Navy SEALs Naval Special Warfare Foundation Endowment Society

History and Heritage

With an extremely rich and diverse history, Naval Special Warfare forces today are a well established, intricate, and a vital part of National and Naval strategic planning. Difficult often dangerous training, small size operating Teams, special equipment, area-orientation , and capabilities to operate clandestinely from the sea, land, or air make use of NSW and enabling support personnel invaluable in situations and areas where use of conventional military forces might be less feasible operationally or politically.

A COMMITMENT TO OUR PAST

Embraced as one of its three operating pillars, the NSW Foundation is dedicated to preserving and promoting the history and heritage of the entire NSW community. Today this includes the elite U.S. Navy SEALs and SWCC operators, who comprise NSW’s front-line combat units, whose legacy of courage and bravery trace back to the beaches of North Africa, Normandy, and the Pacific during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. NSW forces are routinely tasked to deter and, when directed, take action to counter overt threats to American interests; including the need to capture and kill enemy terrorist. NSW personnel operate in the most demanding operational and environmental situations throughout the world and in all political-military environments. Today our men are fully engaged in a host of on-going low-visibility operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, Philippine and other islands of the south Pacific, and in areas from afloat and ashore in other areas vital to U.S. interests.

While much of what the men accomplish today remains classified, eventually their story must be told. Thus, to ensure that these elite naval commandos are always remembered and recognized, the NSW Foundation is dedicated to promoting and supporting the preservation of NSW’s history by recording, publishing, and promoting programs that focus on the exploits of NSW men and units. The goals and objectives of our History and Heritage efforts include the need to:

  • Collect, preserve, protect and make available the documents, photographs, and other documentation that best embody NSW’s history and heritage for present and future generations
  • Advance the knowledge of NSW history and heritage through professional research, analysis, interpretation, and eventually through offering history products and services
  • Make NSW history and heritage "come alive" for our SEALs and SWCCs to enhance readiness and esprit de corps through activities that include quarterly publication of “The BLAST” which is intended to be a comprehensive “Journal of Naval Special Warfare.”
  • Remind others of the need to support and maintain a strong NSW community

 

To accomplish these goals and objectives, the NSW Foundation has cooperated in the development and funding of monuments and memorials across the country from San Diego, Virginia Beach, and the Navy Memorial, Washington, DC to Utah Beach on the coast of Normandy, France. These and other monuments are intended to highlight the accomplishments of our men, so that we may understand and preserve NSW’s heritage for future generations. NSW’s legacy organizations include:

  • Naval Combat Demolition Units (NCDUs)
  • Amphibious Scouts and Raiders (S&R)
  • Office of Strategic Services Maritime Unit (OSS MU)
  • Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs)
  • Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) Teams
  • Special Boat Units and Teams (SWCCs)
  • RVN Boat Support Units (BSU) and Mobile Support Teams (MSTs)
  • RVN Beach Jumper Unit (BJUs)
  • The various NSW Groups and Units since 1963

 

NCDU, S&R, and OSS MUs activities were short lived and established by need during WWII, and these units were disbanded shortly after conflict. BJUs were organized as a part of NSW during Vietnam. SEALs are also strongly associated with the RVN U.S. Navy Helicopter Attack, Light (HAL) Squadrons (SEAWOLFs), who are considered an intrepid part of NSW during that period.

Because the SEAL and SWCC history is being perpetually written, the NSW Foundation is committed to creating a research library and archive with on-line capabilities to support those interested in NSW research and writing programs. This includes the financial support endowed by the NSW Foundation, but also requires the support of any and all wishing to contribute to this unique history program through the donation of photographs, film records, diaries, copies of orders, or papers of any kind related to NSW. We encourage that any artifacts be donated to the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum (www.navysealmuseum.com).