DEVGRU’s reputation was further sullied within the community in the opening months of the invasion due to the alleged actions of a Lieutenant Commander Vic Hyder. On New Year’s Eve, Hyder reportedly led a team of SEALs on an ill-advised “joyride” that involved blasting through Afghan militia checkpoints. The driver was struck when their vehicle was fired upon, forcing the SEALs to pull over and surrender their equipment to the tribesmen.lii
It was an embarrassing episode far too reminiscent of the free-wheeling Marcinko-era for a unit that had worked tirelessly to change its culture and shed a largely outdated outlaw image.
Those were but isolated, early missteps by a few individuals and not reflective of the unit as a whole. In the following months, the operators of DEVGRU would repeatedly prove their courage and proficiency in battle.
And in the coming years, ST6 would not only erase any remaining doubts concerning its competency and professionalism but push to set the new standard.

McRaven steadfastly refused Marcinko’s orders to perform what were later described to be “questionable activities.” While quietly looked up to by his fellow officers for taking a stand, McRaven was stripped of his squadron command and bounced from SEAL Team Six altogether, a move that seemed certain to derail his career.iv
Similar to his criticisms of Delta Force, Marcinko considered McRaven “too rigid,” someone who “took the special out of special warfare.”v
McRaven was not just ‘by the book,’ he literally wrote the book on special operations (Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare: Theory and Practice). He later rewrote it — figuratively this time — by heading Task Force 121′s revolutionary counterterrorism campaign in Iraq while serving under Gen. Stanley McChrystal at JSOC.vi
While McRaven’s career inside ST6 was indeed over, he pulled an end ’round. A rapid rebound and subsequent rise saw McRaven eventually giving orders not just to SEAL Team Six, but Delta as well, along with the rest of ‘The Command,’ when he succeeded McChrystal to become the first SEAL to earn the coveted position of JSOC commander in 2008.v

....

Once admitted to SEAL Team Six’s Green Team, the candidates enter a carefully guarded world where they are issued an unimaginable assortment of gear and weaponry (with almost anything not included in the initial allotment made available on request). However, they are also quickly reminded that they haven’t made it just yet, remaining strictly separated from the operators on the “second deck”xxxiv pending graduation.xxxv
After passing an initial PT test, they are pit against one another in intense competition with the most accomplished and squared away SEALs all desperate to earn a coveted spot at ST6.xxxvi
The schooling is advanced, dangerous, and taught at breakneck speed. Surgical combat shooting, HAHO/HALO, defensive and offensive driving, free climbing, advanced diving techniques, unarmed combat, and just about every other conceivable skill a 21st-century ninja may require are included in the extensive curriculum.xxxvii In all, the entire course takes nine months to complete.xxxviii

...

Put more succinctly, “Some SEALs think BUD/S is fun, but even those guys think Green Team sucks.”xli

The citation, in part, reads, “Chief Petty Officer (Brown) deployed to…locate and recover two missing American citizens, one presumed to be seriously injured or dead, after hard-line al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners at the Qala-i-Jangi fortress in Mazar-e-Sharif over powered them and gained access to large quantities of arms and ammunition stored at the fortress. Once inside, Chief Petty Officer (Brown) was engaged continuously by direct small arms fire, indirect mortar fire and rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) fire. He was forced to walk through an active anti-personnel minefield in order to gain entry to the fortress. After establishing the possible location of both American citizens, under heavy fire and without concern for his own personal safety, he made two attempts to rescue the uninjured citizen by crawling toward the fortress interior to reach him. Forced to withdraw due to large volumes of fire falling on his position, he was undeterred. After reporting his efforts to the remaining members of the rescue team, they left and attempted to locate the missing citizen on the outside of the fortress. As darkness began to fall, no attempt was going to be made to locate the other injured American citizen. Chief Petty Officer (Brown) then took matters into his own hands. Without regard for his own personal safety, he moved forward another 300-400 meters into the heart of the fortress by himself under constant enemy fire in an attempt to locate the injured citizen. Running low on ammunition, he utilized weapons from deceased Afghans to continue his rescue attempt. Upon verifying the condition and location of the American citizen, he withdrew from the fortress. By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, Chief Petty Officer (Brown) reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”iv
According to Lewis, ‘Brown’ had actually taken the place of SEAL Team Six teammate Neil C. Roberts, who was slated for the SBS exchange before having to turn it down at a late date.v

