historical features
Written by Tom Hawkins
Korean War – August 1950
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 People’s Army (KPA) crossed the 38th parallel and declared war on South Korea.
Navy SEALs and Extortion 17
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 deadliest incident involving the U.S. military during the war in Afghanistan.
Navy SEALs and the 1990 Gulf War
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
U.S. Navy “Seawolves” South Vietnam 1966-1972
Most Decorated Navy Squadron of the Vietnam War. The Navy SEAL Museum has undertaken a project to refurbish a Bell UH-1B “Seawolves” helicopter
SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams
Operations and Innovations. In a Navy Training Plan (NTP) developed the 1970s in parallel with major Naval Special Warfare development programs
Combatant Submersibles – Part II
A Photographic History: 1947 – 1960. The Winter 2022 edition of Fire in the Hole outlined the World War II period surrounding development and employment of combatant submersibles
USS Burrfish – UDT Special-Mission Group
This collection of papers described the Third-War Patrol of the submarine USS Burrfish (SS-312), which occurred during July and August 1944
The First Deployed Naval Combat Demolition Unit
The Aleutian Islands Campaign. During early World War II, the Aleutian Islands were part of the United States Territory of Alaska.
The Teams
Korea and Early 1960s. The underpinning of a SEAL team concept actually began to materialize with UDT operations during the Korean War.
Tom Hawkins retired after 24 years as a career Navy SEAL officer. He completed operational tours in Underwater Demolition Team 21 and SEAL Team TWO and deployed to Vietnam as a Platoon Commander. He commanded UDT-22 for 33 months during the command’s reorganization as SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team TWO. After assignment as Chief Staff Officer NSW Group TWO, he served on the NSW staff in the Pentagon. At the time of his Navy retirement, he was Director, NSW Programs at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC.
After leaving the Navy Tom served in various technical support positions related to NSW and the SEAL and Special Boat Teams. He served as an Acquisition and Requirements Analyst and Policy and Programs Advisor at NSW Group FOUR and NSW Development Group. He retired from NSWDG in May 2014.
Between 1995 and 2005 Tom served as president of the UDT-SEAL Association, president of the UDT-SEAL Memorial Park Association, and on the BoD at the UDT-SEAL Museum Association. In the year 2000 he was founding president of the Navy SEAL Foundation and its Director of History and Heritage. From 1994 until 2007, he was editor of the UDT-SEAL Association’s quarterly magazine “The BLAST: The Journal of Naval Special Warfare.”
Tom was featured in the PBS documentary “Untold Story of the U.S. Navy SEALs,” the History Channel’s “Navy SEALs: America’s Secret Warriors,” and contributed five chapters to the tabletop book “United States Naval Special Warfare: U.S. Navy SEALs.” His books include: “The History and Heritage of U.S. Navy SEALs,” published by the Pritzker Military Museum and Library in Chicago; “America’s Hidden Heroes: The History and Evolution of U.S. Navy Frogmen and SEALs;” “Air Capabilities of U.S. Navy SEALs: A History of Innovation,” with SEAL Captain Norm Olson; and “Sea Capabilities of U.S. Navy SEALs: An Examination of America’s Maritime Commandos,” published by Phoca Press.