SEAL Team 66™

It all began in 2016. 

While serving the 2-14 Cavalry of the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii, Brian desired to grow and develop Soldiers into spiritual leaders, but he needed a method to increase participation in spiritual-fitness events. He noticed that Soldiers often joined in outdoor adventures (hiking, kayaking, motocross & scuba diving), so it only made sense to merge the physical and spiritual.

Next, Brian needed a brand name to reflect the core values that he envisioned. After a little creativity, he penned SEAL Team 66.  No, it's not named after US Navy SEAL Team 6.  Although Brian trained and served with Navy SEALs during his decade in SF, he choose SEAL as a literary technique to attract young Soldiers.  

MEANING

It all means something.

SE stands for Spiritually Engaged.

AL stands for Active Leaders.

Team is just that - a team.

66 stands for the 66 Books of the Bible.

All combined, SEAL Team 66 perfectly captured Brian's vision.

LOGO

Next, Brian needed a logo and designed the original picture you see above. It tells a story. The logo includes the unit name (2-14 CAV), a US Army Special Operations Diver badge, FM 6-22 on the forehead, the number 66 as the base, and two lightning bolts. 

~The Special Operator represents all the radness & badness of SOF. It's a subliminal reminder to bust your butt, strive for excellence, and go after your goals.  

~The diver represents scuba and underwater exploration in Hawaii.

~The sharks represent danger associated with many of the activities.

~Two Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knives in saltire represent edged weapons training.

~FM 6-22 represents the Army Field Manual for Leader Development.

~66 represents the sixty-six books of the Bible - the foundation of SEAL Team 66. Without 66, the team would lack purpose.

~They lightning bolts represent the sea, air and land - Hawaii's playground.

~Two lightning bolts also represent the 25th Infantry Division, whose motto is to 'strike light tropic lightning.' 

LAUNCH

With the package complete, SEAL Team 66 launched and group activities were scheduled, such as hiking, kayaking, scuba diving, fishing and even unarmed self-defense.  The activities included engaging devotionals and challenging spiritual fitness events as originally envisioned.  

EXPANSION

In 2017, SEAL Team 66 created a FaceBook and gained momentum. Soldiers had a new alternative to sitting in the barracks playing Xbox all weekend between training missions.  Stickers popped up around post and the word spread. Soldiers attended and became active, junior leaders and some became spiritually engaged while connecting to chapel services.  

2018, SEAL Team 66 expanded to include Family members, and not long after, it opened publicly to all. Subsequently, HIKING HAWAII was a FaceBook offshoot that has several thousand members.

CURRENT

In 2019, Brian and others left Hawaii. SEAL Team 66 is taking a long break....

FUTURE

Brian always envisioned SEAL Team 66 to continue, but it takes SEALs at all levels. The hope was for it to grow and reproduce itself in multiple locations  -  at churches, chapels and other military organizations.  That's still the hope for the future.  Outdoor activities are easy to plan and manage; devotionals are readily available to implement.  What it takes to continue is challenging to find. That's energetic, passionate, Spiritually Engaged, Active Leaders who stand on 66.

Is that you? 

Are you the future of a SEAL Team 66?