our universe and HE connects the dots. 

Rick


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

Dave Barber and Rick Springs, BUD/S class 75 

 

 

                        
                 Michael H. Imhof                                                        Howard  Wasdin

 

    Lowell Gosser's  2011
Muster Pictures

                         

              
                                            Larry Bailey,    Larry Lyons,  and   ??

 


                                          Lowell Gosser and Gang

 

                      
                                                       Billy Burbank


                     Bill Garnette and Clay Grady, and Margaret

 


                                            Bill Langley

 


                     Rudy Boesch, Doc Clark, Billy Burbank

 


                     Bill Daugherty and wife ?Phyllis?

 

                  
                                                                  Larry Bailey

 

 

 

 

 

Lowell Gosser's  2011  Muster Pictures                   

 

 

   JOSE TAYLOR (SEAL)  RIP 

    aka:    Lloyd Favor Taylor

 


He is holding a FALSTAFF beer.


It looks like the RVN Cross of Gallantry Medal

 

Jose photo from Roy Boehm  

 


Jose in Greece 1955 photo by Rudy Boesch  


This is how I will remember my teamate. Roy Boehm (contributed this photo)


Jose Taylor ST-2  photo by: Rudy Boesch

 

From:     Bob Nissley;  SEAPOACHER@aol.com 
Sent:     Sunday, October 16, 2005 2:15 PM
To:         bullfrogva@cox.net
Cc:         bgormly@gormlyintl.com;  maxtrack@erols.com; docrio@ev1.net
Subject: JOSE TAYLOR

RUDDY -

     It is most regretful that I inform you that "JOSE" passed away late Friday evening at home. He was admitted to the hospital last Monday and in all truthfulness I did not expect him to leave alive but he took a turn for the better and came home on Thursday but passed away Friday.

 His wife MARY ELISABETH and his little dog was with him backed up by a caregiver. His wife said he wanted to be cremated with no services and she will retain his ashes until she passes then she will be cremated and both interned at Arlington

He lived a full life and I truly believe it ended his way. His health had deteriorated this past year and he was suffering badly with a failing heart and lungs. I followed him for almost a year at NAD DA NANG and he was not just a true comrade but a compulsive "HUNTER" always on the prowl for the bad guy. 

Captain would you please put the word out to those on the West Coast who served/knew "JOSE." 

Best to all BOB NISSLEY..............

SEAPOACHER SENDS
  

                            

                                


 

----- Original Messages -----

   Lloyd Favor Taylor R.I.P.      originally from       Arkansas A.K.A.   Jose Taylor

 

Thanks, Kiet

 for announcing the so sad news. It is a big loss for CSS/NAD.
I will call Elizabeth Taylor in about an hour, 

Norm. Any of us has any details about the funeral please pass them on.
Thoai Thoai Hovanky Chief Financial Officer National Association of Independent Schools 1620 L Street NW Suite 1100 Washington DC 20036
(202) 973-9725 mailto: hovanky@nais.orghovanky@nais.org www.nais.org 

Hello all:
I am sorry to announce that Navy Lt. Commander Joe (Jose) F. Taylor passed away at home in Florida on Friday, October 14, 2005 at 10:20 PM, after many years of struggling with health issues.
The funeral will be held privately among close family members. He will be interned at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. Condolences can be sent to: Mary Taylor 
309 Timberline Drive Crestview, FL 32539 Telephone: 850-682-8977 In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Mary Taylor has requested that friends honor Mr. Joe Taylor's memory through the donation to Vietnamese Katrina victims.
Lt. Commander Joe Taylor had spent 18 months fighting in Viet Nam and loved Vietnamese people. He had helped many refugees settle in US afer the fall of Viet Nam. He had encouraged his wife Mary to help Vietnamese Katrina hurricane victims who had lost everything. He served in World War II among The Scouts and Raiders. He served as a team member of the UDT in Korean War.
He was the plank owner of the SEAL Team TWO and in VietNam, he was serving in the operation MAC SOG and NAD in DDa Nang.

His sea duties were Commanding Officer of the Stallion. He was the receipient of two Purple Hearts for wounds received in Vietnam. He also received two Silver Stars, Bronze Star,and numerous medals. He was a generous, loving, and brave man. We will all miss him. 
(Please see his picture attached) ( Photo is posted on top of this page.)
Sincerely, Loc Ba Tran 
(son of Lt. Colonel Tuan Ba Tran - Chau)

                             

 

----- Original Message -----
From: Norman Olson
To: ktnguyen95@comcast.net ; Hovanky, Thoai
Cc: Bob Nissley ; Bill Bruhmuller ; tanyvo@; Doc Rio ; Larry Bailey ; UDTSEAL Association ; Tom Hawkins ; NSW-Seals
Sent: Monday, October 17, 2005 12:17
PM Subject: Re: Lt. Col Jose Taylor passed away.  
To all,
Received the following from Bob Nissley, who served with Jose in Danang and was a very close friend of his for years after.

 Norm 


                             
 ----- Original Message -----


From: ktnguyen95@comcast.net
 To: Norm Olson Cc: NSW-Seals ; Thoai Ho ; Tom Hawkins ; UDTSEAL Association ; Larry Bailey ; Doc Rio ; tanyvo@sbcglobal.net
Sent: Monday, October 17, 2005 1:38 AM
 Subject: Lt. Col Jose Taylor passed away. Dear Norm, I am forwarding this Vietnamese version email to you as concern to Lt. Col. Jose Taylor who was worked with Sea Commandos sometimes before 1966. Mr.Taylor just passed away on last Friday 14 October, 2005 in Crestview, Florida. For more information please contact to Tran Ba Loc at his phone numbers:
Best Regards,

Kiet 


Norm,  keep scrolling on down!     


br> Forwarded Message: --------------
From: Tan Vo <tanyvo@sbcglobal.net>
To: Loc Tran <locbatran@yahoo.com>
Cc: "MT Electric Ave." <melpersonal2001@yahoo.com>, Bo Bui <hai_bo70@hotmail.com>, Khue Thuong Bui <kbui55@yahoo.com>, Phong Dam <damqphong@yahoo.com>, Phong Dam <langdu@gmail.com>, Doan Huu Dinh <doanhdinh@ureach.com>, "Dinh.Doan@usdoj.gov" <dinh.doan@usdoj.gov>, Thao Do <thaolldb@yahoo.com>, Chien Thang La <lavsop@aol.com>, Anh Le <atl752002@yahoo.com>, Hau Le <leaitu@yahoo.com>, Steve Le <xuannhay@yahoo.com>, HoangDOAN11 Lee <hoanglee99@yahoo.com>, STD MACVSOG <loihosoa@yahoo.com>, LTDNKT Moderator <ltdnkt-owner@yahoogroups.com>, Hung Ngo <ngoxhung@pacbell.net>, Bac-Ai nguyen <bac-ai@comcast.net>, Chuyen Nguyen <nguyen31369@yahoo.com>, Dieu Thanh Nguyen <hdlvn@hotmail.com Kinh Qui NT,Ch/huu NKT.


Tong hoi xin fw email cua the he 2 cua GD/NKT den qui vi tin buon nay ,neu trong gia dinh NKT nhung qui vi nao truoc kia co lam viec chung voi Trung Ta Hai Quan Jose Taylor xin lien lac voi em Tran Ba Loc de biet them chi tiec,voi so dien thoai cua  
TRANSLATION:
  General Conference please email fw generation 2 GD / NKT den you this sad news, neu NKT family but is yet formerly worked with Navy Captains Jose please contact me Taylor Tran Ba Loc For more party, elephants phone number

email Kinh VTY 

 

                             

Loc Tran <locbatran@yahoo.com>
wrote:

 Anh Y quy' me^'n, Vo+'i nie^`m thu+o+ng tie^'c vo^ cu`ng, em xin ba'o tin cho anh Vo~ Ta^'n Y bie^'t la` Ha?i Qua^n Trung Ta' Jose Taylor (Joe) dda~ tu+` gia? co~i ddo+`i va`o nga`y Thu+' Sa'u nga`y 14 tha'ng 10, na(m 2005 lu'c 10:20 PM ta.i Crestview, Florida. Xin nho+` anh Y tho^ng ba'o giu`m cho ca'c Chie^'n Hu+~u NKT dda~ tu+`ng sa't ca'nh chie^'n dda^'u vo+'i Co^' Trung Ta' Taylor. Xin anh lie^n la.c vo+'i em o+? ddie^.n thoa.i 21-392-8234 dde^? em cho bie^'t the^m chi tie^'t. Xin ca'm o+n anh Y Tra^`n Ba' Lo^.c

UNABLE TO TRANSLATE THE ABOVE.

Thanks, Kiet for announcing the so sad news. 

 

                               


Dear Rio,

 Rudy and I do enjoy reading your messages. Thanks so much for keeping us on your list. Really sad about Jose, know he's been sick for quite awhile. I know we have a slide of him from a Med trip back in '55. We're going to look for it and I'll have a picture made to send to you. It's back when he was enlisted and in uniform, I can picture it but just have to find it. Hope all is well with you and LouLou.
Fond regards,
Marge Boesch

 

                             

 

----- Original Message -----
From: Hoot Andrews
To: Erasmo Riojas
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2005 3:38 AM
Subject: Re: Jose Taylor RIP web page <

Rio:

  Jose's real name is Lloyd Favor Taylor and he was originally from Arkansas.
Resp. HOOTJose' was in my class, class 07. We were good friends.  When going thru training he was a BM1.   Later went to Deep Sea Diving school and from there to EOD school. Going to nite school he got a degree from Univ Maryland. Got a commission.  Was wounded in Nam working with the spooks up in Danang. Got hit in the stomach with a an AK47.  

