As a former Navy SEAL operator, I can speak with authority about maritime SEAL training in the Puget Sound area, and am eager and able to dispel the concerns of some uninformed Ground Zero Center members.

It is hilarious to think that their concerns focus on impending fear that a few Navy SEALS, they themselves who are humans who have a right to use the same facilities as any citizen, could cause while inserting ashore under cover of darkness onto recreational sites. They will not be seen or heard anyway, if the SEALs so choose. Even if they want to be sighted, citizens are thrilled to see what they do.

To also be concerned about environmental damage caused by a few men sneaking ashore is ludicrous. They have been training here for years already, but nobody knows where or what they have done. Certainly not GZC.

The dangers in these high-risk training missions largely disappear when the SEALs hit the beach. In real-life missions, the danger continues at the objective. These highly dedicated men need the chance to train to reach the objective in environments that approximate the dangers in real-life missions. They need our support, not disdain based on fabricated environmental or social issues.

Thomas Kleehammer
LCDR, USN (SEAL), Retired
Poulsbo