20 Famous US Navy Seals

20 Famous US Navy Seals

The United States Navy SEALs are the world’s most elite marine special operations unit. They are renowned for their great physical and mental tenacity, mastery of a diverse set of talents, and ability to function in any circumstance.

From World War II to the present, Navy SEALs have played critical roles in several of the country’s most crucial battles. They’ve carried out daring operations, rescued hostages, and apprehended or murdered some of the world’s most dangerous criminals and terrorists.

Navy SEALs are real patriots. They are the finest of the best, and they are always ready to respond when their nation calls. Here are 20 well-known US Navy SEALs:

1. Chris Kyle

Chris Kyle January 2012.jpg Cpl. Damien Gutierrez, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Chris Kyle was a U.S. Navy SEAL sniper who completed four missions in Iraq. He is the most lethal sniper in US military history, with 160 verified kills. Kyle’s experiences were documented in the book “American Sniper,” which was made into a hit film in 2014.

Kyle was born in 1974 in Odessa, Texas. He joined the Navy SEALs in 1999 and was deployed to Iraq for the first time in 2003. He served in some of the country’s most difficult places, including Fallujah and Ramadi.

Kyle was a talented sniper noted for his ability to make precise shots from vast distances. For his fighting efforts, he received two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars. Kyle departed the Navy in 2009 to become a private contractor.

He went on to become a motivational speaker and author of the book “American Sniper.” The novel was a best-seller, and it was made into a film in 2014. Eddie Ray Routh killed Kyle in 2013 at the Rough Creek Lodge shooting range in Chalk Mountain, Texas. Routh was found guilty and condemned to life in jail without the chance of release.

2. Marcus Luttrell

Marcus luttrell 2007.jpg Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Marcus Luttrell is a retired United States Navy SEAL who was awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his conduct during Operation Red Wings in June 2005. Luttrell was one of four SEALs ambushed in Afghanistan by Taliban troops. He was the only one who had survived. His experience was chronicled in the book “Lone Survivor,” which was made into a movie in 2013.

Luttrell was born in 1975 in Houston, Texas. He joined the Navy SEALs in 1999 and was deployed to Afghanistan for the first time in 2005. On June 28, 2005, while on a mission to arrest or kill a high-ranking Taliban leader, Luttrell and his crew were assaulted by Taliban militants. The party was outmanned and outgunned, and everyone but Luttrell was slain in the ambush.

Luttrell is also an outspoken supporter of veterans and their families. He has tried to increase awareness of the difficulties that veterans and their families endure, and he has funded a variety of organizations that aid veterans.

3. David Goggins

DavidGogginsMay08.jpg Paul Rudman, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

David Goggins is a veteran US Navy SEAL, ultramarathoner, and motivational speaker. He is well-known for his physical and mental tenacity. Goggins has completed 60 Ironman triathlons and over 60 ultramarathons. He has also written about his experiences in various publications, including “Can’t Hurt Me” and “Never Finished.”

Goggins was born in 1975 in Buffalo, New York. He had a rough upbringing, and his father mistreated him. In 1999, Goggins joined the Navy SEALs and swiftly rose to become one of the most physically and psychologically challenging SEALs in history. He participated in Afghanistan and Iraq, earning the Silver Star and Bronze Star for his combat deeds.

Goggins became an ultramarathoner and triathlon after retiring from the Navy. He has competed in some of the world’s most gruelling endurance races, including the Badwater 135, the Western States 100, and the Ironman World Championship.

4. Jocko Willink

Jocko Willink is a former US Navy SEAL and novelist. During the 2006 Battle of Ramadi, he was the leader of SEAL Team Three’s Task Unit Bruiser. Willink is the author of “Extreme Ownership” and the co-founder of the leadership consulting business Echelon Front.

Willink was born in 1971 in Norwalk, Connecticut. He joined the Navy SEALs in 1990 and remained with them for the next two decades. Willink served in the SEALs for four years and was awarded the Bronze Star and Navy Commendation Medal. Willink is also a well-known motivational speaker who has been featured on a variety of podcasts and television shows.

