Those rough and tumble warriors who've earned the SEAL Trident, or as it's more commonly known, The Budweiser, know exactly who this man is. He is the reason they exist, he is the reason the standards exist. In a world where precision, surgical, small team tactics of highly motivated, skilled operators are becoming more and more valuable as asymmetrical warfare becomes the name of the game, we take a look back at Roy Boehm, the man who paved the way for SEALs to be what they are. He is the start of their lineage and folks, we can't think of a better man to have taken those reigns.
![Roy Boehm](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/628555501ce3640a820fdbb5/62c322254933f4f2b90a29ff_Roy-Boehm-in-Vietnam.jpeg)
During World War 2 Roy Boehm was a Navy Diver. This is starting to make sense as we know SEALs are famous for their prowess in the water. Moving on. At one point during the war, Roy found himself wounded with shrapnel in his head and body, amidst his sinking ship. However, this would not deter good old Roy. Roy dove down and rescued one of his shipmates from the wreckage, despite being wounded. The story then got to what we'd call legendary status as Roy fought of sharks, yes you read that right, he fought off sharks! Unfortunately, his shipmate was unable to fight sharks as well as Roy (because apparently, that's a skill that Roy was taught) and the sharks ended up getting the better of him. Roy survived though.Again Roy found himself serving during the landings at Inchon during the Korean War. Roy get's around, after all of this, at the ripe old age of 31, Roy underwent the Navy's UDT training and received his commission. Upon receiving his commission, Roy developed and trained the first of the U.S. Navy SEALs and after a demonstration to John F. Kennedy himself, the commando unit was given almost exclusive access to do what they felt they needed to in order to accomplish the mission.
![Roy Boehm](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/628555501ce3640a820fdbb5/62c3221fdb609bfda5376023_Boehm.jpeg)
For all those that wear the SEAL Trident, we're proud to tell the story of your founder, Roy Boehm, a badass among badasses.Read more stories of American Grit here: