Some of the earliest World War II predecessors of the SEALs were the Operational Swimmers of the Office of Strategic Services, or OSS.

Most SEALs came from the Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams, who had already gained extensive experience in commando warfare in Korea ; however, the Underwater Demolition Teams were still necessary to the Navy's amphibious force.

In March 1962, SEALs were deployed to South Vietnam as advisors for the purpose of training Army of the Republic of Vietnam commandos in the same methods they were trained themselves.

The SEALs were involved in the CIA sponsored Phoenix Program where it targeted key North Vietnamese Army personnel and Vietcong sympathizers for capture and assassination.

The SEALs were initially deployed in and around Da Nang, training the South Vietnamese in combat diving, demolitions, and guerrilla / anti-guerrilla tactics.

As the war continued, the SEALs found themselves positioned in the Rung Sat Special Zone where they were to disrupt the enemy supply and troop movements and in the Mekong Delta to fulfill riverine operations, fighting on the inland waterways.

Into the late 1960s, the SEALs were successful in a new style of warfare, effective in anti-guerrilla and guerrilla actions.

The SEALs were among the highest decorated units for their size in the war.

SEALs were awarded 2 Navy Crosses, 42 Silver stars, 402 Bronze Stars, 2 Legions of Merit, 352 Commendation Medals, 3 Presidential Unit Citations and 3 Medals of Honor.

The SEALs ' two primary missions were the extraction of Grenada's Governor-General and the capture of Grenada's only radio tower.

After the enemy had given up their search the SEALs, some wounded, swam into the open sea where they were extracted several hours later after being spotted by a reconnaissance plane.

Several SEALs were concerned about the nature of the mission assigned to them being that airfield seizure was usually the domain of the Army Rangers.

Several SEALs were wounded in a rescue attempt and their Air Force Combat Controller, Technical Sergeant John Chapman, was killed.

SEALs were present at the Battle of Qala-i-Jangi alongside their counterparts from the British Special Boat Service.

At MABOT's pumping lock the team's landing zone was covered in concertina wire that was unreported by their intelligence and so the SEALs and Royal Marines were forced to hover several feet off the ground.

The Royal Marines, led by a Provost Sergeant, were the first off the helicopter followed by the SEALs and all immediately became entangled in the obstacles.

The SEALs were assigned MABOT and GROM the KAAOT.

In coordination with close air support the SEALs swept the entire facility on foot fighting through enemy positions until day break when they were relieved by the 42 Commando of the British Royal Marines.

After several hours of searching the dam for remaining hostile forces or any explosives, the SEALs fully secured the dam and were later relieved by advancing elements of the US Army.

On 12 April 2009, in response to a hostage-taking incident off of the coast of Somalia by Somalian pirates, three Navy SEALs from DEVGRU simultaneously engaged and killed the three pirates who were closely holding the hostage, Captain Richard Phillips, of the freighter ship, the Maersk Alabama.

The Navy SEALs were part of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, previously called " Team 6 ".

On 6 August 2011, 17 Navy SEALs were killed when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down by an RPG fired by Taliban militants.

During Operation Red Wing on 28 June 2005, four Navy SEALs, pinned down in a firefight, radioed for help.

The SEALs however are surrounded and gunned down by Hummel's marines in a shower room after SEAL Commander Anderson ( Michael Biehn ) refuses to surrender ( the fight is provoked by Marine Captains Frye and Darrow, later revealed to be following Hummel only for the money instead of honor ), leaving only Mason and Goodspeed alive when they remained in the tunnels while the SEALs confronted the marines.

" Although Kyle, who wrote about the alleged incident in his book but did not mention Ventura by name, stated he asked Ventura to tone down his voice because the families of SEAL personnel were present, Ventura allegedly went on to say that the SEALs " deserved to lose a few guys ", after which Kyle stated he punched Ventura in the face.

Ryback shuts down the Missouris weapon systems, in order to allow the incoming Navy SEALs to land.

The submarine crew shoots down the helicopter carrying the Navy SEALs with shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles.

The SEALs and their SAS counterparts are charged with bringing down the Syndicate, first by shutting down an abandoned factory in Schkoder, then capturing or killing the leaders at their stronghold ( an abandoned castle in the Albanian mountains ).

Later, the SEALs search for Mahmood whose helicopter was shot down.

While attempting to rescue four stranded Navy SEALs during the operation, 19 American Forces were killed when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down, representing the second biggest loss of American forces since their invasion of the country.

Three of the four SEALs were killed in the ambush ; a quick reaction force helicopter sent in for their aid was subsequently shot down with an RPG-7 rocket propelled grenade by one of Shah's men, killing all on board, which consisted of 8 Navy SEALs and 8 U. S. Army Special Operations aviators.

After digging in at the Governor's mansion, the SEALs realized they had forgotten to loaded crypto ( cryptographic ) in their SATCOM.

Military swimming is usually done by special forces, such as Navy SEALs.

SEALs continued to make forays into North Vietnam and Laos, and covertly into Cambodia, controlled by the Studies and Observations Group.

After beating back several waves of Grenadian and Cuban troops supported by BTR-60s, the SEALs decided that their position at the radio tower was untenable.

Evidence gathered on the Iran Ajr by SEALs and EOD techs later allowed the US Navy to trace the mines that struck the USS Samuel B. Roberts.

Before the operation the SEALs raised objections that the ground looked unsuitable for DPV use but the faulty intelligence was assured by their attached intelligence liaison that the land on Al Faw would be hardpack.

Now on foot and surrounded by approximately 300 entrenched Iraqi soldiers and armored vehicles the SEALs relied on their Combat Controller to call in air strikes.

Twenty were SEALs were alleged by media outlets as belonging to the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, although the U. S. Department of Defense listed them as members of an " East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit.

" Predator drone footage also shows the possibility that Chapman was alive and fighting on the peak after the SEALs left rather than being killed outright as thought by Mako 30.

In a motion filed by Kyle's attorney in August 2012 to dismiss two of the suit's three counts, declarations by five former SEALs and the mothers of two others supported Kyle's account.