Seal Team Marksmanship One Year Ago - Pause for Celebration

[MilShooter]

I don't know about you, but I am happy to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of the extermination of Osama bin Laden by our very special operators of Seal Team 6, otherwise known as DEVGRU (Naval Special Warfare DEVelopment GRoUp). DEVGRU / Seal Team 6 is organized into four line squadrons codenamed Red Squadron, Blue Squadron, Gold Squadron and Silver Squadron. There is also a Black Squadron (Reconnaissance and Surveillance squadron), which appears to have a role similar to the army's Intelligence Support Activity. Each line squadron contains around 50 operators and each squadron is divided into three troops. Troops will typically be divided into teams of assaulters and snipers. Some sources indicate that DEVGRU includes a Gray Squadron, which is a specialist boat squadron dedicated to maritime operations.

The primary missions of SEAL Team Six are:

Counter Terrorism
SEAL Team Six specializes in Maritime Counter Terrorism (MCT) - e.g. hostage rescue and elimination of terrorists on ships, oil platforms etc - but is also capable of broader CT (Counter Terrorism) tasks. Since 2001 SEAL Team Six has been focused on operations in and around Afghanistan. The unit is also able to carry out preemptive CT operations.

Close Protection
DEVGRU sometimes provide security for VIPs. For instance DEVGRU provided Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai with close protection in the early days of his Presidency.

Special Reconnaissance
DEVGRU operators, especially those trained as snipers, are experts at reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence gathering operations.

These guys are really "special operators" in every sense of the word. Ever wonder about their weapons?

SEAL Team Six - Assaulters Weapons

HK 416 - 5.56mm x 45mm carbine
M4a1 - 5.56mm x 45mm carbine
MK13 CQBR - 5.56mm x 45mm carbine.
HK MP7 - 4.6x30mm sub machine gun
MK46 Mod 0 - 5.56mmx45mm machine gun
Sig Sauer P226R - 9mm pistol
HK45CT - .45 ACP pistol
Sig Sauer P239 - sub-compact 9mm pistol

SEAL Team Six - Snipers' Weapons

MK 12 SPR - 5.56mmx45mm sniper rifle
MK 11 - 7.26x51mm medium sniper rifle
MK-13 - a Remington 700 variant firing .300 win mag
McMillan TAC-338 - sniper rifle firing the deadly .338 Lapua Magnum round
MK 15 - long range bolt-action sniper rifle chambered in .50 BMG
M82 - .50 caliber extreme long range anti-material rifle

Rumor has it that Seal Team 6, in their excursion to Pakistan to eliminate bin Laden, generally carried the HK MP7a1 sub machine gun fitted with suppressor:

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I would love to have one of those puppies, just for "things that go bump in the night".

Let's take a moment to remember the special operators who have been lost in service to our country.

MilShooter

 

[NCIC105]

Hat's off the the folks who really got Bin Laden.

Anyone with any intelligence knows Obama was quivering in the White House.

 

[glocknload]

Thanks much for this post. These SEAL guys have my utmost respect and admiration. As I've mentioned before, the best book I've read is Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. A 'must read'.

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[fuhr52]

Obama is the commander and chief and thus is the one that gives the word to go ahead. That's were it ends. He had nothing to do with the operation. In fact the current administration has done a lot to make it tougher for us to carry out these missions in the future. Intelligence is getting harder to obtain now that we have to treat enemy combatants like common criminals.

 

[MilShooter]

Thanks much for this post. These SEAL guys have my utmost respect and admiration. As I've mentioned before, the best book I've read is Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. A 'must read'.

I agree that Lone Survivor is an EXCELLENT read. I almost broke down while reading the introduction, when Marcus talks about the guys who sacrificed their lives so that he could live. The book was inspirational, showing the true depth of character of Luttrell and his associates.

I have encouraged many people to read the book. I now wish I had bought it as a "real" book rather than an e-book on my Kindle. Then I would have been able to lend it to others.

Thanks for reminding me of the book.

MilShooter

 

[MilShooter]

Obama is the commander and chief and thus is the one that gives the word to go ahead. That's were it ends. He had nothing to do with the operation. In fact the current administration has done a lot to make it tougher for us to carry out these missions in the future. Intelligence is getting harder to obtain now that we have to treat enemy combatants like common criminals.

It is not only that we treat these enemy combatants as criminals, but have you noticed that Barry the Kenyan has (over) used drone strikes to kill people all over Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan rather than trying to capture them for intelligence purposes? I have heard (from former military associates and special operators) that they are rather upset by these drone strikes.

Of course, some of these operators (maybe most of them) really like their jobs. They would (at least my friends still in operations) prefer to use the intelligence that "found" the guy in order to kidnap or capture him. Then, they could gain (valuable) intelligence through their interrogation. Of course, we can't actually USE any embarrassing or demeaning interrogation techniques to question these murderers because "we" don't want to condone "torture".

I am completely in favor of using whatever tactics are needed in order to protect America and its military. If that means water-boarding, then we should use it. There is no permanent damage to anyone as a result of water-boarding or any other "enhanced interrogation technique" that were used during the Bush administration. Our enemies are more direct: they use a sword to sever the heads of innocent people such as Daniel Pearl. Now that I think of it, why haven't we executed Khalid Sheikh Mohammed for his murder?