Truly sorry he died, will be missed.  Bruhmiller says his wife is having trouble with the VA trying to get his benefits.
 Resp.
HOOT Andrews  

                             

Dear Teamates,   


  I was a "FNG" to then LT. Jose Taylor in Vietnam in 1967. He came to the Hotel Carter in MyTho to visit us and that is where I met him. He treated me and also the "Young Lion FNGs" as if we were old lost teamates. I listened attentively to all the sea stories they shared with us about their good old days in UDT. To us, even all the "hairy seastories" are funny, so we had a lot of good laughs.
 My immediate opinion of Jose Taylor was that I could get along with him real good and that I could follow him anywhere anytime. I remember him telling Lt. Bob "Mr Son" Peterson that he had gotten word from Jake Rhinebolt that his platoon was doing great work and that he was proud of the 7th.Jose, I will drink a cold beer for you with great pride that I have rubbed elbows with you. May God have mercy on your soul and allow you into heaven to rest in peace. 
Amen.
Tu Amigo,
Erasmo "Doc" Riojas HMC USN Retired  
  email me at : docrio @ ev1.net

                             

From: firstseal@aol.com
To: docrio@ev1.net
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2005 9:30 AM
Subject: About the death of "Jose" TaylorI sad and sorry to hear about Jose Taylor's death. May he rest in peace. He was a good guy and teamate. I guess we are all going slowly through the completion of our tour of duty, ie: death. I look at death as a new adventure with a don't sweat it attitude. Any foot prints you may have accidentally made, will be washed away with the next wave. Life is loaned to you, live it, love it, for the joy of what you love, and whom you love. Leave your ego, status, and possessions hanging on the worlds quarter deck because you are going out with what you came here with; hopefully it will be a positive memory to a few. In the mean time if you don't use what you got you will lose what you got.
Tu Amigo
Roy Boehm,

                             
From: Richard Martin
To: Erasmo Riojas
Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 5:52 PM
Subject: Re: Jose Taylor RIP web page 
I knew Jose Taylor!!!!!!
Richard "LEG" Martin HMC (SEAL) Retired
MY NOTE:  Doc Martin has suffered a stroke that left some residual one sided weakness and some brain irregularities therefore he has become A MAN OF FEW words because of his stroke. Doc Riojas    

                             

 

 --------Original Message -----
From: Dee Clark
To: Erasmo Riojas
Sent: Friday, October 21, 2005 12:24 PM
Subject: Re: another photo of Jose Taylor that I got from Kiet  I got to know Jose when he arrived at ST2 and took over as Ordnance Officer. It took all of two seconds to know that I'd follow him to hell and gone. He was an inspiration and a guide who influenced my career in the navy.  He made it possible for me to go back to advisory duty and still retain my SEAL quals which reflect the way I live even today.JOSE, I'll hoist a cool one to memory of good times and good advice.
A.D. Clark

                             

 ----- Original Message -----
From: daug68@aol.com; Bill Daugherty
To: docrio@ev1.net
Sent: Friday, October 21, 2005 8:23 AM
Subject: Re: another photo of Jose Taylor that I got from Kiet 
Doc that was a beautiful tribute to Jose Taylor. When Corney Leyden and I lived together Jose would come over on a Saturday morning for coffee or Kentucky Gentlemen which ever he wanted if any was left and visit.

 I met Jose this way thru Corney. He was a good guy and I loved hear his stories. I have thought of him before when going back thru my memory lane.  He will be missed and by all the alkaloids from everyone who served with him have expressed in their E Mails I know his wife is surely proud to have been his mate here on earth.

 Bill Daugherty

                             


----- Original Message -----
From: RJ THOMAS
To: docrio@ev1.net
Sent: Monday, October 24, 2005 1:38 AM
Subject: RE: Jose Taylor RIP web page
Hey Rio,
Jose was in the hospital at Yokosuka with Bos'n Campbell from ST-1 and me in 69. I think he was recovering from getting shot in the belly. The whole hospital staff was scared to death of him and Campbell because they would get dressed and leave the ward and the go out in town when ever they wanted, despite direct orders from the Docs they couldn't. He was the real deal
.Outta here,
RJT ,
CDR(SEAL) USN Retired

 

                             

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

;

The Below Photographs are property of Mary Elizabeth Taylor (Jose's wife) and may not be used without her permission.    Email Doc Rio and he will contact her for you.

                  

     

          

                 

                 

                  

               


 

Doc,

  IF  Jose Taylor was the Ops boss at NAD DaNang, then he'd coordinate with the Vietnamese CSS.  CSS ran PTF operations up North; MST-1 did the maintenance on the PTF boats and conducted training in their maintenance.   Robert Stoner MCPO

   include these photos :            

        

                                

                                  
                                          photo from Jose Taylor's collections                   data: by MCPO Bob Stoner

 

 

 

                                 Mi Vida Loca - Copyright ©1998 - All Right Reserved email: docrio45 [at] gmail DOT com

 

 


                                                                              Jose Taylor aka: Lloyd Favor Taylor

 

 

Lawsuit Against Phony SEALs Reveals New Concern for the Public at Large 

"A lawsuit filed by attorney Gene Odom, on behalf of his client, Retired Navy SEAL Senior Chief Don Shipley has revealed a concerning trend that is common among almost all "Phony SEALs" that they have encountered." 

BRANDON, FL, June 04, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- A lawsuit filed by personal injury attorney Gene Odom, on behalf of his client, Retired Navy SEAL Senior Chief Don Shipley has revealed a concerning trend that is common among almost all "Phony SEALs" that they have encountered. That trend is a predatory disposition towards those more naive and vulnerable.

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

 

                                                                  Don Shipley

 

                                                        
                                                                     Mitchell Lee Croft

 

             

Meet John

John Gulick has had two jobs in his entire life. The first, being a Navy SEAL, where he was awarded medals for valor. The second job has been as an attorney for the past 30 years, which involves its own unique version of combat. Each job requires energy, competence, courage, and focus.

Over 25 years of experience with consistent jury trial work. Graduated from Case Western Reserve School of Law with honors (Order of the Coif) and served as an editor of the Case Western Reserve Law Review.

U.S. Navy 1963-1967, service with U.S.S. Fletcher, Underwater Demolition Team 12, and SEAL Team ONE. Won Bronze Star (with Combat V) and Purple Heart.

http://www.gulicklaw.com/meet_john.htm


13NOV2011:  email from Jim Dickson

Franklin and Doc, 

For the last five years Veterans Day has found me at the Cupertino Veterans Memorial. This year I ran into John Gulick who said that after I was wounded he took over my .50 caliber machine gun. He said further that he could only get it to work single fire. I was not surprised because both the gun and I got blown up. 

He said that he was not part of the Nha Be' detachment but that the Mike boat was providing transport for him and a few other SEALs. We exchanged information and I will see him again. I also ran into a PBR sailor who was at Nha Be' the same time as I. 

This is a small world and getting smaller. 

Jim  Dickson

 

                       Photos by Jim Dickson

30:6 For he left behind him a defender of his house against his enemies, and one       ;  that will requite kindness to his friends.THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTICUS Also known as "The Book of Sirach." Catholic Bible CHAPTER 30.

 

>          To donate $10 now text U.S.Navy SEAL to 90999>The Navy SEAL FoundationTEXT-TO-GIVE INSTRUCTIONS You will receive a text requesting a reply to confirm  your donation.   m>A one-time $10 charge will be added to your wireless bill.

 

 

 

A SEAL before the glam and glitterWednesday, November 9, 2011 8:46 am

Vet recalls a ‘thrilling life'

 

                                                                              Mike Sands

 

 

 

                  
               Frank Heinrich                                                                         Mike Baumgart                            Amir Pishdad      

 

 

 

 

Leonard Horst

http://www.sequimgazette.com/news/article.exm/2011-11-09_

war_veteran_visits_vietnam_for_fresh_outlook


                          

Leonard Horst

 

                     
                                                              Larry Lyons and Mike Thornton

 

                     
                                                                  TX Gov Perry and Marcus Luttrell

 

 
          Doc CLark, Richard Marcinko, Rudy Boesch                                           Fred Miller & Frank Moncrief

 

                                          
                                  J.R.Schooley                                                           Rod D. Sirois

 

                                                 
                                                                                                          Deavereau "Bull" Knox ST-2

MMCM Devereaux "Bull" Knox, USN (Ret)  R.I.P.  

It is with great sadness that the UDT-SEAL Association informs the membership on the passing of MMCM Devereaux "Bull" Knox, USN-(Ret.) SEAL, Class 19 Passed away on May 20th, 2010. 
MMCM Devereaux "Bull" Chester Knox, 72, passed away Thursday, May 20, 2010. Born in Guilford, Conn., he was a resident of Hampton Roads for more than 51 years. "Bull" retired as a Navy SEAL in 1988 after 30 years of service to our country. "Bull" was first assigned with UDT 21 and later served several tours of duty in Vietnam with SEAL Team 2


                                                                                          ST-2 Men with Green Faces

 

            
                                                           SEALs at War

 

    
              Joseph S Shreckhise                         Lisa & Robert Mc Daniels                             SPencer Dry

 

    
       Colton 10 y.o.  & SEALs                             Rudy Bosesch                                                Roger GUerra

 

        
                                                      William Templet                                              Pete Wikul  "Bull Frog"

 


Admiral Olson

 

Nicholas Bickle, Rogue SEAL:  An active duty in the United States Navy Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, allegedly smuggled around 80 AK-47 rifles as well as Iraqi-made weapons into the US.

