Ninja vs. Navy SfAL Seven-year-old Walker Greentree can't decide if he'd rather be a Navy SEAL when he grows up, or a ninja. He's keeping his options open. In the meantime, this summer, while he was playing in his yard-loudly-with a friend, his mother scolded him and told him he need to be "quiet, like a SEAL." His friend promptly came back with, "Ninjas are quieter than SEALS." And so began a debate that the two boys decided only an expert could resolve. So, Walker wrote a letter to Admiral William H. McRaven, the US Navy admiral in charge of United States Special Operations Command. Now, Admiral McRaven is a busy guy, but when he received Walker's letter, he knew he needed to set record straight. Admiral McRaven wrote back: "To answer your questions : I think ninjas are probably quieter than SEALs, but we are better swimmers, and also better with guns and blowing things up." There you have it. .1
(below) SEA Ls, short for the US Navy Sea, Air, Land teams, were established in 1962 as a small, elite maritime military force "suited for all aspects of unconventional warfare." Their motto is: "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday."
Walker Greentree is from a military family and is a member of MilKidz Club, a program run by Blue Star Families, which works to support and empower military families in the US. To learn more about Blue Star Families, visit www.bluestarfam.org.
September 19 2013
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SEA HISTORY 145, WINTER 201 3-14