The founder of the U.S. Navy Team SEAL Six, Richard Marcinko, died on Christmas day according to various news outlets. A legendary operator known as “Rogue Warrior”, Marcinko, started as a Navy radioman in 1958 after being rejected by the U.S. Marines, he later on was accepted to be a member of the Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) the predecessor of the U.S. Navy SEALs in 1961 and went on to lead 2nd Platoon SEAL Team Two during the Vietnam War where he completed two tours.

One of his legendary exploits during the Vietnam War was leading an assault on Ilo Ilo Island where they killed many Viet Cong and destroyed six sampans. The North Vietnamese Army placed a bounty on his head that will be paid to whoever will kill him.

After returning to the U.S., he assumed command of SEAL Team Two for two years. During the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1979, he was part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s TAT or Terrorist Action Team which was tasked to develop plans for the rescue of the hostages that became to be the failed Operation Eagle Claw. This lead to the U.S. Navy to conclude for the need of a counter-terrorism unit and assigned Marcinko to its development and called it SEAL Team Six though there were only two SEAL Teams at that time to confuse other countries. He commanded SEAL Team Six from the 1980 to 1983.

Interview series with Richard Marcinko by SOFREP

After his stint with SEAL Team Six, he was tasked to head Naval Security Coordination Team OP-06D to test the security vulnerabilities of the U.S. Navy to terrorism. Naval Security Coordination Team OP-06D was also known as Red Cell.

In 1990, he was sentenced to 21 months in prison after he was found guilty of defrauding the government for the acquisition he grenades. This is a charge he denies and maintains that the fraud exposed the weaknesses of the military security.

Marcinko had a best-selling book called “Rogue Warrior” his autobiography that was followed by a series of fiction novels using the title of the book co-written with ghost writer John Weisman, including leadership and management books.

Prior to his death he was the CEO of Red Cell Global, a private security consulting firm.