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Roy Boehm

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

US Navy SEAL (1924–2008)
Roy Boehm
Roy Boehm as a Lieutenant in Vietnam
BornApril 9, 1924
DiedDecember 30, 2008(2008-12-30) (aged 84)
AllegianceUnited States of America
BranchUnited States Navy
Service years1941–1971
RankLieutenant Commander
UnitSEALs
CommandsUDT-21, Seal Team 2
ConflictsWorld War II

Korean War

Vietnam War
AwardsBronze Star withValor Device
Purple Heart
Air Medal

Roy H. Boehm (April 9, 1924 – December 30, 2008) was a veteran of 30 years of military service in theUnited States Navy, serving in three wars and various clandestine operations. Boehm was amustang officer who rose up from the enlisted ranks and was commissioned to develop and lead what would become theUS Navy SEALs as the first Officer In Charge of SEAL Team Two.

Career

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At the age of 17, Boehm enlisted in theUnited States Navy in April 1941 to become a diver and saw action in thePacific theater of operation duringWorld War II from February 1942 until the conclusion of the war in 1945.

His first billet as ahardhat diver was aboard theUSS Duncan (DD-485), a newly commissionedGleaves-classdestroyer.[1] The ship entered the wreckage ofPearl Harbor for last minute repairs and refitting before proceeding to the ocean war in the South Pacific. Qualified divers on all vessels entering Pearl Harbor were temporarily assigned to the base to assist in salvage of sunken ships.[1] Boehm was tasked with salvaging the sunkenUSS Arizona and diving to recover corpses and ammunition.[1][2] Boehm confessed that he found the job of recovering dead sailors so distressing that he actually vomited inside his diver's helmet the first time he was required to do it.[3]

Boehm was a veteran of one of the largest "all surface" sea engagements of World War II, theBattle of Cape Esperance atGuadalcanal.[2][4] During the battle, Boehm was serving on the destroyer USSDuncan when the ship received fifty-eight 6″ and 8″ shell hits at point blank range before going down. With shrapnel embedded in his head and body, he saved one of his shipmates from burning to death by plunging into the ocean.[4] Subsequently, he had to literally fight off sharks, which killed the sailor he tried to save.[4]

Boehm participated in the following campaigns and engagements:Battle of the Coral Sea,Bougainville,Truk,Green Island, Emerau,Saipan,Tinian, andGuam.[4] He was engaged in supplying arms and ammunition to the guerrillas in thePhilippines and fought the Japanese in Kerama Reto andOkinawa.[4]

After World War II, Boehm left the Navy briefly, but reenlisted after a few months of civilian life. He served asChief Boatswain's Mate aboard theUSS Worcester (CL-144) during theKorean War providing fire support for theMarine Corpslanding at Inchon and covering the retreat at theChosin Reservoir. In 1955 Boehm went through UDT (Underwater Demolition Team) training at the age of 31. Because of his prior experience as a deep-sea diver he had the opportunity to test prototypesubmersibles andswimmer-delivery vehicles. Eventually he was commissioned as an officer.

After receiving his commission, in early 1960 Boehm developed, designed, implemented, and led the US Navy'scommando organization known as theSEALs. He was the first Officer in Charge (OIC) of SEAL Team Two.[5] Boehm personally selected the men for this unit, the first two beingRudy Boesch as master-at-arms and J. H. "Hoot" Andrews asstorekeeper.[6][7]

While forming the SEALs, Boehm was subjected to a Board of Inquiry five times (but nevercourt-martialed) for offenses such as modifying issued gear (high-altitude parachutes and diving rigs) to make them suitable for the SEALs' purposes and for purchasing weapons such asAR-15s on the open market as opposed to going through official channels or the Navy's Bureau of Weapons.[5][8] The investigations were dropped after he received authorization from PresidentJohn F. Kennedy following a Kennedy visit to theLittle Creek training area to see the SEALs in action.[5][7][9]

