Richard Marcinko, the Legendary Fighter who Founded the Navy’s SEAL Team Six, Dies at 81

Kipp JonesDec 27th, 2021, 4:21 pm
 

Richard Marcinko

Richard Marcinko, who was the founder and first commanding officer of the U.S. Navy’s SEAL Team Six, died at age 81 on Saturday.

“Last night, Christmas evening, we lost a hero, who’s also known as The Rogue Warrior, the retired Navy SEAL commander AND the creator of SEAL Team Six, my father, Richard Marcinko,” Matt Marcinko, the son of the legendary warrior, tweeted. “His legacy will live forever. The man has died a true legend. Rest In Peace Dad. I love you forever.”

The younger Marcinko shared intimate images which showed his father as a tranquil man who surrounded himself with family.

Richard Marcinko spent the early part of his life as a warrior whose influence over U.S. special forces was unique. The National Navy UDT SEAL Museum’s Facebook page honored Marcinko, who was known as “Demo Dick,” in a lengthy post on Sunday.

“In January 1967, Marcinko deployed to Vietnam with 2nd Platoon, SEAL Team TWO. On May 18, 1967, Marcinko led his men in an assault on Ilo Ilo Hon where they killed many Viet Cong and destroyed six of their sampans,” the museum wrote. “This became known as the Navy’s most successful SEAL operation in the Mekong Delta.”

The museum explained that the North Vietnamese Army actually at one point put a bounty out on Marcinko’s head, and that he was awarded the Silver Star for his service during the conflict.

Perhaps Marcinko’s most prominent Cold War action was one that was psychological. It came with naming a unit that to this day operates in the shadows of hot spot regions across the world.

“Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Thomas B. Hayward selected Marcinko as the first commanding officer of the unit. At the time, the Navy had two SEAL teams,” Navy Times reported. “According to the Navy SEAL museum, Marcinko named the unit ‘SEAL Team Six’ to make other nations believe there were additional SEAL teams.”

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