ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — They are an elite force in our United States military, but their missions are so top secret that learning about the Navy SEALs isn't exactly an open book.
However, the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum near Fort Pierce gets you up close and personal with the history of the SEAL teams.
During a recent visit to the museum, Navy veteran and WPTV anchor Mike Trim met with executive director Grant Mann, a retired Navy SEAL.
Mann wants visitors to understand the significance of the SEALs' history.
"I want them to remember the history that we have but more importantly the sacrifice," Mann said.
From boats located outside of the museum to weaponry inside the building, displays were actually used by SEAL teams
From a SEAL delivery vehicle hanging from the ceiling to the weapons in glass cases, visitors quickly feel like they're about to learn about top-secret missions.
Inside the museum, you quickly learn the origin of how the SEALs started on the shores of Hutchinson Island in 1943.
Mann pointed to Trim a picture of trainees holding a log over their heads on the south side of the Fort Pierce Inlet.
The men in the photo were simulating conditions for World War II's D-Day invasion.
"They would come over here and blow the heck out of these beaches to get ready for Normandy," Mann said.
As the museum reveals, these teams weren't called SEALs back then.
"Let's design a unit that can go out, and dive underwater," Mann said while describing the origins of the SEALs. "That's where U-D-T came from. Underwater Demolition Team."
The museum takes pride in displaying weaponry and memorabilia that are all authentic.
"No replicas here," Mann said. "Some of these have a lot of stories. Some of them I don't know."
From their actions in World War II to the Korean War — where another nickname for these warriors emerged.
While pointing out a Korean War-era dive suite, Trim referenced the gear the SEALs wore in the 1950s.
"Oh yeah, (they wore) completely different (gear back then)," Mann said. "Green mask, green suit, green fins, hence the term frogmen."
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy made it official, creating the two Navy SEAL teams, which stands for Sea Air and Land.
There's history and fun here at the museum.
Visitors can tie several types of knots, simulating the array of things frogmen had to do, only they had to perform under harsh conditions.
In the modern wing of the museum, one of most popular attractions is the lifeboat used in Captain Phillips rescue.
This lifeboat was made famous in the Tom Hanks movie where pirates hijacked Phillip's ship. Three of the pirates were eventually killed by Navy SEALs and Phillips was rescued.
"They brought (the boat) down, put it in here and it still has the actual bullet holes in it," Mann said while pointing out details on the vessel.
A Blackhawk helicopter, a Vietnam display and a 9/11-era display all round out the history that keeps moving forward for the Navy SEALs.
Located outside the building, visitors can also train like a SEAL at the obstacle course, scaling a wall, climbing a rope and more.
This blend of fun and patriotism is what makes the museum special.
"The younger kids need to know how they have their freedom, and what they're doing and being able to do this stuff," Mann told Trim. "It comes at a cost.”
That cost sometimes comes with the danger of the job.
"We also have our memorial wall. We've got everybody from World War II to the present time, 310 names on the wall," Man said. "A lot of the guys I served with over there."
It's a fitting tribute to those that gave it all.
The museum also plans to expand in the future. Mann said they hope to break ground on the expansion at the end of 2025 on a new, two-story 20,000-square-foot building.