On numerous occasions, DEVGRU operators patrolled unseen to target compounds following arduous, multi-hour nighttime hikes that originated miles away, opening from a remote outpost or a location transported to by helicopter or HAHO parachute navigation.xv
Once on site, rather than relying on explosive entries, flashbangs, and rushing through doors to clear rooms in a flurry of activity, ST6 would quietly advance as far as possible before striking. The mantra of ‘surprise, speed, and violence of action’ was largely supplanted by ‘silence, stealth, and decisiveness of action.’xvi
More than one ST6 SEALxvii has spoken of infiltrations and weaponry so silent that terrorists were shot dead without their compatriots awakening down the hall.xviii
With its operators frequently utilizing customized versions of the latest suppressed HK416 assault rifles or HK MP7 submachine guns, along with the new four-tube panoramic night vision goggles,xix SEAL Team Six made optimal use of its technological superiority.
The mounting successes and escalating operational capabilities led to increasingly audacious undertakings in Afghanistan.
On one occasion, in a single evening a Red Squadron troop wiped out an entire insurgent cell that had been harassing a remote ISAF forward operating base in Kunar Province. Following a four-mile hike over the ridge line, assault teams simultaneously entered three target buildings prior to being noticed and opening their attack. Aided by suppressed RECCE sniper fire, they proceeded to tear through the cell in the subsequent one-sided firefights, notching up 17 kills while taking no significant injuries.xx

Blacker Than Black

Along with the previously detailed assault squadrons (Blue, Gold, Red, and Silver) and the training section (Green), the Naval Special Warfare Development Group is also rumored to maintain a special boat unit (Gray).
In addition, there is a large framework of NSWDG support staff (military and civilian) for “administration, supply, medical, logistics, communications, intelligence, operations, and weapons training.” It’s said there are two to three support staff personnel for every operator, all ranking among the best in their respective fields.i
And finally, there are the strategic reconnaissance specialists/snipers of Black Squadron,ii who perform high-risk, low-visibility operations such as penetrating behind enemy lines and cross-border HVT hits.iii
DEVGRU operators are typically expected to prove themselves as assaulters for a minimum of three years before being considered for Black Squadron. After receiving additional training, they remain integral components of their original colored assault squadrons while also serving as detachable elements for more specialized, highly-sensitive operations.iv
In 1993, a four-man DEVGRU Black element from Red Squadron was sent to complement the Delta Force/Ranger-led Task Force Ranger in Operation Gothic Serpent in Mogadishu, Somalia.v
Initially, the ST6 snipers worked closely with the CIA. They operated out of a safe house well removed from the safety of the hanger occupied by the bulk of the JSOC forces to conduct vehicular reconnaissance of the volatile city. The team also served as sniper support during Delta raids, at one point registering a kill of nearly 850 yards, and conducted “eyes over Mogadishu” sniper flights aboard QRF helicopters.vi
The Black Squadron SEALs also took part in the chaotic Battle of Mogadishu as popularized by the book and feature film Black Hawk Down, entering the fight as part of the ground-extraction convoy.vii

ST6 is the once-rogue organization that grew into a collection of lethally proficient professionals. While retaining its outlaw roots, that rough edge is now wielded expertly through an effective combination of leadership, discipline, talent, and dedication.
The unit is no longer simply a cog in a dusty contingency plan that rehearses the act of saving lives and eliminating terrorist threats more often than it actually performs those duties. Rather, it now stands on the vanguard of American foreign policy in a dangerous time — an instrument of choice called upon to protect the nation’s interests and its people’s freedoms on a daily basis.
Stepping up beyond any reasonable expectation when finally unleashed, DEVGRU has made the post-9/11 world its own.

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Wow that is bad ass.

I would put all the parts in one thread though. That is only a suggestion.

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They are still trashing Dick Marcinko 20-30 years later????

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They are still trashing Dick Marcinko 20-30 years later????

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Well it is a history deal but I guess he made a really bad impact on the scene.

I spent an afternoon (in 97) with one of his Lt Cmder's, a plankowner of 6 and Red Cell. Great guy and he was one of Marcinko's SEAL's, he was on still/back in Devgru in 97 so he survived the changes. They were doing jumps out here at the time.

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Seem to remember FNC's resident former SEAL saying ST6 as it was under Marcinko no longer exists.

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Awesome. Thanks for keeping up with all of this.