Every Veterans Day, we look back on the sacrifices of heroes. Since it was first observed as Armistice Day in 1919, it has afforded the nation an opportunity to honor those who have preserved our freedoms by serving in the armed forces. The special, Navy Seals: Their Untold Story, does just that. It honors those who have served.
The special, narrated by Gary Sinise, details the history of this elite branch of the military, shedding light on a force whose work has been, of necessity, conducted mostly in secret. Here is the story of the force’s inception as an elite maritime bomb disposal until during World War Two. We learn about the Naval Combat Demo Unit, nicknamed the Frogmen, that cleared the beaches for the D-Day invasion, suffering a fifty-two percent casualty rate in the process.
Here is the story of how this force developed from a force of seventy men, to a much larger one that spent the rest of the war aiding the war effort by disposing of bombs and mines waiting around the Japanese-held islands in the Pacific, the unit’s name changed to the Underwater Demo Team, nicknamed the Naked Warriors because of how little protected they were as they carried out their missions.
The stories are told, for the most part, by the men who lived them. Korean War veterans detail how the UDT proved the Soviets were supplying North Korea with arms during that conflict, and how the UDT began to carry out missions on land as well as sea.
Vietnam veterans tell of how the Unit was officially designated the Navy Seals in the Vietnam War, and how they operated semi-autonomously, carrying out missions to harry the Vietcong forces. Individual missions are explored in depth, with the testimony of former Seals that were involved.
We see how governmental support waxed and waned for the Seals over the years, and learn of the lean times post-Vietnam when the Seals were all but disbanded , only to be re-activated during the eighties, when the communist threat gave way to new enemies such as radical Islamists and South American drug cartels.
We learn the real-history behind missions that have become famous, such as the Bat-21 rescue and the Black Hawk Down incident in Mogadishu. But it’s not all victories; missions that failed are discussed as well, the reasons for these failures contemplated.
It ends with the story of the mission to kill Osama bin Laden and the aftermath. Each story is fascinating, giving a sense of the heroism of these Seals, the challenges they overcame to protect our freedoms.
It’s a great way to spend Veterans Day, learning the real stories of this elite branch, told by the heroes that lived them.
Navy Seals: Their Untold Story debuts Veterans Day Tuesday November 11 at 9:00 p.m. on KIXE Channel 9.
Chad Grayson has been a gas station attendant, sold video games over the phone, and even was the person who cuts the mold off the cheese in the cheese factory, but spent most of his career as a middle school Language Arts and History teacher. He is now a full-time stay at home dad and writer. You can find him on twitter at @chadgrayson and on his blog at cegrayson.wordpress.com.
