Operators
The founders, the snipers and the Medal-of-Honor legends — the men and women who became the units. [57 operators]
Newly added
The latest names on the roster — they are in the full list below as well.
ModernNEWJeff Struecker
Drove the Mogadishu convoy back into the fight, 1993
ModernNEWLeroy Petry
Threw back a grenade that took his hand — Medal of Honor
ModernNEWRonald Shurer
Medic under fire at Shok Valley — Medal of Honor
ModernNEWWilliam McRaven
Planned and commanded the raid on bin Laden
Cold WarNEWEric Haney
Early Delta operator — Inside Delta Force, The Unit
ModernNEWDavid Goggins
Ran 100 miles for the families of the fallen
ModernNEWChristian Craighead
Walked into the Nairobi siege alone
Cold WarNEWChristian Prouteau
Founded France's GIGN
WWIINEWJan Kubiš
Operation Anthropoid
WWIINEWJoachim Rønneberg
Led the Heroes of Telemark
ModernNEWJohn A. Chapman
Takur Ghar — fought to the last man
Cold WarNEWJohn McAleese
Iranian Embassy — Operation Nimrod
WWIINEWJozef Gabčík
Operation Anthropoid
WWIINEWLuigi Durand de la Penne
Human torpedo attack on Alexandria
ModernNEWMark Donaldson
SASR — Victoria Cross in Afghanistan
WWIINEWPhilippe Kieffer
Led the French Commandos on D-Day
WWIINEWTommy Prince
Devil's Brigade reconnaissance legend
ModernNEWWillie Apiata
Carried his wounded comrade through fire
The quiet professionals
57 men and women who went in when everyone else was coming out — founders, snipers, frogmen and the ones who went back for the wounded. Filter by era or search above.
57 operators
WWIIWilliam J. Donovan
Founded the OSS — father of the CIA
WWIIEvans Carlson
Carlson's Raiders — 'Gung-ho'
WWIIMerritt A. Edson
Held Edson's Ridge (Medal of Honor)
WWIINEWPhilippe Kieffer
Led the French Commandos on D-Day
WWIIOrde Wingate
Created the Chindits deep-penetration force
WWIISimo Häyhä
'White Death' — 500+ kills
WWIIJack Churchill
Went to war with a sword & bagpipes
WWIIVirginia Hall
The most-wanted Allied spy in France
WWIIWilliam O. Darby
Raised Darby's Rangers
WWIINEWJozef Gabčík
Operation Anthropoid
WWIINancy Wake
The Gestapo's 'White Mouse'
WWIINEWJan Kubiš
Operation Anthropoid
WWIINEWLuigi Durand de la Penne
Human torpedo attack on Alexandria
WWIIDavid Stirling
Founded the SAS
WWIIPaddy Mayne
Most decorated SAS soldier of the war
WWIINEWTommy Prince
Devil's Brigade reconnaissance legend
WWIIVasily Zaitsev
The sniper of Stalingrad
WWIINEWJoachim Rønneberg
Led the Heroes of Telemark
WWIIAnders Lassen
Only SAS Victoria Cross of WWII
Cold WarAaron Bank
Father of the Green Berets
Cold WarArthur D. Simons
Led the Sơn Tây prison raid
Cold WarLauri Törni
Finnish war hero turned Green Beret
Cold WarBilly Waugh
Still hunting targets in his 70s
Cold WarCharlie Beckwith
Founded Delta Force
Cold WarUlrich Wegener
Led the Mogadishu hostage rescue
Cold WarRoy Benavidez
Six hours in hell (Medal of Honor)
Cold WarRobert L. Howard
Most decorated US soldier of Vietnam
Cold WarRichard Marcinko
First commander of SEAL Team Six
Cold WarCarlos Hathcock
'White Feather' — the sniper legend
Cold WarYonatan Netanyahu
Led — and fell at — the Entebbe raid
Cold WarNEWJohn McAleese
Iranian Embassy — Operation Nimrod
Cold WarMike Vining
Plank-owner of Delta Force · EOD legend
Cold WarNEWEric Haney
Early Delta operator — Inside Delta Force, The Unit
Cold WarNEWChristian Prouteau
Founded France's GIGN
ModernSławomir Petelicki
Founded Poland's GROM
ModernNEWWilliam McRaven
Planned and commanded the raid on bin Laden
ModernRandy Shughart
Mogadishu — Black Hawk Down (Medal of Honor)
ModernGary Gordon
Mogadishu — Black Hawk Down (Medal of Honor)
ModernAnatoly Lebed
Fought on with a prosthetic leg — Hero of Russia
ModernNEWJohn A. Chapman
Takur Ghar — fought to the last man
ModernBritt K. Slabinski
Battle of Takur Ghar (Medal of Honor)
ModernNEWJeff Struecker
Drove the Mogadishu convoy back into the fight, 1993
ModernJocko Willink
Led Task Unit Bruiser in Ramadi
ModernNEWWillie Apiata
Carried his wounded comrade through fire
ModernChris Kyle
'American Sniper' — 160 confirmed kills
ModernNEWDavid Goggins
Ran 100 miles for the families of the fallen
ModernMarcus Luttrell
The 'Lone Survivor' of Red Wings
ModernMike Day
Shot 27 times — and kept fighting
ModernMichael P. Murphy
Operation Red Wings (Medal of Honor)
ModernPat Tillman
Left the NFL to become a Ranger
ModernNEWRonald Shurer
Medic under fire at Shok Valley — Medal of Honor
ModernEdward Byers
Afghan hostage rescue (Medal of Honor)
ModernNEWLeroy Petry
Threw back a grenade that took his hand — Medal of Honor
ModernNEWMark Donaldson
SASR — Victoria Cross in Afghanistan
ModernFlorent Groberg
Tackled a suicide bomber (Medal of Honor)
ModernThomas P. Payne
ISIS hostage rescue (Medal of Honor)
ModernNEWChristian Craighead
Walked into the Nairobi siege alone