RIP, Richard Marcinko, Rogue Warrior, Creator of SEAL Team 6

[83Horn 1,637]

Unconventional and controversial, but big balls of brass.  RIP to a legend.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/richard-marcinko-first-commanding-officer-of-seal-team-6-dies-on-christmas

[TwiceHorn 31,033]

Don't recall how I first became aware of him, but it was in some Hollywood-ish context with him affecting the Steven Seagal look.

I was astonished to learn that he was actually a SEAL, an officer, and a 30 year veteran.

A little easier to take seriously in this photo:

81 is a pretty good run. RIP.

[Hate 20,082]

I would imagine that as the first commanding officer of Seal Team 6 that he had a lot to do with that unit becoming the biggest badasses on the planet.  RIP to a Patriot. 

[F250 28,611]

2 minutes ago, Hate said:

I would imagine that as the first commanding officer of Seal Team 6 that he had a lot to do with that unit becoming the biggest badasses on the planet.  RIP to a Patriot. 

I read Rogue Warrior which is his autobiography and he talks a lot about establishing Seal Team 6. Some of it sounded so outlandish that I assumed he was hyping up his story. Just crazy shit. However McRaven served under him and has made statements that make it seem like a lot of the things they did were true. I believe the two had some conflict about what was and wasn't appropriate.

Something that always stood out about Marcinko was he predicted the rise of Non-State Sponsored Terrorism before OBL and AQ were ever a blip on the national radar.

 

 

[pacman 7,279]

He was a lot more than a "Patriot".

RIP.

[Homercles 10,205]

6 hours ago, F250 said:

I read Rogue Warrior which is his autobiography and he talks a lot about establishing Seal Team 6. Some of it sounded so outlandish that I assumed he was hyping up his story. Just crazy shit. However McRaven served under him and has made statements that make it seem like a lot of the things they did were true. I believe the two had some conflict about what was and wasn't appropriate.

Something that always stood out about Marcinko was he predicted the rise of Non-State Sponsored Terrorism before OBL and AQ were ever a blip on the national radar.

 

 

I’ve read a handful of books by SEALs and many have a few comments on ole Demo Dick.  
 

The impression I got was that he was a wild man that circumvented many established safety and logistics policies, pissed off a lot of brass, needlessly chewed up resources, flaunted his ability to get around red tape, and was needlessly flashy for the sole purpose of showing off…but ultimately had the country’s best interests at heart and delivered what it needed for a true Tier-1 unit. 

[Lat22 3,973]

Exactly what we needed. RIP. 

[BabaYaga 15,189]

9 hours ago, F250 said:

I read Rogue Warrior which is his autobiography and he talks a lot about establishing Seal Team 6. Some of it sounded so outlandish that I assumed he was hyping up his story. Just crazy shit.

Similar to the insane shit the MACV-SOG guys did.  Absolute lunacy.  Heard a podcast about a guy doing an "Avatar" fall to get into an LZ.  ie., jumping from the bird, and rolling down and absorbing the triple canopy foliage to break his fall.  The only unit that had a HUNDRED percent casualty rate....

Read the Rogue Warrior series as a kid.  Didn't realize the books took a hard right turn and went from non-fiction to fiction before I realized it. 

[Buzzrock 14,844]

Rogue Warrior is definitely an interesting read. Loved the part about the nuclear sub pen.

RIP to a genuine American badass, I hope your heaven is full of LBFMs.

[ABSR 5,284]

13 hours ago, F250 said:

I read Rogue Warrior which is his autobiography and he talks a lot about establishing Seal Team 6. Some of it sounded so outlandish that I assumed he was hyping up his story. Just crazy shit. However McRaven served under him and has made statements that make it seem like a lot of the things they did were true. I believe the two had some conflict about what was and wasn't appropriate.

Something that always stood out about Marcinko was he predicted the rise of Non-State Sponsored Terrorism before OBL and AQ were ever a blip on the national radar.

 

 

In his original book "Rogue Warrior" he quoted an Admiral as telling him "You ought to be in prison!"  My dad worked as a Navy contractor, and worked for that specific Admiral (as civilians).  He told my dad that he could not verify anything else in the book, but that quote he got right.