Boehm's idea for a Naval commando unit went back to his time in the Pacific in World War II. He envisioned highly motivated and highly trained warriors like the Frogmen and UDTs operating beyond the beachhead.[5] He felt that his men should have a variety of training to give them an edge inunconventional warfare beyond diving,shooting,demolitions,martial arts, and parachuting and expanded the curriculum to include photography, intelligence gathering, and sailing.[10] He even sent SEALs to train in prisons to learn skills such as lockpicking, safecracking, and hotwiring cars from professional criminals.[7][10]

Service in Vietnam

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On November 4, 1963, Boehm arrived inSouth Vietnam to act as an advisor forArmy of the Republic of Vietnam Underwater Demolition Teams. Rather than train for the conventional UDT mission Boehm employed his frogmen in the unconventional warfare role conducting recon missions, ambushes and raids against theViet Cong (VC). He would also aid in the investigation of the successful VC underwaterattack on USNS Card, suggesting that the explosives and expertise used may have been provided by a group of deserters from his own unit. Boehm was eventually evacuated on medical grounds in late 1964 with viral hepatitis and a deformed kneecap. As an advisor in Vietnam, Boehm befriended and grew to respect one of his enemies, the commander of the VC 514th Battalion named Minh.[8]

Post Vietnam Service

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Boehm assisted in the design and implementation of the Navy's first counterinsurgency course, for which he received theNavy Achievement Medal.[5] Following this, he was named head of the Navy's River Patrol Craft Division where he developed tactical procedures, organized, and trainedPatrol Boat, River sailors forOperation Game Warden inVietnam.[5][8][11]

Death

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Boehm died December 30, 2008, at his home inPunta Gorda, Florida. He was 84. According to his wife Susan, he wanted his death to go unpublicized.[12] "He wanted no obituary, no funeral service and no fanfare," she said, "He just wanted to go in peace".[12]

On August 19, 2009,PresidentBarack Obama signed Public Law No. 111-59 (H.R. 2470), sponsored byCongressman Tom Rooney, which officially named the Murdock Post Office inPort Charlotte, Florida, located inCharlotte County in which Boehm lived, after him.[13][14]

To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 19190 Cochran Boulevard FRNT in Port Charlotte, Florida, as the "Lieutenant Commander Roy H. Boehm Post Office Building"

— Public Law No. 111-59, enacted August 19, 2009

Military awards

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References

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  1. ^abcBoehm, Roy; Sasser (1997).First Seal. New York: Pocket. pp. 32–40.ISBN 978-0-671-53626-8.
  2. ^abCarrol, Andrew (2001).War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars. New York: Scribner. pp. 394.ISBN 978-0-7434-1006-9.
  3. ^First Seal p. 44
  4. ^abcdeBoehm, Roy; Sasser (1997).First Seal. New York: Pocket. pp. 41–73.ISBN 978-0-671-53626-8.
  5. ^abcdefDockery, Kevin (2004).Navy SEALs: The Complete History. New York: Berkeley Books. pp. 73, 74, 195, 200.ISBN 978-0-425-20072-8.
  6. ^Boehm, Roy; Sasser (1997).First SEAL. New York: Pocket. pp. 150.ISBN 978-0-671-53626-8.
  7. ^abcFawcett, Bill (1995).Hunters & Shooters. New York: Avon. pp. 7–8.ISBN 978-0380721665.
  8. ^abcKelly, Orr (1992).Brave Men Dark Waters. New York: Pocket Books. pp. 111–113, 140.ISBN 978-0-671-86762-1.
  9. ^Kelly, Orr (1992).Brave Men, Dark Waters: The Untold Story of the Navy SEALs. Novato, CA: Presidio Press. Chapter 6.ISBN 978-0-8914-1408-7.
  10. ^abBoehm, Roy; Sasser (1997).First Seal. New York: Pocket. pp. 144.ISBN 978-0-671-53626-8.
  11. ^Fawcett, Bill (1995).Hunters & Shooters. New York: Avon. p. 40.ISBN 978-0380721665.
  12. ^abLegendary 'First SEAL' passes away Charlotte Sun, retrieved January 3, 2008
  13. ^"Bill passes to name post office for SEAL pioneer"(PDF). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 20 July 2011. Retrieved15 September 2009.Charlott Sun newspaper, June 17, 2009
  14. ^"Acts Approved by the President"(PDF). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 4 September 2009. Retrieved15 September 2009.

External links

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