NAVY TIMES
By Kathleen Gray - Detroit Free Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 1, 2011 17:39:04 EST
Posted : Thursday Dec 1, 2011 17:39:04 EST
The Navy SEALs are a highly trained, tight-knit family. So tight that they’ll die for each other.
When one or more dies, the others rally.
An Oakland County, Mich., family, whose son is an active Navy SEAL, is leading the charge to help the families of 22 SEALs who were killed Aug. 6 when the helicopter they were flying in was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed in Afghanistan.
The family has asked to not have its name or any details about their son revealed. The family is helping to host a fundraiser in Bloomfield Hills on Friday. The SEALs killed in the attack left behind 26 children. A total of 30 people were killed in the helicopter crash.
TO DONATE
Donations can be sent through Dec. 31. Checks can be made out to the Navy SEAL Foundation, care of Clarkston State Bank, 15 S. Main St., Clarkston, MI 48346.
“They’re closer than brothers,” the Oakland County mother said this week. “That kind of relationship is so unusual. They depend on each other for their lives.”
The fund-raiser — a 7 p.m. strolling dinner, dance and silent auction at St. George Greek Orthodox Church — will raise money to be donated directly to the families.
“We’d like to raise at least $100,000 so we can give a little to each family,” said Ed Adler, founder of Clarkston State Bank. The bank is helping to host the fundraiser and will administer donations. “When there are a bunch of kids, any amount helps, especially around Christmas.
“For the risk they’re taking, it’s a small price to pay,” he said.
The Navy’s 2,500 SEALs, stationed in 40 countries, go through 18 months of training before they are accepted onto a team. That is followed by another year of training before their deployment.
The Oakland County mother talked about the extraordinary physical and mental abilities team members must have.
“You have to have a certain mindset to be on the team,” she said.
And you have to stay shrouded in secrecy. The crash claimed some members of SEAL Team 6. Several men from that ultra-elite team killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. But families will never know the assignments their Navy SEALs get.
“They never tell us anything,” the mother said.
Tickets cost $100 each and will be available at the church the night of the fundraiser.