Some here may disagree and I completely understand that you may have a moral objection to "torture". But if you were given a choice of saving 100 American lives versus water-boarding a detainee, which would you choose? I don't or can't understand how anyone would choose to sacrifice American lives in order to not upset a prisoner or detainee. I have many friends who live in Europe and in countries of the FSU (Former Soviet Union) and all of them say that they laugh at us with our "moral attitude" when dealing with madmen. I came very close to marrying a woman from Russia and we still speak on Skype occasionally. She not only laughs at our approach to gathering intelligence, but laughs loudly about having a Kenyan in the White House.

Evidently, the world sees us quite differently than we are led to believe in the press. In fact, my friend is most vocal about our impending election of a communist to a second term. She cannot believe that there are so may stupid people in America who would sacrifice their freedom in exchange for a dictatorship that controls every aspect of our lives. She lived in the USSR from the 1950's to present so she knows about such things.

Now I'm rambling. As usual. I'll quit for now.

MilShooter

 

[CharlieK]

If waterboarding is torture (it isn't) why do we subject our own special forces to it during their training? I haven't heard any libtards, including Eric (The Di_k) Holder, explain that.

 

[Deserteagle]

Sure hope he likes burning in Hell :lol:

 

[fuhr52]

Torture is in the eye of the beholder. The bleeding heart bed wetting liberals running this country today believe if we are nice to our enemies they will be nice to us. Never mind history has never indicated that being nice wins wars. We are a laughing stock to our enemies and the world. Even our friends don't trust us. We haven't won a decisive war since 1945. The Korean War has yet to end, we got our butts handed to us in Vietnam, the middle east will revert back to the dark ages as soon as we leave. There is no fear of the United States any more.

 

[Tucker's Mom]

Thanks much for this post. These SEAL guys have my utmost respect and admiration. As I've mentioned before, the best book I've read is Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. A 'must read'.

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I have American Sniper by Navy Seal Kris Kyle...it is also a good read. Kris has been at Fox News several times.

 

[Tucker's Mom]

Obama is the commander and chief and thus is the one that gives the word to go ahead. That's were it ends. He had nothing to do with the operation. In fact the current administration has done a lot to make it tougher for us to carry out these missions in the future. Intelligence is getting harder to obtain now that we have to treat enemy combatants like common criminals.

He was playing golf and had to be called to base to watch the Seal 6 do their job on UBL...from all reports I had read, it was Leon Panetta who gave the go-ahead to kill UBL. Valerie whateverhersurname is, was against killing UBL and the prez listens to her. With Panetta on the helm, the deed was dood.

 

[fuhr52]

Yea the only reason Obama is spiking the ball over UBL is because he is being told it helps his pole numbers. That is most likely true among his mind numb robot followers. leasantry:

 

[BluesStringer]

I guess I do have a moral objection to torture. But I define torture a bit differently than our namby-pamby, limp-wristed government does. Somehow, as others have already noted, waterboarding doesn't seem tortuous to me. Or putting a pair of panties on a terrorist's head and snapping a couple of Polaroids for a good laugh in the barracks that night. I don't mind at all if our captured terrorists are sleep-deprived, or have to endure their extended wakened state while Bette Middler or Boy George is being piped into their skulls via old WWII pilot's headsets that are so distorted that they sound like a cross between a cat being raped and fingernails on a chalk board. Heck, I really don't care if they're housed so tightly together that one guy having morning wood might make enough penetration into the guy in front of him to constitute rape in most jurisdictions in the US. Discomfort, assaulting the senses, barking dogs, forced nudity to offend their supposed modest and chaste culture, all that and quite a bit more is fine with me, as long as there's an intelligence purpose to it, which I have no problem presuming it always would.

I'd draw the line at organ removal without anesthesia. Well, I'd draw the line at organ removal even with anesthesia, but I doubt there'd be any point to doing that anyway. "Here, let me numb that up for you before we get into the torture session" doesn't make much sense to me. Pretty much, any technique that has the potential to kill due to bleeding out or making organs dysfunctional or whatever, I think that kind of stuff is morally taboo. Probably intentional infliction of intense and prolonged pain is over the line, even if it won't kill them. Breaking bones, yanking out eyeballs, hot pokers up the rectum, really, disfiguring of any kind, I think is over that line.

I have no objection at all to getting right up on that line though, provided of course, there is intelligence to be gained that will save lives, preferably American, and no permanent damage is done.

While I have nothing but love for Seal Team 6 and their Brothers in arms, I would've preferred that bin Laden bin-captured and had that line put right up close and personal to his face, milking him for every bit of intelligence we wasted by killing him on the spot. Same with Awlaki and that animal whose name escapes me right now that we nailed fairly early in Iraq. The head of al-Qaeda of Iraq, whatever his name was.

Between the UN, our own wussified government, and our own politically-correct, agenda-driven media, the word "torture" has no real meaning anymore. Better just to define the limits, and turn our interrogators loose on 'em with strict orders to stay within those limits. That will never happen though I'm afraid, because things I did for fun when I was young (get nekkid, panties on my head, being led around by Mistress....er....uh....wait....by a woman with a leash etc.) are now considered torture. Man, I better close this thing out. I'm gettin' a little frisky just thinkin' about those good ol' days! LOL

Blues