5. Jesse Ventura

JesseVentura1.jpg Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons

Jesse Ventura is a former Navy SEAL, professional wrestler, actor, and politician from the United States. He received the Navy Commendation Medal for his service in the Vietnam War. Ventura became a professional wrestler after leaving the Navy and won the WWF Championship in 1989. In 1998, he was elected Governor of Minnesota.

Ventura was born James George Janos in 1951 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ventura was a Navy SEAL for four years, including two missions in Vietnam. He served in Underwater Demolition Team 12 and received the Navy Commendation Medal for his efforts.

Ventura became a professional wrestler after leaving the Navy. He wrestled as “Jesse Ventura” and swiftly rose to prominence as one of the world’s most popular wrestlers. In 2004, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame after winning the WWF Championship in 1989.

Ventura, in addition to his wrestling career, has been in various films and television series. He is most recognized for his performance in the Predator franchise as Blain Cooper. Ventura has also presented a number of TV series, including “Jesse Ventura’s America” and “Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura.”

6. Howard Wasdin

Billy Davis and Dr Howard Wasdin .jpg Bdavis545, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Howard Wasdin is an author and former US Navy SEAL. In 1993, he was awarded the Silver Star for his gallantry during the First Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia. The title of Wasdin’s book is “SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy Sniper.”

Wasdin was born in San Diego, California in 1964. He joined the Navy SEALs in 1984 and served for over two decades. Wasdin was a SEAL who served in Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. 

Wasdin was one of the snipers who watched the SEALs and Army Rangers as they attempted to seize Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. For his service, he was awarded the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and the Purple Heart.

7. Brandon Webb

Brandon Webb is a former US Navy SEAL sniper instructor and author. He received the Navy Cross and the Bronze Star for his service in the Iraq War. Webb wrote “The Killing School: Inside the World’s Toughest Sniper Training Program.”

Webb was born in 1974 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In 1993, he joined the Navy SEALs and served for 13 years. Webb served with the SEALs for three years, twice in Iraq and once in Afghanistan. In 2006, he was awarded the Navy Cross for his conduct during the Battle of Ramadi.

Webb went on to become a sniper teacher and author after leaving the Navy. He wrote “The Killing School,” which was released in 2012. The book is a memoir of Webb’s time in the Navy SEALs and as a sniper instructor.

8. Mike Monsoor

SEAL Michael A. Monsoor.jpg unknown, www.socom.mil, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Mike Monsoor was a US Navy SEAL who was killed in action during the Iraq War and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. He is remembered for his brave acts on September 29, 2006, when he buried a grenade with his body to save his friends’ lives.

Monsoor was born in 1981 in Long Beach, California. In 2001, he joined the Navy SEALs and served for four years. Monsoor travelled to Iraq twice while in the SEALs and was awarded the Bronze Star for his combat deeds.

Monsoor was working as an automatic weapons gunner for a SEAL sniper squad in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on September 29, 2006. Insurgents attacked the team, and one of them lobbed a grenade near where Monsoor and his friends were hiding. Monsoor ran up to the grenade and buried it with his body, absorbing the blast and saving his colleagues. The explosion killed Monsoor.

Monsoor was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor (the United States’ highest military honour). He is the first Navy SEAL since the Vietnam War to win the Medal of Honor. He also received the Bronze Star with Valor, the Purple Heart, the Navy Commendation Medal with Valor, and the Iraqi government’s Silver Star.

9. Chris Beck

Chris Beck, Navy SEAL.jpg Sandi Foraci photography, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Chris Beck (previously Kristin Beck) is a veteran United States Navy SEAL who came out as a transgender woman in 2013 and then announced his detransition in 2022. He went by the name Kristin Beck during his transition.

Beck spent twenty years in the United States Navy and was a member of SEAL Team Six. He was one of the first openly transgender individuals to serve in the United States military.