                              
                                Nicholas Bickle       

      
Adm McRaven Eric T. Olson Jeff Lucas


           Don Shipley: http://military-fitness.military.com/tag/buds                      Richard "Mack" Machowicz

 

         
                              LT: Roger Cook &  ??                                                   Bill "Fat Rat" Sutherland

 

 

           
       Mark De Lisle                                                          "Matto"

ROBERT (BOB) K. WAGNER
Chief Storekeeper (SEAL)  http://bellsouthpwp.net/m/w/mwagner32/ 
Go to this link for the full story.

May 5, 1933 - August 15, 1968    

     

from Stew Smith:

                

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. If you are interested in starting a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle - check out the Military.com Fitness eBook store and the Stew Smith article archive at Military.com. To contact Stew with your comments and questions, e-mail him at stew@stewsmith.com.

To see more from Stew Smith, check out www.stewsmith.com

Stew Smith is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a former Navy SEAL, and author of several fitness and self defense books such as The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness, and Maximum Fitness. As a military fitness trainer, Stew has trained hundreds of students for Navy SEAL, Special Forces, Air Force PJ, Ranger Training, and other physical law enforcement professions. Stew's Profile | Stew's Blog

Stew's Archive | Ask Stew | StewSmith.com

 


& LIFE MAGAZINE  PICTURES LINK

 

 


        
                   Japanese Weapons UDT-SEAL                                                                    Adam Lee Brown


  
                                    Mark Allen

 

 

 

      
                                                                                                                            Andrew Bissett =Link

 

                 Force Master Chief, Naval Special Warfare Command


FORCE MASTER CHIEF STEVEN D. STUDDARD, US NAVY

Master Chief Studdard is a native of Alabama and a 1982 graduate of Berry High School. In December 1984 he enlisted in the Navy and attended boot camp at Naval Recruit Training Center, Great Lakes. He entered the UDT/SEAL pipeline and successfully completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training, Class 137 in May 1986.

 

   

 

Courtesy FOREX Video

 

   

Michael Jaco

Michael Jaco served as a Navy SEAL for twenty-four years before becoming an independent security contractor. During his service he achieved what many others previously thought to be impossible or unattainable. He retired in December 2002 as a Navy "Chief" and started his own training organization which educates participants in tactical awareness skills. Born in Columbia, South Carolina, he now lives in Elgin with his wife and children.

 

 

 
US Navy seal sniper
Uploaded by bonsemy. - Classic TV and last night's shows, online.

POST OFFICE Dedicated to Roy Boehm in FL

 

Decorated Little Creek-based SEAL dies in Afghanistan

 CollinThomas KIA in Afganistan                                                    


By Cindy Clayton
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 20, 2010

A highly decorated Navy SEAL from Virginia Beach died Wednesday from injuries sustained in combat operations in eastern Afghanistan, the Navy said Friday.

Chief Special Warfare Operator Collin Trent Thomas, 33, was shot while deployed with a SEAL team based at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek. As is customary in operations involving the elite commando units, the Navy released no other details about the circumstances of his death.

A native of Morehead, Ky., Thomas was a 13-year Navy veteran who had been awarded a Purple Heart medal, two Bronze Stars and a host of personal, unit and campaign decorations.

He graduated from Rowan County (Ky.) High School, attended Morehead State University and enlisted in the Navy on Feb. 20, 1997.

Since February 2000, he had been assigned to various East Coast-based SEAL teams and was involved in numerous combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Navy said.

“Collin Thomas was a brave American patriot and an incredibly gifted Navy SEAL,” a senior officer in his command was quoted as saying in the Navy statement. “His tireless professionalism, inspiring passion for life, and humble demeanor made him a role model for all who knew him. We are deeply saddened by this tremendous loss of a brother in arms.”

Lt. Arlo Abrahamson, a spokesman for Naval Special Warfare Group 2, called Thomas’ death an “incredible loss.”

“Collin’s teammates will remain resolved in their fight against terrorist elements in Afghanistan, because they know that’s what Collin would have wanted,” Abrahamson said.

Thomas is survived by his parents, Clayton and Paula Thomas of Hertford, N.C., his sister, Meghan Edwards of Morehead, and his fiancée, Sarah Saunders of Virginia Beach.

A private memorial service will be held next week at the Little Creek base.


Subject: Chief Petty Officer Collin Trent Thomas

TOP STORIES:

1.    Navy SEAL From Morehead, Ky., Dies In Combat In Afghanistan

(LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL 20 AUG 10)
LOUISVILLE - Chief Petty Officer Collin Trent Thomas was a quiet and well-liked student when he was growing up in Morehead, Ky., and always had a clear view of his life after graduating. “He was serious toward life even when he was young in high school,” said Penny Alderman, the assistant principal of Rowan County High School and a friend of Thomas’ family. “He was thinking of his future and his future was always the military.” 

Thomas, who became a Navy SEAL, was killed Wednesday during a combat operation in eastern Afghanistan. He was 33. Thomas enlisted in the Navy in 1997, two years after graduating from Rowan County High School. Thomas received SEAL training, which the Navy calls “six months of some of the most demanding training in the U.S. military,” early in his naval career, according to a press release on Thomas’ death. 

He had been assigned to various East Coast-based SEAL teams since February 2000 and was deployed several times overseas, including supporting operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the press release said. A decorated combat veteran, he received two Bronze Stars for valor and a Purple Heart, among many other recognitions.

 Alderman said she was friends with his mother and has known Thomas since he was a child. She said Thomas was drawn to the military partly out of deep respect for his father, a career Marine. As a child, Thomas grew up on military bases before his father retired from the Marine Corps and the family moved back to Morehead. 

Thomas is survived by his parents, Clayton and Paula, his younger sister, Meghan, and his fiancée, Sarah Saunders, the press release said. When home from deployments, Thomas would catch up with friends in Morehead. In all the years Alderman knew Thomas, she said she never heard a negative word said against him. She said Thomas loved the outdoors and would go camping and hiking with his parents, who moved to California after he joined the Navy.

“He truly loved his life as a SEAL,” Alderman said. “He always wanted to do what was right and he felt this was what’s right.”

Because of the secretive nature of the special operations unit, there were times Thomas’ family had no warning of a deployment.

 

“It depended on the mission,” Alderman said. “Sometimes they knew … other times, they didn’t know and didn’t hear for a long time.”

Thomas was very close to his mother and father, and Alderman said the family is struggling with his death but proud of his service.

 

“They’re devastated,” Alderman said. “They’re trying to focus on what they had with Collin, instead of what they won’t have. They’re looking back at all the wonderful times they had with him — that’s how they’re getting through it.”

 

 

 

 

 

              
      Jacob "Jake" Daniel BANTA, HTFN                                 I wish i knew this Chief's name

                            

 

 

 

LDNN:  Vietnamese SEALs

x

Kiet Nguyen LDNN,  'nam Seastory

Hi Bob,

Thank you for these unforgotten stories of Vietnam war end on April 30, 1975.

I was on board of the HQ. 502 (LST 502) at the ocean mouth Cap Vung Tau to waiting for a convoy of evacuation by US. government at that time.


There were many birds as OV-10, L19, helicopters flew out over our ship. Finally, there was one helicopter tried to make a low flying to let one man jump out of it. So the first man was out then floated toward the port of our HQ.502. Someone on that ship threw a lifebuoy down right to him, he got it then floating back into the river by the wind has changed after the sun was risen.

  At that time there was not any ordered from our commander on that ship to rescue that guy. I did not hesitate to jump down in the water with my spare life vest from the UDT-SEAL's gear. I swam as fast as I could to reach to him and graped his arm.


Unfortunate, the current was so strong and make me harder to get back the ship with him. I did decide to stay with him whatever will be happened. While we were struggled in the water then the second man as a pilot bailed out... However he be bounced back up by the high waves then disappeared in deep blue of the sea.


Back to our ship, the commander had ordered the engines restarted. We both got back to the ship with thousands voices cheered for us.
It was my last rescue without "Military order" on the morning of April 30-1975.
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/militarylaw1/a/obeyingorders.htm

Best Regards,

Kiet Nguyen, LDNN


                                           Frank Thornton

LDNNs

   Liên Đoàn Người Nhái (LDNN); Training Camp in CamRanhBay 'nam

 

My name is Mike Rush, not the same guy that is part of the UDT/SEAL Association. I gave Doc Riojas Some of these photos are part of my collection, I am just an independant historian.


Dai Wee Kuhn and Chief Riojas

  

         
C.O. of the LDNNs, TuTa Hiep


TuTa Hiep and Friends in the USA

 

From: spikey1971 [at]
To: docrio45  [at]  gmail .  com
Sent: Sunday, July 25, 2010 
Subject: Part of my LDNN collection.... 



Thanks Doc,  

The page 16  looks cool.
I met Trinh Hoa Hiep in the 90's and had the pleasure of sitting down withhim at his home not far from where I live in L.A.
The last time I spoke with him was to get the correct definition of the "D" in LDNN, Doi was "team" which was used until about 1970 then it was Doan, which means "group", when EOD, pier security, police and salvage divers were all under the LDNN umbrella.


I sent a note to the UDT/SEAL Assoc, which I am an assoc. member, about the death of Mr. Hiep but it never made it into the Blast. I have pics and a diary of a LDNN advisor at Solid Anchor and Dong Tam and other pics of advisors at Hoi An, some pics came from Ace Sarich, some from Terry Sullivan, both Team 2.


