At Watering Hole, SEALs’ Sad Tidings

The music was loud and the beer was flowing, but there was an undercurrent of sadness this weekend at McP’s, a legendary hangout for Navy SEALs.

One of the U.S. military’s smallest and most secretive combat units, the SEALs had just suffered the worst one-day death toll in the group’s history.

Eight SEALs were killed last week in the crash of a Chinook helicopter in the mountains of Afghanistan while on a rescue mission. But the news may get worse.

Although one SEAL being sought by the troops on the downed helicopter has been found, three others may still be missing.

“The entire SEAL community is devastated,” said a SEAL who, true to SEAL secrecy, would only give his name as David. “It’s devastating, but it’s also humbling. It shows you how dangerous this job is.”

McP’s, a block from the landmark Hotel del Coronado, is a short drive from the SEALs’ base, one of two in the United States.

The SEAL unit was formed in 1963 at the urging of President John F. Kennedy. Until last week’s helicopter crash killed eight SEALs and eight Army soldiers, the largest loss of life among the Navy commandos was during the Vietnam War, when five SEALs were killed in a helicopter crash.

In 1983, four SEALs drowned during the U.S. offensive in Grenada and in 1989, four were killed in a firefight as U.S. forces in Panama captured Gen. Manuel Noriega. No SEALs have been reported killed in Iraq or during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

The SEALs killed in the Chinook crash were from squads based in Virginia Beach, Va., and Pearl Harbor. There has been no announcement where the missing SEALs were stationed.

“We’re a small community, very tight, and everybody feels each loss,” said Brian Cooper, who retired last year as a SEAL and comes to McP’s to see friends who are on active duty.

While there are other watering holes favored by SEALs -- including Danny’s Palm Bar and Grill in Coronado and Ye Olde Plank Inn in Imperial Beach -- McP’s Irish Pub & Grill remains the most popular.

It’s here that SEALs come when they return from an overseas mission. This is the place where newly initiated SEALs celebrate after completing the grueling 26-week basic training at the Naval Special Warfare Center here.

Owned by former SEAL Greg McPartlin, the walls of McP’s are covered with SEAL memorabilia, including a picture of McPartlin and his SEAL team in Vietnam. Navy blue T-shirts are sold with the name of the bar and the words “U.S. Navy SEALs.”

McP’s was even mentioned in the 1997 movie “G.I. Jane” starring Demi Moore in the fictional story of first female SEAL. “McP’s is a legend,” David said.

Split between West Coast and East Coast teams, there are 2,400 SEALs, backed by 600 special warfare combat craft crewmen and 2,000 support personnel.

The Bush administration wants to increase the number of SEALs by 15%. The dropout rate during SEALs training is said to exceed 50%. To encourage SEALs to reenlist, the Navy offers bonuses of more than $45,000.

Even by the standards of other special operations units, the SEALs -- the name comes from sea, air and land -- are secretive. In Iraq and Afghanistan, reporters traveling with Army and Marine Corps units are required to promise not to mention the presence of SEALs.

In war zones, the SEALs avoid wearing recognizable insignia, but McP T-shirts are often a giveaway.

For years, SEALs staged a demonstration each Fourth of July to give the public a glimpse of their skills, such as “fast roping” from helicopters into San Diego Bay. The demonstrations were canceled after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as SEALs deployed abroad.

Even before the U.S. invasion, SEALs slipped into Iraq, assessing the strength of bridges and roads, and testing the Euphrates and Tigris rivers for poison gas. SEALs seized dams, secured oilfields and assisted in the 2003 rescue of Jessica Lynch.

SEALs were assigned to work with the CIA to capture suspected terrorists, a fact that was unknown until eight SEALs were accused of mistreating prisoners. The charges were handled administratively; in the only court-martial, a SEAL lieutenant was acquitted last month by a jury whose foreman was a SEAL officer.

The mission in Afghanistan was one for which the SEALs are known to train extensively, rescuing and reinforcing other troops in rugged terrain surrounded by enemy forces.

The SEAL named David said he believes the deaths in Afghanistan will only increase the desire of SEALs to “get into the action.”

“It will show the guys that this thing isn’t over,” he said. “I don’t know a guy who isn’t motivated to get over there.”

Cooper agreed. “I think the general mood is ‘mourn quickly and move on,’ ” he said. “There’s a job to be done.”