Beck went on to become a motivational speaker and author after leaving the Navy. He penned “Warrior Princess: A U.S. Navy SEAL’s Journey to Coming Out Transgender,” which was released in 2013.

10. Matt Bissonnette

Matt Bissonnette, sometimes known as Mark Owen, was born in 1976 in Wrangell, Alaska. He joined the Navy SEALs in 1999 and remained with them for nearly a decade. Bissonnette served in the SEALs and went to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Bissonnette was part of the SEAL unit that stormed bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in May 2011. Bissonnette was one of the first SEALs to enter the complex and is thought to have fired the fatal shot that killed bin Laden.

Bissonnette retired from the Navy and wrote the book “No Easy Day.” The book became a best-seller and was hailed for providing a thorough description of the bin Laden operation. However, the book was also controversial because Bissonnette violated his nondisclosure agreement with the Department of Defense by writing it.

11. Chad Williams

Williams was born in 1981 in San Diego, California. In 1999, he joined the Navy SEALs and served for five years. Williams travelled to Iraq twice while in the SEALs and was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for his combat achievements.

Williams went on to become an author and keynote speaker after leaving the Navy. In 2011, he wrote the book “SEAL of God,” which was released. The book is a chronicle of Williams’ time in the Navy SEALs and his Christian experiences.

Williams is also a co-founder of the SEAL of God Foundation, a non-profit that assists Navy SEALs and their families. Williams is a regular speaker and pundit on military and religious topics.

12. Robert O’Neill

Robert J. O’Neill by Gage Skidmore.jpg Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Robert O’Neill was born in 1976 in Butte, Montana. He joined the Navy SEALs in 1996 and remained with them for nearly 16 years. O’Neill served in the SEALs and went to Iraq and Afghanistan. He was also a SEAL Team Six member for nearly five years.

O’Neill went on to become a motivational speaker and author after leaving the Navy. “The Operator: Firing the Shots That Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior,” his book, was published in 2017. Some others reject O’Neill’s claim to have fired the shot that killed bin Laden, but he remains a contentious character.

13. Robert J. Stack

Robert J. Stack is a former US Navy SEAL and novelist. Stack was born in 1947 in San Diego, California. He enlisted in the Navy SEALs in 1966 and served for four years. Stack travelled to Vietnam twice while in the SEALs and was awarded the Navy Cross for his combat deeds.

Stack was a member of the SEAL squad that freed five American POWs from the Son Tay prison camp in North Vietnam in 1969. “Six Minutes to Freedom,” his novel, was released in 2009. The book is a chronicle of Stack’s experiences with the Navy SEALs and the Son Tay raid.

14. Richard Marcinko

Richard Marcinko LCDR US Navy.jpg US Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Richard Marcinko was a Vietnam War veteran and US Navy SEAL leader. Marcinko was born in 1940 in Lansford, Pennsylvania. He entered the US Navy in 1958 and served for more than 30 years. Marcinko served in the Navy for eight years and was awarded more than 30 medals and awards.

Marcinko was named the first commanding commander of SEAL Team Six in 1980. He was in charge of the force for three years, during which time it carried out a number of high-profile missions, including the rescue of American hostages from the Iranian embassy in Tehran.

Marcinko became a renowned author after leaving the Navy, publishing multiple books on his adventures as a SEAL. Marcinko died on December 25, 2021, at the age of 81.

15. Mike Murphy

Mike Murphy was a SEAL officer in the United States Navy. He was born in 1976 in Patchogue, New York. Murphy joined the Navy SEALs after finishing college. He was a SEAL for five years and deployed to Afghanistan in 2005.

Murphy was commanding a four-man SEAL squad on a reconnaissance operation in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. A considerably bigger contingent of Taliban fighters assaulted the squad. Murphy was shot numerous times, yet he fought on and called for aid. In the end, he was killed in the conflict.

