Stories of Warfighter Production: Part 14

The Men with Green Faces

As Commanding Officer, one of my greatest honors was pinning SEAL and SWCC graduates with the Trident and War Boat. 

This story is about the most impactful SEAL I pinned.

President John F. Kennedy established the Navy SEALS in the early 60s.

We were born from our forefathers, the Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) Frogmen, who laid our cornerstone with Hell Week. 

But Naval Special Warfare as we know it today was forged in the jungles of Vietnam. 

The Men with Green Faces built our culture, codified in 1970 as a symbol to be feared by our adversaries for generations to come. 

“My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the heroes that have gone before, it embodies the trust of those I have sworn to protect. By wearing the Trident, I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege I must earn every day.” Excerpt from the SEAL Ethos

As I began my journey with the Teams in 2000, these were the men we looked up to. We studied their operations, mimicked their training, and listened to their stories as we sustained the culture they paid for in blood. 

What they forged for us, my generation folded into hardened steel in the mountains of Afghanistan and deserts of Iraq.

Recently, we discovered one of our own had been left behind, discarded in an era of hostility between active duty and the American public.

Ray Smith cut his teeth in BUD/S Class 52, six classes before the bell was even introduced. While deployed with SEAL Team ONE, he was almost killed in a gunfight against the Viet Cong. A helicopter pilot risked all to evacuate him but never learned if he survived. 

Ray was medically separated from active duty service before his platoon returned home. He was neither awarded the Purple Heart nor the SEAL Trident, which was approved by the US Navy mere weeks before he separated.

Years later, his son, Spencer, discovered these oversights and took corrective action, ultimately bringing them to our doorstep. 

Imagine how profound it was to pin my forefather with the very symbol he built for me. 

This is Ray’s story.

“Brave SEALs have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared reputation that I am bound to uphold. In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and silently guides my every deed. I will not fail.”

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