I've also met Ryan McCombie years ago and I got some paperwork from an advisor name Mike Slattery, he had a letter the Tommy Norris not long before Tom got wounded.
I collect everything I can get my hands on relating to LDNN's and their advisors.
I also have pics of LDNNs training in the US on the East Coast.        Mike Rush


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

 


      Gary Smith and Doc Riojas


LDNN SEAL Instructors:   Lt to Rt:  Doc Marshall, Willis, Doc Rio,
DaiWee Kuhn, "french" Gary Smith

 
Smitty retired as an MCPO and wrote
three books about Navy SEALs
He came home to Texas and
became a Texas Ranger. Death In the Jungle

 


USA SEAL Instructor Hootch CamRanhBay Vietnam

 


Which one is Doc Riojas? LDNN Class


LDNN open air classroom

 


LDNN instructor Quan


Qua and Thang

 


LDNN practicing Karate


LDNNs on IBS


Casting from Huey Helicopter


LDNN patroling class by CPO Willis

 
Ba and Willis

 


BMC Willits


VN SEAL Sign painted by LDNN Trainees

 

 
Doc Riojas visiting a Camh Ranh Bay Villiage

 

 
Navy Journalist getting story for the
records. LDNN Camp CamRanhBay 'Nam 1970


1967, Mike Boat, MyTho RVN: LDNNs

 


LDNN Thuy

 

Hi Doc,

I have noticed the guy from LDNN named Thang who was assigned in Nam Can Team, which Darryl Young wrote about his turned coat.  (Page:319 - 320 of SEALs, UDT, Frogmen: Men Under Pressure) I have met Darryl Young from my home a few years before his death.


I have someone who knew him and he is still living somewhere in Go Cong near Saigon Capital. He became a high ranking officer after Vietnam fall and working for the bastard Commies.

You remember Thang is never interested on me and of course I am not the one wanted to talk or see him too.
Best regards,

Kiet Nguye

 


7th Plt. ST-2 MyTho


                Than, LDNN SeaFLoat CaMau 'Nam


Helicopter Casting

 


Qua and DocRio

 


LDNN InstructorLuong Linh

 


"Frenchy" Boisivertte UDT Instructor

 

 

 

 

Petty Officer Nguyen Van Kiet   :        Vietnam War: “It was their country. They deserve respect.” When Hollywood made a movie about the dramatic rescue of a downed American pilot during the Vietnam War, it left one man out: the South Vietnamese navy officer who was a key member of the rescue team.    

Doc Riojas' Note:  I first  met Kiet at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam  when he was undergoing LDNN (SEAL) training.  I was one of the  SEAL LDNNAdvisors at the LDNN Camp.          LT. Richard Kuhn was our OinC.


                                     Nguyen Van Kiet  LDNN

 

Vietnam War Bibliography Navy SEALs and UDTs

 


Picture taken at the FIRST LDNN reunion in Houston TX.
Lt to Rt:  Phan Tan Hung,Capt.Larry Bailey USN (Ret), Kiet Nguyen

 


LDNN Patches and Insignias

 


             Ba &  CPO Willis of ST-1 Instructors at LDNN Camp CamRanhBay 'nam

 


 LDNN Inst. Qua and Navy journalist.jpg

 

X-LDNN  Thang turned V.C.

Hi Doc,

I have noticed the guy from LDNN named Thang who was assigned in Nam Can Team, which Darryl Young wrote about his turned coat.  (Page:319 - 320 of SEALs, UDT, Frogmen: Men Under Pressure) I have met Darryl Young from my home a few years before his death.
I have someone who knew him and he is still living somewhere in Go Cong near Saigon Capital. He became a high ranking officer after Vietnam fall and working for the bastard Commies.

You remember Thang is never interested on me and of course I am not the one wanted to talk or see him too.
Best regards,

Kiet Nguyen

                              

 



2010/11/7 TTPhat <phat28_6@yahoo.com>

TTPhat <phat28_6  [at]  yahoo   DOT com
toktnguyen95 [at]  yahoo   DOT  com

ccdocrio45  [at] gmail  DOT com,
spikey1971 [at] aol   DOT  com

dateSun, Nov 7, 2010 
subjectLDNN : VO VAN THANG ( He is a good man)

Chao anh Kiet,
Toi la Phat o BH . SPVDH thuyen chuyen ve LDNN nam 1972 , dau nam 1974 co di chung voi anh ra dao Song Tu Tay (Truong Sa) .Trong toan co Tr/u Xon , anh Tu Le,Banh, Lam Chau Tinh, Tu 'Ca Chinh' Kiet va Phat ( toan cua minh ban min lam thuy dao va van chuyen vat lieu cho Cong Binh xay cat doanh trai tren dao)
Thoi gian da lau ! chac anh Kiet khong con nho toi...
Nhan day, toi muon noi ve anh Thang (LDNN Vo Van Thang)
1 - Toi ve NN di toan o Nam Can , co nguoi da canh bao voi toi anh Thang da tung" noi tuyen" nuong sach 2 toan SEAls My o My Tho , vi the toi cung de y moi khi di chung voi anh ay
Toi o Nam Can gan 2 nam , lau dan ...toi va anh Thang tro nen than thiet , toi hieu rat ro lap truong va chinh kien ve mot nguoi linh cua anh Thang . Vi vay toi doan chac rang anh ay khong he " phan boi dong doi va dong minh cua chung ta"
 Trong thoi gian nay anh cung co tam su voi toi ve tham hoa cua Xpray Platoon,cung di voi toan Xpray anh da thoat chet trong duong to ke toc . Sau do ANQD moi anh len de lam ro ve viec nay , an ninh My cung theo theo doi anh mot thoi gian , roi ho cung xac dinh anh Thang khong biet truoc Vung + Toa do cong tac va chi biet sau khi hop roi cung toan Xpray xuong seal boat ma thoi .(vi vay ho khong truy cuu)
Tieng don xau ve anh Thang tu do va con am vang den  ngay nay .
* Khong ly do gi,mot nguoi bi tinh nghi la noi tuyen cho VC ma con nhon nho trong hang ngu QD den thang 4/75 ???

2 - LDNN Vo Van Thang chua tung la si quan cao cap cua VC
Dieu nay duoc khang dinh nhu sau :
Tinh co toi lien lac voi Nguyen Tram (BH) va Tram co cho toi nhung so dien thoai cua cac ban : Bach van Dong , Hoang Doan ,Liem va Le Thanh Tat .
Cung hom do( khoang thang 8 nam2008)  toi goi de tham Tat va Tat cho toi biet "Thang Co" cung o Go Cong . Ho gap nhau trong luc tap trung " Nguy quan" nam 75  (Tat que o mien Trung ve que vo o Go Cong.)
Thang 10 nam 2008 toi va Hoang ngo Ky xuong Go Cong tham anh Thang va Tat ,  moi biet ra ,vo chong anh da song cuoc doi co cuc trong nhieu nam tai que nha ...Gio day Tat va anh Thang cung kha hon roi !
Le Thanh Tat biet ro anh Thang tu sau 75 den nay .
Anh Van (k3) dang o VN , hom 28/10/10 Phat va anh "Van Com "co di tham anh Thang o GCong.
Day la nhung thong tin chinh xac va trung thuc ve anh Thang , toi hi vong se duoc coi mo va sang to ve hanh vi cua anh ay .

Men chuc anh va gia dinh duoc an lanh hanh phuc .

TT Phat

WEBMASTER:  TT Phat included this photo and I wonder if that is him in this picture.  If it is, i remember him well, he lost one foot in an Op 1967 out at the CHina Sea Coast with the ST-2's 7th plt.

Lt. Roy Dean Matthews, DOc Riojas, and LDNN Thuy

 

 

webmaster:   Erasmo "Doc" Riojas         docrio45  [at]  gmail   DOT com

 

 

 

Hi Doc,

I have noticed the guy from LDNN named Thang who was assigned in Nam Can Team, which Darryl Young wrote about his turned coat.  (Page:319 - 320 of SEALs, UDT, Frogmen: Men Under Pressure) I have met Darryl Young from my home a few years before his death.
I have someone who knew him and he is still living somewhere in Go Cong near Saigon Capital. He became a high ranking officer after Vietnam fall and working for the bastard Commies.

You remember Thang is never interested on me and of course I am not the one wanted to talk or see him too.
Best regards,

Kiet Nguyen, webmaster's note:  Kiet was awarded the Navy Cross for the rescue of BAT-21

                              
LDNN Traitor,named Thang


----- Original Message -----
From: Kiet Nguyen
To: spikey1971 [at] aol.com Cc: Doc Rio
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 12:48 PM
Subject: Re: LDNN Thang 

Hi Mike, 

Thanks, my family is doing well. Since April 30, 2005 I was retired from my 19+1/2 years of Boeing company. 

About Thang last name I am not sure, but I will find out later. After he betrayed our comrades in SEALs. He was transferred to other teams in center Vietnam (Cam Ranh + Da Nang). 

Then US forces withdrawn on 1973 the LDNN still rock and roll as well as of itself. I never heard Thang anymore while I was in LDNN headquarter as an instructor to the SEALs class # 8. On the fall of Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces, the Commies took over Saigon and control whole VN country, 

Thang , I heard that he became an high ranking officer to the VC. Now he is living in Go Cong. I have his home phone number but never called him. My friends still live in Saigon, once asked him wants to contact with me; But he rejected it. I thought if I did not leave VN my life should be in big trouble by him. For the rescue of BAT 21 operation succeed; that mole won't mercy me by the way of my contribution to the Americans.

