Richard Marcinko was a U.S. Navy SEAL commander and Vietnam War veteran. He was well known for being the first and foremost Commanding Officer of Red Cell and SEAL Team Six. He also became known in his retirement as a motivational speaker. After retiring from the United States Navy, he became an author, radio talk show host, military consultant, and motivational speaker. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a radioman in 1958 and was later promoted to officer status. He led the group for its first three years and was awarded more than 30 medals and citations during his career with the US Navy. His direct and abrasive leadership style brought great success but often caused conflict with superiors. Some accused him of encouraging a reckless, “bad boy” culture at Seal Team Six. Off the battlefield, Richard faced legal battles and was briefly jailed for defrauding the US government. He played a vital role in boosting America’s counter-terrorism capabilities at the tail end of the Cold War. His larger-than-life personality, and his autobiography “Rogue Warrior”, helped to cement Seal Team Six’s place in military folklore and popular culture. Unfortunately, we lost such a strong guy on 25th December 2021.
Richard Marcinko: Seal Team Six founder dies at 81
Richard Marcinko who was a legendary military figure known for leading SEAL Team Six when the covert special operations unit was in its infancy, died Saturday on 25th December 2021, according to his son and the National Navy SEAL Museum. He passed away at the age of 81 at his home in Fauquier County, Virginia. “Last night, Christmas evening, we lost a hero, who’s also known as The Rogue Warrior, the retired Navy SEAL commander AND the creator of SEAL Team Six, my father, Richard Marcinko,” Matt Marcinko wrote in a tweet on Sunday. “His legacy will live forever. The man has died a true legend,” he added.
Source: @youtube
What was Richard Marcinko Famous For?
- Being a U.S. Navy SEAL commander and Vietnam War veteran.
- For being the first commanding officer of SEAL Team Six.
What was Richard Marcinko Nationality?
Richard Marcinko was born on 21st November 1940 in Lansford, Pennsylvania, U.S. He was American by nationality and mixed by ethnicity as he was of Croatian and Slovak descent. His father was a Croat from Herzegovina, and his mother was from Slovakia. Similarly, his religion was Christian and his race was white. Richard lastly celebrated his 81st birthday in the November of 2021 and as per his birthdate, his star sign was Scorpio. He was the son of George Marcinko (father) and Emilie Teresa Pavlik Marcinko (mother).
Talking about Richard’s education, he dropped out of his high school and tried to enlist in the United States Marines, who rejected him due to a lack of a high school diploma. He successfully enlisted in the United States Navy in September 1958 as a radioman. He was accepted into the Underwater Demolition Team/ Replacement (UDTR) training in June 1961 and graduated in class 26 in October 1961. After graduating from Officer Candidate School in December 1965, he had commissioned an ensign. He was later reassigned to SEAL Team TWO in June 1966. He also received a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and a Master of Arts degree in political science from Auburn University at Montgomery.
How was the Career of Richard Marcinko?
- Richard Marcinko conceived his career being successfully enlisted in the United States Navy in September 1958 as a radioman. He deployed to Vietnam with 2nd Platoon, SEAL Team Two for a six-month tour of duty in January 1967 and led his men in an assault on Ilo Ilo Hon (Ilo Ilo Island) on 18th May 1967, where they killed a large number of Viet Cong and destroyed six of their sampans.
- This action would come to be called the “most successful SEAL operation in the Mekong Delta” by the U.S. Navy. For leading this mission, Richard was awarded the Silver Star, the first of his four Bronze Stars, as well as a Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
- Then after completing his second tour in Vietnam and a two-year stateside staff assignment, Marcinko was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and assigned as the Naval Attache to Cambodia in 1973.
- He returned stateside and assumed command of SEAL Team Two from 1974 to 1976 after serving in Cambodia for 18 months.
- He was one of two Navy representatives for a Joint Chiefs of Staff task force known as the TAT (Terrorist Action Team) during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 as well as he was selected by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Thomas B. Hayward as the first commanding officer of this new unit.
- While typically a two-year command, he commanded SEAL Team Six for three years, from August 1980 to July 1983.
- As well, he was tasked by Vice Admiral James “Ace” Lyons, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, with the design of a unit to test the Navy’s vulnerability to terrorism after relinquishing command of SEAL Team SIX to CDR Robert Gormly. This unit was the Naval Security Coordination Team OP-06D, unofficially named Red Cell.
- Furthermore, Richard can be seen in several films such as “G.I. Jane”, “The Rock”, “24” (Season 5). He had also written his autobiography, “The New York Times best-selling Rogue Warrior”.
- He was also a spokesman for the Zodiac boat company’s Zodiac Maritime Training Academy, and served as a consultant on FOX’s television series “24”.
Kickback trial and imprisonment
- Richard Marcinko was indicted for conspiracy, conflict of interest, and lying to the government on 13th July 1989, in connection with a kickback of $113,000 paid to Ramco International.
- He was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the government on 24th January 1990. The jury in that trial also acquitted Marcinko of a separate count of bribery.
- Also, he was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and fined $10,000 under charges of defrauding the government over the price of contractor acquisitions for hand grenades on 9th March 1990.
Source: @quoracdn
Bibliography
Non-fiction
- Rogue Warrior (1992)
- Leadership Secrets of the Rogue Warrior: A Commando’s Guide to Success (1997)
- The Rogue Warriors Strategy for Success (1998)
- The Real Team (1999)
Articles
- “Ethics in the War against Terrorism” for “World Defense Review”, 15th July 2005
Awards and Achievements
- Silver Star
- Legion of Merit
- Gallantry Cross
- Bronze Star Medal
- Commendation Medal
Source: @al.com
Who was Richard Marcinko Wife?
Richard Marcinko was a married guy. He married two times in his entire life. He first married Kathy Black and later with Nancy Alexander. He married Kathy Black in 1962 and they, unfortunately, divorced each other in 1985. They together had two children. Later, Richard met another lady of his life named Nancy Alexander. They both got married on 4th September 1993. They together had a wonderful life and happy living until the death of Richard. Reflecting on his sexual orientation, he was straight.
What was the Net Worth of Richard Marcinko?
Richard Marcinko had achieved a lot of titles before his death. He had a net worth of $13 million at the time of his death (2021) whereas his exact amount of salary had not been disclosed yet. He was CEO of Red Cell International and formerly of SOS Temps, Inc. He was the most successful personality while being an active member of the US Navy. Richard also partnered with Bethesda Softworks to publish “Rogue Warrior” for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. In addition, his major source of income was from his U.S. Navy SEAL commander and Vietnam War veteran career.
How tall was Richard Marcinko?
Richard Marcinko was 5 feet and 7 inches tall and his body weighed around 87 kg. He had dark brown hair and eyes color. Richard kept his body maintained, fit and fine at that age too which was so awesome. Moreover, his body build type was average.
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