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Founding commander of SEAL Team 6, Richard Marcinko, dead at 81

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FAUQUIER COUNTY, Va. — Richard Marcinko, the founding commander of the Navy’s SEAL Team 6, the elite unit credited with the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, died Saturday.

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Marcinko died at his home in Fauquier County, Virginia, of what was believed to be a heart attack, his son, Matthew Marcinko, told The New York Times.

The National Navy UDT SEAL Museum honored Marcinko with a post, saying: “Dick Marcinko played a very unique part in SEAL history, leaving a legacy like no other. ‘Demo Dick’ is considered the United States’ premier counterterrorism operator.”

Marcinko was credited with leading a number of missions during the Vietnam War, including an assault in 1967 that killed many enemy troops and Viet Cong, and led to a bounty being placed on his head, UPI reported. Marcinko was never caught.

Commander Marcinko wrote a bestselling book that cemented the SEALS’ image as heroes and bad boys in pop culture, The New York Times reported.

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