 For now our government are having connections with commies on many things... However Commies are never too honest.. Mike, what are you doing now? Can you tell me? On this May of 30 Thuy (my wife) and 

I will be in Santa Ana where Garden Grove for the STD reunion. If you are living close this area I am very happy to invite you to join with us at the Seafood Kingdom restaurant 6:00PM - 11:00PM 30.5.2010 If use GPS use the city hall address ( City Of Westminster, CA) 
8200 Westminster Blvd Westminster, CA 92683 

Kiet Nguyen 

http://daihoinkt.blogspot.com/2010/05/ban-tin-dai-hoi-8-nkt.html 



--- On Wed, 5/26/10,         wrote: 
From: spikey1971 [at] aol.com 

To: ktnguyen95 [at] yahoo.com 
Date: Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 6:21 AM 


 Subject: LDNN Thang ;  what happened to that Traitor?
Thank you,    Spikey



-----Original Message-----
From:
spikey1971 [at] aol.com
To: ktnguyen95 [at] yahoo.com
Sent: Tue, May 25, 2010 4:21 pm 

Subject: LDNN Thang 

Hello Kiet, Nice to hear from you and I hope you and your family are doing well. I saw something you postedon Doc Rio's website www.sealtwo.org
  about an LDNN named Thang that was on Sea Float then went to Xray platoon. 

I was told the he was killed after it was found out he was selling information and maybe he was the reason why Xray platoon got shot up so bad. The whole Xray platoon tour seemed to be doomed from the start. So I was amazed that you said that Thang was alive in Vietnam. I think his full name was Bo Van Thang or maybe I have it backwards.

 Very interesting information. Did you know him? I wonder where he went after Xray platoon, maybe to an LDNN platoon? Best wishes.      Regards,          Mike Rush 



-----Original Message-----
From: Kiet Nguyen <ktnguyen95 [at] yahoo.com>
To: Doc Rio docrio45 [at] gmail.com
Sent: Tue, May 25, 2010 1:50 pm
Subject: Re: write me here, but don't post this email on the WWW, thanks 


Hi Doc Rio & Mike, 

It is a small world guys. Doc Rio was my trainer from LDNN Cam Ranh Bay (1970) Mike Rush who I had a good opportunity met him at the UDT-SEAL West coast reunion many years back while I have accepted the Honorary Life member of UDT-SEAL Association. HoohYaah! 

Kiet Nguyen 



On Tue, May 25, 2010 at 9:46 AM,
<Spikey1971 [at] aol.com> wrote:
Thanks

 Doc Rio, 

I've been collecting UDT/SEAL/LDNN items for over 15yrs. A lot of people know I collect this stuff so they usually contact me. I have gotten some GREAT stuff from former SEALs that knew I liked to collect these items. Mainly I get a lot of stuff from West Coast guys, I have very little contact with any East Coast guys, Dan Olson gave me some cool stuff a few years ago and I got some stuff from Ace Sarich in the mid 90's but that's about it. I'm working on getting another hug batch of UDT/SEAL and LDNN patches, hopefully soon. I'd be honored to have your hat. Please let me know when you put the pics up so I can check them out. When I get home at the end of June I can re-shoot everything in a larger format if you want. Mike 

www.sealtwo.org www.sealtwo.org Erasmo "Doc" Riojas 

"Man has to be man - by choice; he has to hold his life as a value - by choice; he has to learn to sustain it - by choice; he has to discover the values it requires and practice his virtues - by his choice." Ayn Rand"

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Email from: phat28_6  [at]  yahoo.com
To: Doc Rio       Dec 23 2010

"Thang low " is the intructor and gave you plaque.
"Qua " is the intructor CRanh bay .
Skinny Thang is suspected of being a VC. Vietnamese and U.S. security has cleared him and he was found to be innocent.

OK,  Thắng không phải là VC. Tôi tin rằng bạn. Cảm ơn bạn.

 

 

 

 

Kiet Nguyen 
to  Doc Rio, 
Subj:  There were NO LDNN captured and held as POW !

  Hi Doc,            
Many thanks to you. Ken Conboy wrote this article is interested, but it has some errors. Example: 
1) The LDNN had training in Cam Ranh bay was in May 1970 for class # 4 then there after 4, 5 and 6. Of course you were there too. And I was amongst of first group came to Cam Ranh to clean up and set up the camp before class # 4 begun. 
2) There is no LDNN member have captured by Chinese navy. Indeed three KIA and few guys had wounded. 


Ken wrote: 

When the Vietnam ceasefire went into effect in 1973 the SEALs returned to LDNN Headquarters in Saigon. At the same time the CSS was dissolved, with the Navy contingent given the option of transferring to the LDNN. 

In late December 1973 the government reiterated its territorial claim to the Paracel Island chain off its coast and dispatched a small garrison of militia to occupy the islands. By early January 1974 the Chinese, who also claimed the islands, had sent a naval task force to retake.the Paracels. On 17 January 30 LDNN SEALs were infiltrated on to the western shores of one of the major islands to confront a Chinese landing party. The Chinese had already departed; but two days later, after SEALs landed on a nearby island, Chinese forces attacked with gunboats and naval infantry. Two SEALs members died and the rest were taken prisoner and later repatriated. 



https://www.sealtwo.org/LDNNvietnam.htm 


LDNN CDR,    Larry Bailey CAPT (SEAL) and Kiet Nuyen at 1st LDNN reunion Houston TX


REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM NAVAL SPECIAL FORCES 




In 1960 the South Vietnamese Navy proposed the creation of an Underwater Demolitions Team to improve protection of ships, piers and bridges. Later in the year a navy contingent was sent to Taiwan for UDT training; the one officer and seven men who completed the course became the cadre for a Lien Doi Nguoi Nhai (LDNN), or Frogman Unit, formally established in July 1961. The LDNN, with a proposed strength of 48 officers and men, was given the mission of salvage, obstacle removal, pier protection and special amphibious operations. 

Soon after the creation of the LDNN a second unit was formed: Biet Hai,or 'Special Sea Force', paramilitary commandos under the operational control of Diem's Presidential Liaison Office and given responsibility for amphibious operations against North Vietnam. US Navy SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) commando teams began deploying to South Vietnam in February 1962 and initiated in March a six month course for the first Biet Hai cadre in airborne, reconnaissance and guerrilla warfare training. By October, 62 men had graduated from the firstcycle. A planned second contingent was denied funding. 

In early 1964 the LDNN, numbering only one officer and 41 men, began special operations against VC seabome infiltration attempts. Six Communist junks were destroyed by the LDNN at Ilo Ilo Island in January during Operation 'Sea Dog'. During the following month the LDNN began to be used against North Vietnamese targets as part of Operation Plan 34A, a covert action program designed to pressure the Ha Noi regime. 

In February a team unsuccessfully attempted to sabotage a North Vietnamese ferry on Cape Ron and Swatow patrol craft at Quang Khe. Missions to destroy the Route I bridges below the 18th Parallel were twice aborted. In March most of the LDNN was transferred to Da Nang and colocated with the remaining Biet Hai commandos. During May North Vietnam operations resumed by LDNN teams working with newly trained Biet Hai boat crews. On 27 May they scored their first success with the capture of a North Vietnamese junk. On 30 June a team landed on the North Vietnamese coast near a reservoir pump house. Ile team was discovered and a hand to hand fight ensued; two LDNN commandos lost their lives and three 57mm recoiless rifles were abandoned, but 22 North Vietnamese were killed and the pump house was destroyed. 

In July a second class of 60 LDNN candidates was selected and began training in Nha Trang during September. Training lasted 16 weeks, and included a 'Hell Week' in which students were required to paddle a boat 115 miles, run 75 miles, carry a boat for 21 miles and swim 10 miles. During the training cycle team members salvaged a sunken landing craft at Nha Trang and a downed aircraft in Binh Duong Province. Thirty-three men completed the course in January 1965 and were based at Vung Tau under the direct control of the Vietnamese Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Operations). 

In 1965 the LDNN was given responsibility for amphibious special operations in South Vietnam. Maritime operations against North Vietnam were given exclusively to the Da Nang based Biet Haicommandos and Hai Tuanboat crews, both incorporated into the new seaborne component of the STD, the So Phong Ve Duyen Hai (Coastal Security Service or CSS). The CSS, a joint services unit, was headed by an Army lieutenant colonel until 1966, then by a Navy commander. CSS missions focused almost entirely on short duration sabotage operations lasting one night, and had a high success rate. The CSS relied heavily on special operations teams temporarily seconded from other services. Teams on loan from the Vietnamese Navy considered most effective, were codenamed 'Vega'. Other teams came from the Vietnamese Marine Corps ('Romulus') and Army ('Nimbus'). The CSS also controlled 40 civilian agents ('Cumulus') until the mid 1960s. Unofficialy, the term Biet Hai was used for all CSS forces, regardless of original service affiliation. CSS training was conducted at Da Nang under the auspices of US Navy SEAL, US Marine, and Vietnamese advisors. Further support was provided by the CSS's Da Nang based US counterpart, the Naval Advisory Detachment, a component of MACVSOG. 

By the mid 1960s US Navy SEAL teams were being rotated regularly through South Vietnam on combat tours. Specialists in raids, amphibious reconnaissance and neutralization operations against the VC infrastructure, the SEALs worked closely with the LDNN and began qualifying Vietnamese personnel in basic SEAL tactics. In November 1966 a small cadre of LDNN were brought to Subic Bay in the Philippines for more intensive SEAL training. 

In 1967 a third LDNN class numbering over 400 were selected for SEAL training at Vung Tau. Only 27 students finished the one year course and were kept as a separate Hai Kich ('Special Sea Unit,' the Vietnamese term for SEAL) unit within the LDNN. Shortly after their graduation the Communists launched the Tet Offensive most of the LDNN SEALs were moved to Cam Ranh Bay, where a fourth LDNN class began training during 1968. During the year the Vietnamese SEALs operated closely with the US Navy SEALS. The LDNN SEAL Team maintained its focus on operations within South Vietnam, although some missions did extend into Cambodia. Some missions used parachute infiltration. 


