On the night of Sunday to Monday, members of Team Six, an elite commando unit of Navy SEALS put a bullet in the head of bin Laden. This is not the first time that the CIA uses this group, whose very existence is shrouded in mystery.
In October 1993, 160 American soldiers find themselves trapped in the Battle of Mogadishu (recounted in the hit movie “Black Hawk Down”). Joining this special joint task force were several members of Team Six. Howard E. Wasdin, an elite sniper, was part of this team, returning from the Somali operation with both legs wounded. He recounts his experiences in his memoirs titled “SEAL, Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy Seal Sniper”, co-authored with Stephen Templin.
Templin, a former Navy officer, went through the SEAL selection process alongside Wasdin. He survived Hell Week, the most intense week of the training, before opting for another career. Stephen Templin sheds light on this secret, almost mythical unit, and on how simple men are shaped to become the elite of U.S. counter terrorism.
Is it true that the existence of Team Six (or Devgru) has never been recognized by the White House?
To my knowledge, yes. The White House has never officially confirmed its existence, although I’ve heard officials from JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command, one of the bodies of U.S. special operations, ndr) refer to it publicly.
Describe what makes up Navy SEAL training?
You must be a man between the ages of 18 and 28 years, and pass the screening process that includes physical and psychological tests and interviews. About 1% of applicants are selected and accepted into the six month program: BUD / S (Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL). The program develops the soldier’s physical and mental skills, develops weapons handling in extreme conditions. We learn to lead an attack from the air, land, or from underwater. The moment of truth occurs during Hell Week: over 50% of the candidates drop out before the end of the week.
Why it is called Hell Week?
It is aptly named. We go through events with an almost total lack of sleep. Five or six hours, at most, spread out throughout the week. At some point, the mind just wanders. You begin to hallucinate. Your dreams and reality become one. And then there is the cold. It is wet most of the time. The sea, the ice, sucks all the warmth of your body. There are four stages of hypothermia. At first, we shiver a little. Second, the quakes are more violent, almost uncontrollable. In the third, the body and mind become numb, stunned.
And the fourth?
People die. During Hell Week, supervision measures the temperature of air and water to try to take us to the second stage. In the group I was with Howard, a member that reached the third. He had to be rushed to hospital. The goal is to push the body to the limit, and then be able to cope with any conditions. Everyone has a weakness. Instructors will find it and get hooked on it, like sharks smelling blood.
So it’s sink or swim, right?
In part, but instructions are cautious. When you pass the third day, there is generally only death that could make you give up.
Is the challenge more mental than physical?
At some point, the two are almost inseparable. The mind controls everything. With Howard, there was not an unusual physical condition. Confidence in his ability to perform any act in bad conditions made all the difference in battle as in life everyday. And then there’s the bond with the team, it’s almost like a family.
Howard joined Team Six. Why is it so special?
It is the elite of the elite. Once you’re a SEAL, you are already a handful. You can then be candidate for Team Six, or we just hire you. You go through several months in the Green Team. What the exact process remains secret. You usually have to already have extensive experience hand combat, tactics and infiltration. Then you lead the most dangerous missions, especially when the CIA calls you.
At which point the operation to eliminate bin Laden, conducted in great secrecy, was the most risky?
Members of Delta Force (another elite unit) with whom I spoke have described the mission as “high risk”. You’re in a foreign country, infiltrated with zero cooperation, without knowing with certainty the level of defense of the target territory. There are so many uncontrollable parameters that could go wrong.
Its members expected to be able to capture bin Laden alive?
This is only my personal opinion, but probably not. It was likely that bin Laden refused to surrender. Team 6 is driven to adapt to the level of violence encountered. A bit like a switch on or off. Bin Laden is dead. You will not find many people to shed a tear, at least in the United States.
Why did not you continue with the SEALs?
