Orr Kelly - Special Ops: Four Accounts of the Military’s Elite Forces

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Special Ops

Four Accounts of the Militarys Elite Forces

Orr Kelly

CONTENTS

Brave Men, Dark Waters

For my parents

Charles Jhon and Edith Orr Kelly

Contents

Preface

This book was written specifically to fill a gap in U.S. military history. Earlier books have described the feats of the Underwater Demolition Teams in World War II and the operations of the SEALs in Vietnam. But no single book has pulled together in one place the fascinating story of the navys frogmen and other members of the navys special warfare community, from the beaches of Normandy and Saipan to the brilliant deception carried out by six SEALs as the allies began their ground assault on Saddam Husseins dug-in forces in February 1991.

One of the first stops in my research effort was the Navy Library, at the Washington Navy Yard. There, Gina Akers was especially helpful in guiding me to the unit histories of the UDT and SEAL teams and to the librarys extensive collection of oral histories, most of them acquired from the Naval Institute.

My search of the paper trail also took me to the office of Current News at the Pentagon. Denise Brown was, as usual, most helpful in making available everything in that offices extensive collection of newspaper and magazine articles about naval special warfare.

William Arkin, of Greenpeace, also gave me access to a large selection of articles, congressional testimony, and official reports he had collected over a period of years. Although his primary interest had been in gathering information about the SEALs training in the use of small nuclear devicesan assignment they no longer havethe material he had pulled together contained a good deal of general information about the SEALs and their activities. Similarly, Jeffrey Richelson, of the National Security Archive, let me look through the news clippings, congressional testimony, and other information he had gathered about special operations forces.

I am especially indebted to Lt. Comdr. Sankey Blanton, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, who has made a hobby of collecting books about naval special warfare. He provided me with a detailed bibliography and loaned me a number of books, such as those describing British and Italian underwater operations during World War II, that would simply have been unavailable from any other source.

The office of the navys chief of information, Rear Adm. Brent Baker, was, as usual, most cooperative in helping me arrange interviews with members of the naval special warfare community. Bakers predecessor, retired Rear Adm. Jimmie Finkelstein, also put in a good word for me in key places. I was assisted first by Lt. Mark Walker, until he was sent off to the Persian Gulf, and then by Lt. Dane LaJoie. I also benefited from the assistance of Comdr. J. F. Zakem, special assistant for public affairs to the secretary of the navy.

Also especially helpful were Comdr. Robert Pritchard, public affairs officer for the Naval Special Warfare Command in Coronado, California, and Lt. Ed Balaban, public affairs officer for Naval Special Warfare Group Two at Little Creek, Virginia. Before Pritchard came on the scene at Coronado, Lt. Comdr. Robert Tillman, the flag secretary, had the added duty of dealing with the press. On my first visit to Coronado in the fall of 1990, Tillman not only helped me through the usual round of interviews, but also arranged for me to make an overnight visit to the SEALs training site at San Clemente Island. My escorts on that trip were Lt. Comdr. Richard Sisk and Chief Petty Officer Jeff Green. Green, a weapons expert, guided me in test firing all the weapons in the SEAL arsenal, with the exception of the special .50-caliber sniper rifle, and sent me away with a colorfully bruised right shoulder.

Three other public affairs officers who proved most helpful were Frank Gregory and Ken Hoffman at the Naval Coastal Systems Center in Panama City, Florida, and Gary Comerford of the Naval Investigative Service in Washington.

An important stop during my research was at the UDT/SEAL Museum near the site of the original World War II training center at Fort Pierce, Florida. James D. Watson, the director of the museum, showed me its extensive collection of weapons and equipment used by navy frogmen over the years and shared with me some reminiscences of his distinguished service as a SEAL in Vietnam.

While time spent in libraries, museums, and research centers was an essential part of preparing this history, by far the most valuable element was the insight given me by scores of navy men in many hours of interviews. Their personal stories gave me, an outsider, some insight into what it is like to be a SEAL.

Early in my research, I arranged a series of interviews with two of the most senior SEAL officers, Rear Adm. Cathal (Irish) Flynn, who has now retired, and Rear Adm. Irve C. (Chuck) LeMoyne; I later met with Rear Adm. George Worthington, commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, in Coronado. All three were helpful in providing me with access to other SEALs.

Often there was initial reluctance to meet with a writer. Much, if not most, of what SEALs do is classified. And once classified, it seems never to become unclassified. The SEALs, and the UDTs before them, have also surrounded themselves with a shield of secrecy that goes beyond the question of whether something is officially classified. Many SEALs believe that their safety so often depends on stealth that they would be better off if no one knew they even existed. Many SEALs also complain that, when they do come into the public eye, they are falsely portrayed as assassins, throat-slitters, snake-eaters, and sex fiends.

When I first called one of the early SEAL team commanders, his reaction was probably like that of many other SEALs but a bit more candid. He said he wasnt sure he wanted to talk to me and if he didnt like my book, Ill rain on you. Later, we met and he proved most helpful.

A number of SEALs may read this book and wonder why they are not quoted, after they gave me a lengthy interview. Many will also wonder that SEALs whose adventures were at least as vivid, and as relevant to the history of the SEALs, as those included in the book are not found here. What I tried to do was to interview as many navy men, with as many diverse experiences, as possible, knowing that it would be impossible to interview as many as I would have liked. And then I have tried to winnow from those interviews the telling anecdotes and observations that help me to relate the story of the navys frogmen.