LDNN after Tet 

In 1971, in accordance with increased operational responsibilities under the Vietnamization program, the LDNN was expanded to the Lien Doan Nguoi Nhai (LDNN), or Frogman Group, comprising a SEAL Team, Underwater Demolitions Team, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team and Boat Support Team. Headquarters remained in Saigon. For the remainder of 1971 the SEALs operated in 12 18-man detachments on neutralization operations and raids inside South Vietnam. SEAL launch sites included Ho Anh, north of Da Nang, Hue and Tinh An. 

During the 1972 Easter Offensive the SEALs were transferred to Hue to conduct operations against NVA forces holding Quang Tri; after Quang Tri was retaken some of the SEALs went to Quang Ngai to resume VC neutralization operations. After US Navy SEAL advisors were withdrawn in late 1972 the LDNN SEAL Team, now 200 strong, took over training facilities at Cam Ranh Bay; training, however, was cut in half, with only one fifth given airborne training. The SEALs had been augmented by ten graduates out of 21 LDNN officer candidates sent to the US for SEAL training in 1971. 

When the Vietnam ceasefire went into effect in 1973 the SEALs returned to LDNN Headquarters in Saigon. At the same time the CSS was dissolved, with the Navy contingent given the option of transferring to the LDNN. 

In late December 1973 the government reiterated its territorial claim to the Paracel Island chain off its coast and dispatched a small garrison of militia to occupy the islands. By early January 1974 the Chinese, who also claimed the islands, had sent a naval task force to retake.the Paracels. On 17 January 30 LDNN SEALs were infiltrated on to the western shores of one of the major islands to confront a Chinese landing party. The Chinese had already departed; but two days later, after SEALs landed on a nearby island, Chinese forces attacked with gunboats and naval infantry. Two SEALs died and the rest were taken prisoner and later repatriated. 

During the final days of South Vietnam a 50 man SEAL detachment was sent to Long An; the remainder were kept at LDNN Headquarters in Saigon along with 200 new SEAL trainees. During the early evening of 29 April all SEAL dependents boarded LDNN UDT boats and left Saigon; a few hours later the SEALs departed the capital, linked up with the UDT boats, and were picked up by the US 7th Fleet in international waters. 

By Ken Conboy Reference: http://ngothelinh.tripod.com/History.html 

Vi?t Nam C?ng Hòa Muôn Nam Ever the Republic of Vietnam

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Thuy LDNN

 

 

 

  Kiet Nguyen LDNN 

                                         


from: Kiet Nguyen   < ktnguyen95  [at]  yahoo  DOT com>
to: Erasmo Doc Riojas <docrio  [at] sealtwo  DOT org>
date: Thu, May 12, 2011 

Hi Doc Rio, & all, 

Congratulations to you and Bob Gardner for reunited after a long time of Vietnam war.   Cu Lao Dung or Dung island in Long Phu, Bac Lieu which I was there on late of 1970. 

The LDNN barrack was nearby with Navy SEAL advisors in that Naval base. I had soem good memories with my Vietnamese LDNN  Chief Hen who was in charged of Intel  in that team.
Best wishes, 

Kiet Nguyen

 

 

 

 


We used this Sanpan also to chase VC Tax collectors.  That is Chuck Jessie, Tuan LDNN, and Erasmo "Doc" Riojas doing the maintenance on it.  One of the LDNN, or Minh, dressed as a civilian did the driving.  Roy Dean Matthews asked me in the year 2007 if I was ever scared riding inside this sanpan.  The gospel truth!  I was scared shitless.  It was because we are in side that plywood enclosure and cannot see what the heck is going on.  Plywood is not bulletproof !

 

 

                                                                                                            

 

 

          Vietnam Facts vs. Fiction

received from: Bill Langley

The most notable fact is that 2.7 million Americans actually served in the Vietnam war. In the last census nearly 14 million Americans claimed they served in Vietnam. Four out of five are lying. 

For over 30 years I....like many Vietnam veterans....seldom spoke of Vietnam , except with other veterans, when training soldiers, and in public speeches. These past five years I have joined the hundreds of thousands who believe it is high time the truth be told about the Vietnam War and the people who served there. It's time the American people learn that the United States military did not lose the War, and that a surprisingly high number of people who claim to have served there, in fact, DID NOT. As Americans support the men and women involved in the War on Terrorism, the mainstream media are once again working tirelessly to undermine their efforts and force a psychological loss or stalemate for the United States . We cannot stand by and let the media do to today's warriors what they did to us 35 years ago. Below are some assembled facts most readers will find interesting. It isn't a long read, but it will....I guarantee....teach you some things you did not know about the Vietnam War and those who served, fought, or died there. 

--Capt. Marshal Hanson, U.S.N.R (Ret..) --Capt. Scott Beaton 

Facts, Statistics, Fake Warrior Numbers, and Myths Dispelled: 

9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official Vietnam era from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975. 

2,709,918 Americans served in uniform in Vietnam. Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation. 

240 men were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War. 

The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1958. He was with the 
509th Radio Research Station. Davis Station in Saigon was named for him. 

58,148 were killed in Vietnam. 

75,000 were severely disabled. 

23,214 were 100% disabled. 

5,283 lost limbs. 

1,081 sustained multiple amputations. 

Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21. 

11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old. 

Of those killed, 17,539 were married. 

Average age of men killed: 23.1 years. 

Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old. 

The oldest man killed was 62 years old. 

As of January 15, 2004, there are 1,875 Americans still unaccounted for. 

97% of Vietnam Veterans were honorably discharged. 

91% of Vietnam Veterans say they are glad they served. 

74% say they would serve again, even knowing the outcome. 

Vietnam veterans have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups. 

Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent. 

87% of Americans hold Vietnam Veterans in high esteem. 

There is no difference in drug usage between Vietnam Veterans and non-Vietnam Veterans of the same age group (Source: Veterans Administration Study) 

Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison - only one-half of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes. 

85% of Vietnam Veterans made successful transitions to civilian life. 

1,713,823 of those who served in Vietnam were still alive as of August, 1995 During Census count, the number of Americans claiming to have served was 9,492,958. 

As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is 1,002,511. This is hard to believe, losing nearly 711,000 between '95 and '00. That's 390 per day. 

During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE Vietnam vets are not. 

The Department of Defense Vietnam War Service Index officially provided by The War Library originally reported with errors that 2,709,918 U.S.. Military personnel as having served in-country. Corrections and confirmations to this error in the index resulted in the addition of 358 U.S. military personnel confirmed to have served in Vietnam but not originally listed by the Department of Defense. (All names are currently on file and accessible 24/7/365). 

Common Myths Dispelled: 

#1. Myth: Common Belief is that most Vietnam veterans were drafted.. Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers. 

#2. Myth: The media have reported that suicides among Vietnam veterans range from 50,000 to 100,000 - 6 to 11 times the non-Vietnam veteran population. Fact: Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. "The CDC Vietnam Experience Study Mortality Assessment showed that during the first 5 years after discharge, deaths from suicide were 1.7 times more likely among Vietnam veterans than non-Vietnam veterans. After that initial post-service period, Vietnam veterans were no more likely to die from suicide than non-Vietnam veterans. In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans' group. 

#3.Myth: Common belief is that a disproportionate number of blacks were killed in the Vietnam War. Fact: 86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were other races. Sociologists Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler, in their recently published book "All That We Can Be," said they analyzed the claim that blacks were used like cannon fodder during Vietnam "and can report definitely that this charge is untrue. Black fatalities amounted to 12 percent of all Americans killed in Southeast Asia, a figure proportional to the number of blacks in the U.S. population at the time and slightly lower than the proportion of blacks in the Army at the close of the war." 

#4 Myth: Common belief is that the war was fought largely by the poor and uneducated. Fact: Servicemen who went to Vietnam from well-to-do areas had a slightly elevated risk of dying because they were more likely to be pilots or infantry officers. Vietnam Veterans were the best educated forces our nation had ever sent into combat. 79% had a high school education or better. Here are statistics from the Combat Area Casualty File (CACF) as of November 1993. The CACF is the basis for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall): Average age of 58,148 killed in Vietnam was 23.11 years. (Although 58,169 names are in the Nov. 93 database, only 58,148 have both event date and birth date. Event date is used instead of declared dead date for some of those who were listed as missing in action). Deaths Average Age Total: 58,148, 23.11 years Enlisted: 50,274, 22.37 years Officers: 6,598, 28.43 years Warrants: 1,276, 24.73 years E1 525, 20.34 years 
11B MOS: 18,465, 22.55 years. 

#5 Myth: The common belief is the average age of an infantryman fighting in Vietnam was 19. Fact: Assuming KIAs accurately represented age groups serving in Vietnam, the average age of an infantryman (MOS 11B) serving in Vietnam to be 19 years old is a myth, it is actually 22. None of the enlisted grades have an average age of less than 20. The average man who fought in World War II was 26 years of age. 

#6 Myth: The Common belief is that the domino theory was proved false. Fact: The domino theory was accurate. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, Philippines , Indonesia , Malaysia , Singapore , and Thailand stayed free of Communism because of the U.S. commitment to Vietnam . The Indonesians threw the Soviets out in 1966 because of America 's commitment in Vietnam . Without that commitment, Communism would have swept all the way to the Malacca Straits that is south of Singapore and of great strategic importance to the free world. If you ask people who live in these countries that won the war in Vietnam , they have a different opinion from the American news media. The Vietnam War was the turning point for Communism. 

