If we talk about special forces and cinema, the Navy SEALs are probably the most recognized unit on the planet. From Vietnam to modern counter-terrorism operations, their mark is in history… and in pop culture.

The SEALs (Sea, Air and Land Teams) are the special operations force of the U.S. Navy. Their mission: operate in any environment, from maritime raids to rescue operations in deserts or jungles. They were founded in 1962 under the Kennedy administration and since then they have been present in virtually every conflict where the U.S. had something important at stake. 

Real curiosities 

1. Chris Kyle and legendary precision 
   The most famous SEAL sniper, Chris Kyle, told in American Sniper how discipline and constant observation were his real weapon. Clint Eastwood’s film brought his story to the screen in 2014, showing part of his career in Iraq. 
   

2. Mark Owen and the night of Abbottabad 
   In his book No Easy Day, Mark Owen (pseudonym of a former SEAL from DEVGRU) recounted the operation in which Osama Bin Laden was killed. Beyond the action, he tells the technical details: from how they rehearsed the assault in a replica of the house to the tension of entering room by room, and rumors say he was the one who helped on the film Zero Dark Thirty

3. Robert O’Neill and the final shot 
   Robert O’Neill is another SEAL who claims to have fired the shots that ended Bin Laden’s life. His testimony reflects how, in the most famous operations, it’s not only about the action, but also about the personal consequences of carrying that memory. We recommend his book, we don’t like him very much, but the book is another point of view and tells things differently from other teammates.

4. From the sea to Hollywood 
   Films like Zero Dark Thirty or Lone Survivor are inspired by real SEAL operations. The latter adapts Marcus Luttrell’s book, where he tells how he survived in Afghanistan after an ambush that wiped out almost his entire team.

5. Inhuman (and legendary) training 
   The famous Hell Week is the filter: five days with barely any hours of sleep, mud, ice-cold water and nonstop physical tests. Marcus Luttrell described it as “a hammer that keeps pounding until only those who don’t break are left.” In the books we mentioned above they explain it quite well.