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2009-04-19 Africa Horn

MAERSK ALABAMA - First Person Account of the Pirate Attack

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Posted by Sherry 2009-04-19 12:22|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top

#1 Navy SEALs Special operators lethal after seven years at war By Louis Hansen

VIRGINIAN-PILOT
NORFOLK

One thing is certain about the Navy SEALs' takedown of three Somali pirates this week - it took a lot more than three shots.

SEAL snipers fire thousands of rounds from ships, boats and ranges before rejoining teams and honing their craft.

The snipers aboard the Norfolk-based destroyer USS Bainbridge may have had another advantage - their teams have been at war for seven years. They're mature, poised and lethal.

"You have a very seasoned group of special operators," said Cmdr. Greg Geisen, spokesman for Naval Special Warfare near San Diego. "Today's SEAL cadre is very, very experienced."

About half of the Navy's 2,500 SEALs are based in Virginia Beach at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base and Dam Neck Annex. West Coast teams are based at Coronado Naval Amphibious Base near San Diego.

Cmdr. Geisen declined to specify where the snipers were based. On any given day last year, he said, SEALs were deployed to 30 or more foreign countries.

Becoming a sniper is a coveted role on SEAL teams, Cmdr. Geisen said. SEALs selected for sniper duty have at least one combat deployment - and usually more - under their belts before they undergo a rigorous 12-week course in California. A typical candidate has spent four to six years in the teams, deployed twice and advanced to petty officer first class, Cmdr. Geisen said. The three-month course begins with two weeks working with digital cameras, learning photography and how to transmit images from the field.

They spend four weeks learning the tactics and techniques of reconnaissance and scout missions. They learn to hide, track and gather intelligence on enemy targets.

For example, in Operation Redwing in 2005, four SEALs were tracking an insurgent warlord when they were overwhelmed by enemy forces. The ensuing battle and rescue mission cost the lives of 19 special forces commandos, several from Hampton Roads. Only one, SEAL Marcus Luttrell, survived the mission.

The final piece of SEAL sniper training is six weeks of shooting and learning the techniques of a sniper team.

SEAL snipers shoot thousands of rounds, often traveling to train in difficult or unique circumstances. Cmdr. Geisen said snipers regularly practice shooting in conditions similar to the pirate operation last Sunday - from a moving platform to another moving target.
By the time they face an operation like the one on the deck of the Bainbridge, he said, "They have practiced it many, many times."
Cmdr. Geisen said the SEAL community is proud they completed the mission. He added that while the intense visibility of the operation was rare, the challenges the snipers faced were less so.

"This is public and of note," he said, "but not unique."

Posted by Besoeker 2009-04-19 14:03|| 2009-04-19 14:03|| Front Page Top

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