#7 Myth: The common belief is that the fighting in Vietnam was not as intense as in World War II. Fact: The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. 58,148 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.7 million who served. Although the percent that died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II....75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. MEDEVAC helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions. Over 900,000 patients were airlifted (nearly half were American). The average time lapse between wounding to hospitalization was less than one hour. As a result, less than one percent of all Americans wounded, who survived the first 24 hours, died. The helicopter provided unprecedented mobility. Without the helicopter it would have taken three times as many troops to secure the 800 mile border with Cambodia and Laos (the politicians thought the Geneva Conventions of 1954 and the Geneva Accords or 1962 would secure the border). 

#8 Myth: Kim Phuc, the little nine year old Vietnamese girl running naked from the napalm strike near Trang Bang on 8 June 1972......shown a million times on American television....was burned by Americans bombing Trang Bang. Fact: No American had involvement in this incident near Trang Bang that burned Phan Thi Kim Phuc. The planes doing the bombing near the village were VNAF (Vietnam Air Force) and were being flown by Vietnamese pilots in support of South Vietnamese troops on the ground. The Vietnamese pilot who dropped the napalm in error is currently living in the United States . Even the AP photographer, Nick Ut, who took the picture, was Vietnamese. The incident in the photo took place on the second day of a three day battle between the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) who occupied the village of Trang Bang and the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam ) who were trying to force the NVA out of the village. Recent reports in the news media that an American commander ordered the air strike that burned Kim Phuc are incorrect. There were no Americans involved in any capacity. "We (Americans) had nothing to do with controlling VNAF," according to Lieutenant General (Ret) James F. Hollingsworth, the Commanding General of TRAC at that time. Also, it has been incorrectly reported that two of Kim Phuc's brothers were killed in this incident. They were Kim's cousins not her brothers. 

#9 Myth: The United States lost the war in Vietnam . Fact: The American military was not defeated in Vietnam . The American military did not lose a battle of any consequence. From a military standpoint, it was almost an unprecedented performance. General Westmoreland quoting Douglas Pike, a professor at the University of California , Berkley a major military defeat for the VC and NVA. FACT: THE UNITED STATES DID NOT LOSE THE WAR IN VIETNAM , THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE DID. Read on........ The fall of Saigon happened 30 April 1975, two years AFTER the American military left Vietnam . The last American troops departed in their entirety 29 March 1973. FACT: How could we lose a war we had already stopped fighting? We fought to an agreed stalemate. The peace settlement was signed in Paris on 27 January 1973. 

* It called for release of all U.S. prisoners, withdrawal of U.S. forces, limitation of both sides' forces inside South Vietnam and a commitment to peaceful reunification. 

*The 140,000 evacuees in April 1975 during the fall of Saigon consisted almost entirely of civilians and Vietnamese military, NOT American military running for their lives. 

*There were almost twice as many casualties in Southeast Asia (primarily Cambodia ) the first two years after the fall of Saigon in 1975 then there were during the ten years the U.S. was involved in Vietnam . 

*Thanks for the perceived loss and the countless assassinations and torture visited upon Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians goes mainly to the American media and their undying support-by-misrepresentation of the anti-War movement in the United States . 

*As with much of the Vietnam War, the news media misreported and misinterpreted the 1968 Tet Offensive. It was reported as an overwhelming success for the Communist forces and a decided defeat for the U.S. forces. Nothing could be further from the truth. Despite initial victories by the Communists forces, the Tet Offensive resulted in a major defeat of those forces. General Vo Nguyen Giap, the designer of the Tet Offensive, is considered by some as ranking with Wellington , Grant, Lee and MacArthur as a great commander. Still, militarily, the Tet Offensive was a total defeat of the Communist forces on all fronts. It resulted in the death of some 45,000 NVA troops and the complete, if not total destruction of the Viet Cong elements in South Vietnam . The Organization of the Viet Cong Units in the South never recovered. The Tet Offensive succeeded on only one front and that was the News front and the political arena. This was another example in the Vietnam War of an inaccuracy becoming the perceived truth. However, inaccurately reported, the News Media made the Tet Offensive famous. Please give all credit and research to: Capt. Marshal Hanson, U.S.N..R (Ret.) and Capt. Scott Beaton.

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

Doc Riojas Note:

I was given the gift of a set of 4 DVDs "Vietnam War Secrets" this past Christmas. The Truth became the first casualty of war. Correspondent Edward Rasen is the narrator.   Although I am not impressed with it's format, it does contain a lot of great graphics and short movies,and statistics as stated in this, above, article.

 

 

 

 

DaiWee Richard Kuhn LDNN , ST-2 OinC Advisor & Erasmo "Doc" Riojas HMC  ST-2
DOc Riojas painted the sign and he brought back the wood gold wings from Olongapo P.I.

 

Woody Woodward and HOI

 

                                                                                    CO Trinh Hoa Hiep LDNN

 

   lt. LDNN Instructor, 2 trainees, and   BMC Willis, CamRanhBay LDNN Trng.Camp

 

 

                                                                     Vietnamese SEALs, (LDNNs)

 

                       
                                        Frank Toms                                                        Marcus  "Doc" Luttrell

 


Desert Training

 

                                                                                 

 

                 
                                                               Bravo SEAL PLatoon 1999 -2000

 

 

 

       
                                    John Kerry                                                            Capt. Larry Bailey

 

                                                    
                                                                         Rod Dellwyn Sirois
                                                                                         

 

 

          
                  Tom Blais and SEAL gang                                                        Jesse Ventura

 

                                             
                                                                                            Frank Thornton & buddies

 

                     
                                           Capt. Bucklew                                                    Bob Kerry

 

           
          Tom Blais                                                                     Before a Raid

 

 

East Coast 2009 Reunion

UDT - SEAL Association.org "The Blast"


UDT-SEAL Assn Presidents

 

 

18 Aug 2009 UDT SEAL Reunion Little Creek VA

 

 

 

 

   

 

   
         Warta                       Boesch                                      Tipton

 


                                         Lt to Rt:   Tocci,   ?   ,     Jack Lynch,   ?     ,     ?   ,     ?  

 


                       Lt. to Rt.:  ?  , Tocci, Jack Lynch, ?, ?, ?, ?,  John Kirby  , ?, ?

 

 

 

            Billy Burbank and Girl Friend  Billie

 

 

 


Reunion Picture Collage from the BLAST

 

                                   
              Brumuller and ??                                                             Gene Cahill

 


Fly Fallon and   ??

 
Jack Lynch & Rudy Boesch

 


Joe Silva and ??           


Doc Lambert and Tom Hawkins

 
Brad Lynch &  Gene Cahill

 


Lt. to Rt: Gordie Ablitt, Roy Boehm, Brett Lyhnch, Rudy Boesch, Harry Humphries 

        
Marge Boesch                                                                    Rudy Boesch

 

Mike Michael Boynton


Our Hometowns: Mike Boynton Irving TX,  Doc Riojas , Laredo TX.

 


Old Frogmen at Reunion, Spiegel (hand in pocket)

 

 
Rudy Boesch with Buddies                                           Bob "Eagle" Gallagher

 
Jim "Pathes" Watson

 


SEALs at Reunion

 

             
              Tom McCutchan                                                           "Coming Full Circle"
                                                                                  by former Navy SEAL David Morris "PTSD is an anxiety disorder. Morris has a severe case. He is almost always nervous. He cries frequently."
Read  more: http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/07/29/1320943/vietnam-traumas-still-haunt-ex.html#ixzz0vEJ5nGQL

 

                      
   Thomas Mc Cutchan on MK VIII SEAL boat                                ??,  Vicki  & and Tom McCutchan

 

 

 

The picture that used to be here was removed at one of the guys request. 

His request came with  the below message:

He wrote that the picture  was taken during OCS and that some "chick" had put it up in FACEBOOK .  The one night to go out to town and eat at a restaurant.  But, we could wear nothing but our stripped down whites. Totally shaved USMC style haircuts, full deal. It was embarrassing as hell!  Good people in the picture. 

For what it's worth, loved reading through your website. First time I'd ever seen it. It's a real testament to the true nature of the teams: past, present and future. Thanks for keeping the legacy alive, and thanks for everything you and your generation did-and continue to do - to build and maintain the reputation and legacy. No question, this generation of team guys benefits greatly from y'alls efforts, on and off the battlefield..

The other 3 Officers in that photo were:
Chamberlain, F/A-18 Superhornet Pilot;   Yamaji, EA-6B Prowler ECMO.

.  .  .  .  .  and that is all i can say about that.    RIO

 

                                      

 

           
                                                  Stacey Virgin                                           Eugene Fraley  KIA 'nam

 

                                
                                                    Erasmo "Doc" Riojas visiting Blackwater in N.C.

 

        Liên Đoàn Người Nhái (LDNN); Training Camp in CamRanhBay 'nam

        It is with great sadness that the UDT-SEAL Association informs its membership about the passing of

 BMC Walter "Sam" Ciechon, USN (Ret.) SEAL, Class 25, on July 9, 2010. 

                                       


lt to rt:  Sam Cichon,  and other class members.   Sam is the oldest man to graduate from UDT training on the East Coast. Note the second man got his pot worn out on top, you KNOW that he was holding his end of the IBS.  

Walter "SAM" Ciechon USN (Ret.) SEAL, Class 25 Walter "Sam" Ciechon, 88, died Friday, July 9, 2010, in Prince William Hospital in Northern Virginia of pneumonia. He was the husband of Theresa (Chamberlain) Ciechon of Virginia Beach, married Dec. 7, 1962. He was born in Morden in the province of Manitoba, Canada on Jan. 21, 1922. The son of Micholai and Alexandria (Seminuk) Ciechon, he moved from Canada to Lynn, Mass., in 1927 with his siblings and parents. He was a World War II veteran of the U.S. Navy. He served as a hard hat diver, in EOD and UDT 21-22. He retired in 1962 and then worked for Prudential Insurance Companies.