I joined the Navy for that. But later, during training, I knew in my gut that this was probably not my destiny, even if I feel I had the potential. Today I am a teacher and writer in Japan. I am currently completing my PhD. I think it’s harder than Hell Week.
In October 1993, 160 American soldiers find themselves trapped in the Battle of Mogadishu (recounted in the hit movie “Black Hawk Down”). Joining this special joint task force were several members of Team Six. Howard E. Wasdin, an elite sniper, was part of this team, returning from the Somali operation with both legs wounded. He recounts his experiences in his memoirs titled “SEAL, Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy Seal Sniper”, co-authored with Stephen Templin.
Templin, a former Navy officer, went through the SEAL selection process alongside Wasdin. He survived Hell Week, the most intense week of the training, before opting for another career. Stephen Templin sheds light on this secret, almost mythical unit, and on how simple men are shaped to become the elite of U.S. counter terrorism.
Is it true that the existence of Team Six (or Devgru) has never been recognized by the White House?
To my knowledge, yes. The White House has never officially confirmed its existence, although I’ve heard officials from JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command, one of the bodies of U.S. special operations, ndr) refer to it publicly.
Describe what makes up Navy SEAL training?
You must be a man between the ages of 18 and 28 years, and pass the screening process that includes physical and psychological tests and interviews. About 1% of applicants are selected and accepted into the six month program: BUD / S (Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL). The program develops the soldier’s physical and mental skills, develops weapons handling in extreme conditions. We learn to lead an attack from the air, land, or from underwater. The moment of truth occurs during Hell Week: over 50% of the candidates drop out before the end of the week.
Why it is called Hell Week?
It is aptly named. We go through events with an almost total lack of sleep. Five or six hours, at most, spread out throughout the week. At some point, the mind just wanders. You begin to hallucinate. Your dreams and reality become one. And then there is the cold. It is wet most of the time. The sea, the ice, sucks all the warmth of your body. There are four stages of hypothermia. At first, we shiver a little. Second, the quakes are more violent, almost uncontrollable. In the third, the body and mind become numb, stunned.
And the fourth?
People die. During Hell Week, supervision measures the temperature of air and water to try to take us to the second stage. In the group I was with Howard, a member that reached the third. He had to be rushed to hospital. The goal is to push the body to the limit, and then be able to cope with any conditions. Everyone has a weakness. Instructors will find it and get hooked on it, like sharks smelling blood.
So it’s sink or swim, right?
In part, but instructions are cautious. When you pass the third day, there is generally only death that could make you give up.
Is the challenge more mental than physical?
At some point, the two are almost inseparable. The mind controls everything. With Howard, there was not an unusual physical condition. Confidence in his ability to perform any act in bad conditions made all the difference in battle as in life everyday. And then there’s the bond with the team, it’s almost like a family.
Howard joined Team Six. Why is it so special?
It is the elite of the elite. Once you’re a SEAL, you are already a handful. You can then be candidate for Team Six, or we just hire you. You go through several months in the Green Team. What the exact process remains secret. You usually have to already have extensive experience hand combat, tactics and infiltration. Then you lead the most dangerous missions, especially when the CIA calls you.
At which point the operation to eliminate bin Laden, conducted in great secrecy, was the most risky?
Members of Delta Force (another elite unit) with whom I spoke have described the mission as “high risk”. You’re in a foreign country, infiltrated with zero cooperation, without knowing with certainty the level of defense of the target territory. There are so many uncontrollable parameters that could go wrong.
Its members expected to be able to capture bin Laden alive?
This is only my personal opinion, but probably not. It was likely that bin Laden refused to surrender. Team 6 is driven to adapt to the level of violence encountered. A bit like a switch on or off. Bin Laden is dead. You will not find many people to shed a tear, at least in the United States.
I joined the Navy for that. But later, during training, I knew in my gut that this was probably not my destiny, even if I feel I had the potential. Today I am a teacher and writer in Japan. I am currently completing my PhD. I think it’s harder than Hell Week.
