Aug 11, 2025 | NSW Historical Perspectives
Korean War – August 1950 UDT’s First Combat Action By Tom Hawkins On 23 June 1950, U.N. observers inspecting the border area between North and South Korea saw nothing amiss. In a stunning surprise just two days later on the 25th of June, the full force of the Korean...
Aug 4, 2025 | NSW Historical Perspectives
Navy SEALs and Extortion 17 The Largest Single-Day Loss of Life During the War in Afghanistan By Tom Hawkins On 6 August 2011, the shooting down of a U.S. Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter, call sign “Extortion 17” (pronounced “One Seven”), resulted in the single...
Aug 1, 2025 | NSW Historical Perspectives
Navy SEALs and the 1990 Gulf War By Tom Hawkins On 2 August 1990, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s military forces invaded Kuwait, resulting in the deployment of a 33-nation coalition to stem Iraq’s aggression. Operation DESERT SHIELD was a United States-led...
Mar 9, 2023 | NSW Historical Perspectives
The Teams Korea and Early 1960s By Tom Hawkins Although they survived doctrinally, the Navy’s post-World War II manpower reductions resulted in cutting the Underwater Demolition Teams by almost 95 percent. Austere budgets also hindered expanded training and...
Mar 7, 2023 | NSW Historical Perspectives
U.S. Navy “Seawolves” South Vietnam 1966-1972 Most Decorated Navy Squadron of the Vietnam War By Tom Hawkins The Navy SEAL Museum has undertaken a project to refurbish a Bell UH-1B “Seawolves” helicopter for display on the grounds of the museum. Many will likely not...
Mar 7, 2023 | NSW Historical Perspectives
SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams Operations and Innovations By Tom Hawkins In a Navy Training Plan (NTP) developed the 1970s in parallel with major Naval Special Warfare development programs, it was envisioned that each UDT and SEAL Team would be outfitted with SDV (SEAL...