He was a member of Bayside Masonic Lodge, National Rifle Association, and The UDT Seal Association. He was of Protestant faith. He enjoyed spending time with family, friends and especially his grandchildren. He loved to laugh.

 

In addition to his wife, he is survived by a daughter, Janet Fox of Texas; a son, Samuel Martin Ciechon and wife Patsy of Virginia Beach; a daughter, Melanie Ciechon Emerick and husband Kevin of Fairfax, Va.; five grandchildren, Vanessa Fox, Dino Kiriakou, Nicholas Walter Ciechon, Walt William Emerick, and Avarie Grace Emerick; and many others he considered a part of his extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Edward; a sister, Mary; and a brother, Joseph Ciechon.

 

Memorial services: will be held 3 p.m. Saturday, July 24, at St. Francis Episcopal Church, 509 S. Rosemont Road, Virginia Beach, by Chaplain O'Boyle.

A celebration of his life: will be held at Grand Affairs, 2036 Pleasure House Road, Virginia Beach, following the service.

 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Alzheimer's Association , P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011, Alz.org.

 

 

   
              Chris Kinney                                                               SamWitwicky       Harry Humphries

 

             

 

                             
          Left: Thomas L. Brown II & Mitchell Hall being awarded the Silver Star              Adam Lee Brown

 
               names ??,  ??

                      

                                           
            Larry Bailey                                    Mark Mac Donald                                     Linny Horst


Front Row: Lt to Rt:       ?               ?                ?                   ?                ,  Dan Potts


                        Scott Taylor

                           
                                                    SEALs accused of Prisoner Abuse

 

                          
                                                                   Erasmo "Doc" Riojas

            

 

 

         
                               Jerry Todd and Pittman

                               
                                                               Jerry Todd and Pittman

 



UDT-14 web site

 


UDT 21 Welcome USMC  WWII

 


Tom Hawkins and Jack Lynch from Kerry Ruth


Jack Lynch   from Kerry Ruth

 
Big Ron Rogers &Jack Lynch ST-2 Shooting at A.P. Hill   Photos from Denny Johnson


Eddie Leisure

 

 


UDT ONE 1950


UDT-21 WWII PLatoon

 

 
                                   UDT-1                                                  www.usmiloitaryknives.com

            
The UWSS Key West FL put through a class of astronauts in 1966, SCUBA.
Reviving this 2008 discussion, as I have heard from a member of the UDT team with the identities of two of the men in the above photo. LTJG Norm Ott (facing picture on far left with knife) and center in the back row, LTJG Fred Cook. Both men have since passed away.
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 24077 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999 posted March 24, 2012 

http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum29/HTML/000942.html

 

 

                                            
                                                                 UDT 21 USS Bangor

 

 

 

                              
          Jack Lynch                   Mike Boynton                                          Tim Bradley

 

                         
                        Stan Janeka,                                             Harry Constance                        Hoot

                        

          
                 Scott Helvenston

                                                                                       

Search SEALTWO.ORG Pages

Mi Vida Loca - Copyright ©1998 - All Right Reserved        email:   docrio45@gmail.com 

 

    

 

 

 

Morning Folks,
Doc Riojas, if you want to publish it on your website, here’s a humorous trailer for you of my next book. IF not, enjoy the read.... Later, Carl 

Howdy men, I hope everybody is impatiently awaiting the arrival of the third installment in The Indomitable Patriot series. The book takes us back to 1943 and the submarine USS Great White (SS-299), commanded by LCDR Marcus Spencer. You will recall the Great White and Captain Spencer from the first book, FERTIG, along with Evelyn “Pinky” Pinkert and LCDR (detailed OSS) David Meyers from both FERTIG and book two, DEAN. The Great White is at Mare Island for overhaul and installation of some OSS communications gear. After attending meetings at OSS headquarters, Spencer, Meyers and Pinky drive the the OSS training academy, the former Congressional County Club. All right, here’s a short, humorous trailer from book three.... 

The meeting continued for a couple more hours before breaking. Meyers, Captain Spencer and Pinky drove to the Country Club to spend the night with Pinky in the guesthouse. The following morning they would fly to Fort Monmouth in Pinky’s Staggerwing Beechcraft. 

~~~ ~~~

“It never fails to amaze me, whenever I come down here,” Meyers said as they parked in front of the administration building. “I’ll never forget the first two weeks of the academy when Pinky shared a bunk in a dormitory with twenty-three other men.” 

“That’s all right, Mister Meyers,” Pinky said, ice in her voice. “We can save that story for another time!” 

“Now my interest is peaked,” Spencer replied. 

“Later, sir,” Pinky replied as she deeply blushed. “Only after a martini will I be able to tell that story.” 

“My humble command,” Pinky said when Meyers and Spencer stopped and stared at the barbed-wire encased Quonset huts. “Come inside administration for a moment and I will introduce you to Colonel Godfrey, our administrator. Not even the Colonel has clearance to enter the barbed wire. After meeting the Colonel, David and I will give you a tour of the facility.” 

As they drove around the complex, David and Pinky explained the training program for OSS Special Agents. They were parked at one of the five-hundred yard ranges when Spencer asked, “You went through all this firearms training, Pinky?” 

“Captain Spencer,” Meyers answered, “Pinky is a distinguished master with a rifle. She can outshoot me.” 

Spencer glanced at Pinky. “My COB, or Chief Of the Boat on the Great White is a thin, wiry fellow. Almost soft-spoken, but get under his skin or fail to obey a command, he instantly becomes a grizzly bear. I suspect, ma’am, the two of you are not that different.” 

Pinky started up and then abruptly stopped their Jeep. “You see that man out there, Captain, the one leading that squad. He will be going to Tinian with you. His name is Carlos Hathcock, Senior. He can outshoot all of our firearms instructors. He can hit bull’s eyes at a thousand yards with an iron-sighted rifle.” 

Spencer slowly shook his head as Pinky started up again. “Such young men we produce, to go in harm’s way,” he muttered under his breath. 

~~~ ~~~
Captain Spencer, David and I ate in the cadet’s mess. The food service was very good for cafeteria-style service. Afterward, we adjourned to the recreation room where I fixed martinis for the three of us. David brought up the subject of the academy again… to my great embarrassment. 

“You delight in forcing me to tell that story, don’t you, Mister Meyers,” Pinky said as she broke out in laughter. 

“Marcus (Spencer had told them to dispense with the Captain Spencer routine), my family owns this place, the former Congressional Country Club. I lived in the guesthouse when they leased it to the OSS for the duration of the war, under the condition I continue residing in the guesthouse. My uncles didn’t want me moving back to Chicago where I would be too close to them. The OSS hired me, and I applied for special agent training. David and I were in the first academy class.” 

“For the first two weeks of physical, as well as stress training, everybody lived in open barracks. If you survived that period, you moved into individual rooms for the remainder of the training. Their theory, the enemy would neither discriminate nor go easy on a female, so they lumped everybody together.” 

“Sunday afternoon, the day before the training officially began; I’m arranging my uniforms and gear in my locker… in an open bay with twenty-three other guys.” 

Marcus began to chuckle and then laugh aloud. “Excuse me, Pinky, I’m picturing you bunking in the crew quarters on a sub and being with eighty men who have not bathed in a week or two. It gets pretty foul at times on a boat!” 

“We are all tending to our gear while our drill instructor marches up and down the aisle, screaming ‘The enemy intends to kill you, pretty women as quickly as big, tough men,’ and all that.” 

“And then Gunny stops at my bunk. I come to attention. The rim of his Smokey Bear hat a fraction of an inch from my forehead. ‘Pinkert, you get one privilege,’ he screams… spittle landing all over my face. ‘There is one stall in the head with a curtain. That stall is yours alone. In exchange for that privilege, you shall not use the men’s urinal. Do you understand that?’” 

“Sir, yes sir,” I screamed in Gunny’s face, biting my tongue to keep from laughing. Then Gunny screams, “Men, you will report immediately if you catch Pinkert using your urinal. Do you understand that?” 

“A chorus of ‘Sir, yes sir,’ rang throughout the barracks. By now I’m about to explode with laughter.” 

“It got worse when Gunny yelled at us about one shower for everybody,” David interrupted. “I’ll save Pinky further embarrassment and leave that to your imagination.” 

“Pinky, water is in such short supply on a sub that bathing usually amounts to a gallon of water, once a week if you’re lucky,” Marcus replied. “There is an officer’s head on board, but it’s usually crammed full of supplies for most of a patrol. Everybody uses one head in the after torpedo room. That, too, becomes pretty foul after weeks at sea.” 


Carl McLelland

 


THE INDOMITABLE PATRIOT  Fertig, The Guerrilla General

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.

 THE INDOMITABLE PATRIOT  Fertig, The Guerrilla General

Doc Riojas Comment:  Once i started reading this book, i have find myself hard to putting it down! because of my very old age (84 yr old eyes and at the end of being able to correct my vision) I find that the way  the paragraphs are other important text are spaced to be extremly easy to read.

Having retired from the Navy and traveled to that part of the orient reminds me of my days as a guerrilla combatant as part of the Navy SPecial Warfare serving as a Navy SEAL in the Jungles of Vietnam.

The author is equally as good a military writter as Tom Clancy.  This story may possibly be material for a great movie similar to the the movie produced about the POW rescue in WWII by Filipino Guerilla fighters and the U.S. Army Rangers.  "The Great Raid"

Do not wait to buy it tomorrow, order it today !  It was recommended to me by CDR R.D. Thomas (recommended for the Medal of Honor by the US Army, but our politically correct US Navy downgraded it to a Navy Cross. SHame on them !

Carl McLelland, USMC Pilot: the author’s father