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Despite the widespread attention paid to the SEALs (Sea, Air and Land) since they eliminated Osama bin Laden, the story of how these clandestine commandoes evolved in response to changing threats — from WWII to the War on Terror — and how their extraordinary abilities shaped U.S. and world history, has remained untold. Few people know the unheralded tales of the first frogmen who dared to face almost certain death with little training, scant equipment and untested tactics.
“NAVY SEALS – THEIR UNTOLD STORY revisits the most riveting missions of each era, and PBS is pleased to tell the story of how the SEALs changed the nature of the Navy’s special operations,” says Bill Gardner, Vice President, Programming and Development, PBS. “Aspart of the PBS Stories of Service initiative, this film will provide a deeper understanding of our nation’s military history through the eyes of those who have served our country.”
The Navy’s first Special Warfare Units go back to World War II, and, without them, many of the chapters of that conflict — including the invasion of Normandy and in subsequent conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq — might have been written with different outcomes.
NAVY SEALS – THEIR UNTOLD STORY recounts the ticking-clock missions of the “Commandoes of the Deep” through firsthand accounts — including that of a D-Day demolition team member — and through never-before-seen footage, home movies and personal mementoes. Admirals, master chiefs, clandestine operators, demolitioneers and snipers reveal how US Navy SEALs morphed into the world's most admired commandoes.
“We are told that this is the first time Naval Special Warfare has assisted with the research of a documentary about the teams and their forefathers,” says filmmaker Carol L. Fleisher. “We believe this is the first time a documentary has framed the history of the world through the lens of firsthand SEAL reports and missions – some of which have only recently been declassified."