Murphy’s heroics throughout the conflict saved his friends’ lives. For his bravery and self-sacrifice, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

16. Brian Stann

Brian Stann receives Silver Star.jpg USMC employee: Cpl. Athanasios L. Genos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Brian Stann is a former UFC light heavyweight championship candidate and retired US Marine Corps captain. He is also a current UFC commentator. He was born in Fussa’s Yokota Air Base and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

On May 8, 2005, Stann was posted to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, where he commanded the 2nd Mobile Assault Platoon. During the Battle of Al-Qa’im, his battalion was assaulted by rebels while attempting to seize the Ramana Bridge in Karabilah during Operation Matador.

Stann and his squad resisted for six days under intense fire while organizing air and tank support, allowing them to be liberated on May 14, 2005. Stann’s platoon of 42 Marines was completely unscathed.

Stann sought a career in mixed martial arts after leaving the Marine Corps. In 2005, he made his professional debut and immediately progressed through the ranks of the UFC light heavyweight division. He fought Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight belt in 2012 but was defeated by a unanimous decision. Stann withdrew from MMA in 2013 and went on to become a pundit with a 12-3 record.

17. Scott Taylor

Scott Taylor official photo (1).jpg Kristie Boyd, US House of Representatives, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Scott Taylor is a Republican politician and former US Navy SEAL. From 2017 to 2019, he was the United States Representative representing Virginia’s 2nd congressional district.

Taylor was born in 1979 in Maryland. In 1997, he joined the Navy SEALs and served for eight years. Taylor served in the SEALs and went to Iraq and Afghanistan. For his fighting deeds, he received the Navy Cross and the Bronze Star.

Taylor worked in security consulting and critical infrastructure protection after leaving the Navy. From 2013 until 2017, he was also a Virginia State Delegate.

Taylor was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2016. He was a member of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees.

18. Edward Byers

Jon Stewart and Edward Byers 190326-D-SW162-1829 (40513530123).jpg Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from Washington D.C, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Edward C. Byers Jr. is a retired United States Navy SEAL. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, the country’s highest military honour, for rescuing a civilian in Afghanistan in 2012.

Byers was born in 1979 in Toledo, Ohio. He became a member of the Navy SEALs in 2002 and served for 21 years. Byers travelled to Iraq and Afghanistan 11 times while in the SEALs. For his actions in combat, he received the Bronze Star with Combat “V” device and two Purple Hearts.

19. Kristin Beck

Kristin Beck. jpg Ted Eytan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kristin Beck (previously Chris Beck) is a former US Navy SEAL. Beck was born in 1966 on Long Island, New York. She joined the Navy SEALs in 1991 and remained with them for 20 years. Beck went to 13 nations throughout her stint with the SEALs, including seven combat deployments. For her fighting efforts, she received the Bronze Star with fighting “V” device and the Purple Heart.

Beck came out as a transgender woman in 2013. She published a memoir, “Warrior Princess: A U.S. Navy SEAL’s Journey to Coming Out Transgender,” and became a vocal champion for transgender rights.

20. Rudy Boesch

Rudy Boesch (cropped).jpg U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Elizabeth Merriamderivative work: Beao, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Rudy Boesch was a former US Navy SEAL and two-time contestant on the television show Survivor. He was born in 1928 in Rochester, New York, and entered the Navy in 1945. He joined the Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) in 1951 and was one of the first SEALs when they were formed in 1962. He was awarded the Bronze Star for valour in battle during the Vietnam War.

Boesch went on to become a motivational speaker and book after leaving the Navy. He was recognized for his tough-love leadership style and focus on personal accountability. He was also a great supporter of hard work and discipline. Boesch passed away in 2019 at the age of 91.

The United States Navy SEALs are the epitome of bravery, skill, and commitment. Their unflinching dedication to safeguarding their country and performing the most difficult tasks on sea, air, and land distinguishes them as genuine heroes. These elite warriors, who sometimes operate in the shadows, exemplify the best attributes of military personnel, demonstrating their unshakable desire to do the impossible and protect freedom.