Many of America’s top heroes are largely unknown and unrecognized. Richard “Dick” Marcinko, the founder of two of the U.S. military’s top counterterrorist units and part of the team that took out Osama bin Laden, has died at 81.
SEAL Team 6 commander and creator has died
There’s an elite group of people worldwide who keep America safe, individuals most Americans may never hear of. One such hero has died.
Known as The Rogue Warrior, Richard “Dick” Marcinko, the first commanding officer of U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6, died on Christmas Day, December 25, 2021, at the age of 81, his son announced.
A warrior’s warrior, Marcinko was part of the team that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011, Fox reported.
Marcinko was such a fierce warrior in Vietnam that the Viet Cong posted a reward of 50,000 piasters for his death.
Marcinko is also the author of numerous nonfiction and fictional novels, including the best seller “Rogue Warrior.”
A true American hero with a long legacy
Marcinko joined the United States Navy in 1958. Over his time in the military, he worked his way up to eventually holding the rank of commander. Marcinko was a two-time veteran of the Vietnam War, also serving in Cambodia and Iran. But that’s just the tip of Marcinko’s legacy.
Marcinko was also a member of a task force set up by the Joint Chiefs of Staff known as the Terrorist Action Team (TAT), a team developed during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979, which led to Operation Eagle Claw, a failed hostage rescue attempt in 1980, NBC reported. SEAL Team Six also participated in the 1983 U.S. invasion of Grenada.
Marcinko earned 34 citations and medals, including the Legion of Merit, the Silver Star, and four Bronze Stars. He was involved in operation planning at the Pentagon, an expert at all special operations, intelligence, and security.
Marcinko formed in command Navy SEAL Team 6 and created another prominent counterterrorism unit within the U.S. military called RED CELL, according to NavySEALs.com.
Marcinko received an M.A. in political science from Auburn University and a B.A. in international relations from the Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
About SEAL Team Six
SEAL Team 6 is also known officially as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU (DEVelopment GRoUp), and is the United States Navy component of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). SEAL Team 6 are the U.S. military’s primary Tier 1 special mission units tasked with performing the most complex, classified, and dangerous missions. They take orders directly from the President or the Secretary of Defense.