[Sandman 3,401]

I worked with a guy who was in the Seals during Nam. I asked him if he knew RM and he said yeah and that he was a "Glory Hound". I didn't press for more info, as he seemed irritated about the question. /csb

[ChickenNuggets 1,611]

Rumor has it, when he was tasked with forming the Seals anti-terrorism unit, there were maybe 2 teams. He called his, Seal Team 6 to fuck with the Russians...

I have respect for the man, flamboyant or not.. Hell, Patton was flamboyant.

[InkaUtexas 25,266]

4 minutes ago, ChickenNuggets said:

Rumor has it, when he was tasked with forming the Seals anti-terrorism unit, there were maybe 2 teams. He called his, Seal Team 6 to fuck with the Russians...

I have respect for the man, flamboyant or not.. Hell, Patton was flamboyant.

Yep, same reason we called Delta Delta. Make them think there was an Alpha, Beta, Charlie, etc. 

Was talking to my dad today about the formation of the SEALS. Dad was a founder of Delta and had nothing but respect for his waterborne buddies. he worked with the SEALS back in his SF days when it all started. Good mission, good people and hell of a training program. 

[FartingMonk 3,605]

23 hours ago, Buzzrock said:

Rogue Warrior is definitely an interesting read. Loved the part about the nuclear sub pen.

RIP to a genuine American badass, I hope your heaven is full of LBFMs.

When I was in nuke school.  They had some crazy ass drill.  We were supposed to pretend those guys weren't even there but walking from the main building onto the boat you had all these crazy ass tracers going off.    It was pretty intense, but after it was all said and done one of the instructors told us the story about red cell and the sub pens.  It would have probably ended up with some dead guys in a post 9/11 world, but he said back then no one in the navy actually carried live ammo and even the marines who are super gungho now were a lot more restrained.  After the egg in the face by red cell the marines who guard the nuclear weapons now are these fucking rabid overzealous fucks

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,780]

I haven't read his book, but I bet he left out the story where during a red cell exercise they kidnaped and tortured a civilian guard at a naval base  and he and his team were ambushed by a housewife and almost shot. 

Edited December 28, 2021 by NeverMarryAStripper

[Brisketexan 104,216]

15 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

I haven't read his book, but I bet he left out the story where during a red cell exercise they kidnaped and tortured a civilian guard at a naval base  and he and his team were ambushed by a housewife and almost shot. 

Wasn't that a porn parody plotline?

[Native Horn 3,474]

Took an exercise class in ATX from a former SEAL who said he was in Red Cell.  Now he's in the federal penitentiary for bank robbery.  Oops.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,387]

1 hour ago, Native Horn said:

Took an exercise class in ATX from a former SEAL who said he was in Red Cell.  Now he's in the federal penitentiary for bank robbery.  Oops.

Didn't Marcinko spend a year or two behind bars for defrauding the US govt? Of course, he claimed it was for a crime that he didn't commit. yada yada yada A-Team.

[ABSR 5,284]

2 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

I haven't read his book, but I bet he left out the story where during a red cell exercise they kidnaped and tortured a civilian guard at a naval base  and he and his team were ambushed by a housewife and almost shot. 

Actually that was in the book, at least about capturing the guard and "interrogating" him.  

I read it a looong while ago, but my recollection from it were that he and the Seals were bad asses and "cool."  Also that he hated what he perceived as authority/Naval Academy attitudes of superiority and privilege.  And I also remember the ironic unintended undertone that he and the Seals can/should treat others in the same way he described and detested those in authority/Naval Academy did.

Edited December 28, 2021 by ABSR

[FartingMonk 3,605]

52 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Didn't Marcinko spend a year or two behind bars for defrauding the US govt? Of course, he claimed it was for a crime that he didn't commit. yada yada yada A-Team.

Something about grenades and she'll companies.  He claimed it was retaliation for red cell.

[Gatorubet 30,004]

On 12/28/2021 at 11:49 AM, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Didn't Marcinko spend a year or two behind bars for defrauding the US govt? Of course, he claimed it was for a crime that he didn't commit. yada yada yada A-Team.

One of the things in this book made me LOL. He talked about banging some Canadian nurse in Nam and then later his wife got a divorce because “they were drifting apart.”  Banging strange will do that.