A Little History

The beginnings of Seal Team 6 date back to the failed attempt to rescue hostages in Iran in 1980. Afterward, the Navy decided there was a need for a full time Counter Terrorist unit.

Richard Marcinko, a Navy representative for a task force called TAT (Terrorist Action Team) was called upon to design and develop the new full time unit.

This unit was initially called MOB6 (which stands for mobility 6) and Sixth Platoon. Ultimately they became known as Seal Team 6 and at the time there were only Seal teams. The name was given in an attempt to confuse Soviet Intelligence as to how many actual teams existed at the time.

Formally founded in 1980, through intense training the team was mission ready within six months. The unit has practically unlimited resources from which to draw on. Though the reasons are many, the group was dissoved in 1987.

The term "No Easy Day" stems from a Navy law that states the only easy day is yesterday.

Selection and Training

Each man of the team were chosen due in part to their differing specialist skills. Recruited from Underwater Demolition Teams criteria included combat experience, language skills, union skills (ability to blend in as civilians ) and ultimately Seal skills.

As can be imagined the training is intense with an emphasis on shooting skills, it has been claimed that the team fires more rounds in one year than the entire allowance of ammunition for the U.S. Marine Corps.

Though information is mostly highly classified it can be presumed that each applicant considered is in peak physical condition with an excellent reputation and multiple deployments with a seal team.

They are considered the elite of the elite.

Responsibilities

Originally created for duties of counter- terrorism with maritime responsibility, the team has taken on multiple roles to include rescues of high risk personnel from hostage situations.

While highly classified, the full mission of the team is widely thought to include efforts to stop the spread of convention weapons as well as weapons of mass destruction.

As one of just a few special mission units authorized, the team is also tasked with the use of pre-emtive actions against terrorists and their families, including assassination and recovery efforts of high value targets.

Known Operations

The majority of the teams operations may never be made known publicly, yet there are some involving this elite unit in which certain details have been made known.

• 1. Invasion of Grenada 1983
• 2. Somalia 1992-93 aka Operation Restore Hope and Operation Gothic Serpent.
• 3. 1992-95 Intervention in Bosnia
• 4. Afghanistan since 2001

However, the most currently known operation, called Operation Neptune Spear, and authorized by the CIA, is the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, May 2nd, 20011.

An attack lasting 38 minutes and resulting also in the killing of Bin Laden's adult son, a woman and two couriers. The team suffered no casualties.

A Literary Accounting

There have been several accounts written about the events of the mission Operation Neptune Spear. The first, a 2011 graphic novel from IDW Publishing called "Code Word: Geronimo" authored by former Marine Corps Captain, Dale Dye. Afterward a controversial book by Chuck Pfarrer, former Navy Seal, called Seal Target Geronimo, that set about to dispute the DoD's recollection of the nights events during the raid on the compound.

However, probably the most highly anticipated release of a written accounting of the killing of Osama bin Laden is the forthcoming book, "No Easy Day". Written by former Seal, Mark Owen and published by Dutton.

It is expected to have an initial printing of over 500,000 copies and with the pre-order sales the book has already topped Amazon's best seller list taking over the No. 1 spot. ( The original scheduled release was set for Sept.11 and has been moved up due to demand to Sept. 4th, 2012)

Fanning the Flames

Amid the many conversations surrounding the release of the book are concerns from former Seal Team 6 members and the DoD about compromising national security. Some even go so far as to say that Mark Owen has broken a code of silence and endangered not only his own life but the lives of other team members as well.

According to observations from Peter Bergman, author of "Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden", who has read the book and reviewed it in The Washington Post, "what the book does is, A, it's a first-person account, the first we have. B, it gives you, you know, a real flavor of what it was like to be there. I think it's well-written. I think it's a pretty accurate account. It slightly changes our understanding of how bin Laden was killed."

The books publisher (Dutton of Penguin Publishers) also note that the majority of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go toward helping the families of Navy Seal Members who have been killed in action.

Outcomes for the Election

With the release of No Easy Day coming just a couple of months before the election of the President of the United States, many are wondering what kinda of impact it will have on the outcome of the election.

While the book makes it clear that the author and other team members are not supporters of the President, they do feel a great deal of respect for the Commander in Chief and his decision to carry out this mission.

The book according to Bergman, even makes mention of one team member remarking after the killing, "we just got this guy re-elected".

So What Is Your Take?

Do you plan to read 'No Easy Day" and do you think it should have been written in the first place. How do feel this may impact the upcoming election. Please feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below.