Home » NSWC » Men With Green Faces: First Navy SEALs In Vietnam

Men With Green Faces: First Navy SEALs In Vietnam

by Brandon Webb · July 9, 2012 · Posted In: NSWC, SOF History, Special Operations

About Our Links
We link to other websites if we find their content compelling. We also link to relevant products on Amazon.com as affiliates. The money we earn from these sales helps keep our website running and a few beers on ice.

About The Author

Brandon Webb

Brandon Webb is a former U.S. Navy SEAL with combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and elsewhere in the Middle East. His last tour in the SEAL Teams was as the Course Manager for the US Navy SEAL Sniper program, arguably one of the most difficult sniper courses in the world. He was formerly a contributing editor for Military.com, and currently the Editor-in-Chief of SOFREP.com. Brandon is regularly featured in the media as a subject matter expert on military affairs. An avid writer, his last two books (The Red Circle, & Benghazi: The Definitive Report) both hit the New York Times best seller list, and his writing has been featured in print, and digital media worldwide. You can follow him on Twitter @BrandontWebb

Follow Sofrep on:

Follow @sofrep OR rss

25 comments

Newest | Oldest

jsvangor

Impressive group of men. Makes you appreciate the fact they represent our country. Thanks!

JakeTura

These videos of past and the videos of modern SEALs puts that much more fire into me. These guys were intense and innovative being the first in a long line of bad asses. If anyone would like to read about some of these guys "Good to Go" by Harry Constance is an outstanding look into what the first generations SEASLs were like.

romeocorpen

What a great video!! I really loved seeing some of the old gear and methods used from the early SEALs. The Cast & Recovery drill, the BUD/S students carrying the IBS, and the "Freddie the Frog" patch on the UDT guy were really cool. What an awesome group of Warriors!!

SEAL76

2 Like

This is the film I saw in boot camp in 1969. It was on giant reel shown on a projector. I have a it on betamax/VHS/16mm

NMOne

1 Like

Now those are some warriors right there. Men so good at what they did and so feared that Charlie put out large bounties for them.

Old PH2 moderator

4 Like

My first Division Officer was in Combat Camera group right around the time this was filmed, he was an E-5. One of the documentaries they made around this time ended up being nominated for an Oscar. The level of production these guys are capable of today is still right up there. Take the time to look at the credits at the end of Act Of Valor, you'll notice the underwater photography was all USN photographers.

These old chestnuts make me proud to have served as a USN Photographers mate.

Did any of you guys catch the Stoner modular rifles? That's some major league cool toys!

jshjr

I count 5 hvy squad MG's and 10 team members. Ambush is murder and murder is done. Sempri Fi Green Faced Devils!

ArcticWarrior

3 Like

If your going to do a documentary on a SOCOM Unit THIS is how its done! Shows them for the bad asses they are. No no gos forgetting weapons, or sniveling. The last minute is a total testament.

Love the ERDL, the berets and french boonies, the old school HALO, the mean no bull shit confidence. How many guys were inspired by this film to aspire to be a SEAL? Army did you hear that?

This comment has been deleted

ArcticWarrior

3 Like

@Matt2

Hell Matt I got goose bumps watching them on patrol and then again in the final minute. Navy seems to always get it right in portrayals, the Army needs a serious schooling from them and this was what 40 years ago or so?. At one time the Army had these bad ass Ranger recruiting posters, Rangers all kitted out, cammied up in the swamps, looking like killers. After last night....lots of damage to repair.

Considering how small the SEALs are as a total part of the Navy's total manpower they do an awful good job living up to there reputation and portraying it correctly and reflecting positively on the Navy as a whole. Yesterday and Today.

HugeFan moderator

1 Like

@Matt2 AW: "Even that Navy commercial with the aircraft carrier is bad assed."

It's one of my favorites, I had a book cover in high school that had a Nimitz-class depicted on it and underneath it read: "95,000 tons of U.S. diplomacy". Here's a link to that other Navy commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEtZ5r0CIYI

ArcticWarrior

4 Like

@Matt2

Yeah he takes swim lessons because ...someone(BW)...told him to learn to swim real well. And when he sees anything Navy SEAL he goes nuts. We were in SD, Coronado heading to the beach and I pointed out the obstacle course, he fully expected me to stop and let him try it...LOL but thats a direct result of the Navy understanding the SEAL Legacy and treating it respectfully and marketing it. Even that Navy commercial with the aircraft carrier is bad assed. And the movie...sheer genius marketing it.

Kids all know what a SEAL is, there are clowns in the Army that dont grasp what the 75th is.

SEALs forged a legacy, and the Navy takes great care of it and markets it. The guys in the film above sound EXACTLY like modern SEALs dont they?

ArcticWarrior

4 Like

@Matt2

That is so true. All I remember about the Recruiters office was a bunch of "Be All You Can Be" Corporate Company Line nonsense. I dont even remember seeing any Infantry, let alone Airborne or Ranger posters, luckily I knew enough from all the Paladin books ... lol.

My youngest son walked by the Navy Recruiters at the mall, tells him he is going to be a SEAL, recruiter asks him to belt out push ups, my little one blasts out like 5 with his little chicken wing arms. The Recruiters went nuts, gave him all kinds of posters, stickers, shook his hand. Made an absolute positive impression and now his bedroom is covered in Navy propaganda.

ArcticWarrior

3 Like

@Matt2

Certainly the Navy UNDERSTANDS the "Brand" the SEALs are, and yeah that commercial is killer, only ambient natural sounds of the surf, silently the team came ashore, and guess what, nobody saw them. Genius.

ArcticWarrior

2 Like

@Matt2

In that b&w photo at the top, I think that mofo on the top left is growling, and the guy below him is grinning because he has 200 rounds drapped around him and he is going to get him some!

FutureJarHead

If I ever make it to Recon or MARSOC, fingers crossed, ST6 is definitely the place I'd like to end up and stay, like forever. SEALs rock, mucho respetado reposado (ST6 or get an invite to Delta or the Activity).

ClownPatrol

I read a paperback book of short stories written by combat vets (including Capt. Dale Dye) and one was a story from a "SEAL" (?) who ate dexedrine pills and snatched VC by picking them up and shoving his bandanna down their throats. I remember buying this book in 1986 at the NAS Miramar NEX. I am told the he was a fake and is/was a college professor. I forgot the name of the book and wonder if anyone knows the title and what became of this pre-internet "SEAL"?

Bemet_Or

@LauraWalkerKC I have a personal story about this article..... Hi laura, and yeah it happened again. @SOFREP

LauraWalkerKC

@Bemet_Or @SOFREP good lord, we have to get you stabilized =P

Bemet_Or

@LauraWalkerKC I really didn't do anything this time...I must be marked or something. I was being attacked and defended myself @SOFREP

Bemet_Or

@LauraWalkerKC indeed.

LauraWalkerKC

@Bemet_Or You're a marked man on Twitter lol

dm8471

If you go compare the BUD/S videos on the SEAL/SWCC website it does not appear a whole lot about BUD/S has changed, at least the phase one stuff.

PONI

Seeing the touchdowns during jump training reminds me of how much that shit hurt. haha

ak_brownsfan

@BrandonTWebb those dudes were badass over there in the jungle.

BrandonTWebb

@ak_brownsfan A-firm.

Men With Green Faces: First Navy SEALs In Vietnam

About The Author

Related Posts