The Last Living Member Of First Navy SEAL Team Turned 94 Recently

What an incredible legacy.

Bill Dawson, the only living member of the very first Navy SEAL team, turned 94 years old this past month. According to NBC, In 1943, Bill Dawson was part of the very first team of Naval Combat Demolition Units, or more commonly known as “frogmen.” They eventually evolved into the modern-day Navy SEALs. Dawson was just 17 when he joined the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II and he remained there until the Japanese surrendered in 1945.

“Knowing today what I helped start developed into what it is today. It’s one of the greatest outfits in the world,” Dawson said.

A luckily for us, he’s managed to chronicle some of his amazing adventures.

“Everything we did was top-secret,” Dawson said. “You weren’t supposed to keep a log of any information. But I managed to keep my scrapbook.” He kept a diary and took countless photos while traveling between Japan, Papua New Guinea, Boreno and other Pacific islands. “I’ve got some pretty good pictures. It tells a story.”

Dawson also published a book in 2015 titled, Before They Were SEALs, They Were Frogs.

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