VIRGINIA BEACH
From a bar stool at the Hilton Oceanfront, Dick Marcinko tilted a bottle of Sam Adams and offered a threat assessment of Washington, D.C. He didn’t need his fictional doppelganger, Rogue Warrior, to detonate any bombs. The power of words seemed enough.
“There’s no one running for office who I’d let walk my kids across the street,” he said.
John McCain?
“He’s been there too long,” answered the decorated Vietnam War veteran.
Ron Paul?
He raised his hand and drew the sign of the cross. Dead on arrival.
His solution to politics as usual?
“Burn D.C. to the ground and let them start all over,” said the man known as Demolition Dick.
Marcinko returned on Wednesday to Virginia Beach – where he spent many years as a Navy SEAL and commander of an anti-terrorism unit – to speak to the Virginia Beach Forum at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts.
He travels the world as a security and management consultant. He has settled down with his second wife, Nancy, and his two young children on a rural spread in Northern Virginia.
Another tale in the Rogue Warrior series, his 16th book, is coming soon. So is a video game, “Rogue Warrior,” in which his character ignites World War III. “There’s a lot of blood and guts in there,” he said with satisfaction.
It’s a long way from Pennsylvania mining country, which Marcinko left in 1958 for the Navy.
He became a frogman, served two tours in Vietnam, collected medals, earned a commission, led a SEAL team at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, started the Navy counterterrorism team Red Cell, seriously annoyed some flag officers, went to prison for misusing government funds, wrote a book to tell his side of the story, and became a best-selling author and maybe the world’s most famous Navy SEAL – at least until Rudy Boesch, who was on “Survivor” in 2000.
It is a background that puts Marcinko in demand as a security consultant. He has traveled to the Middle East several times recently and said he is pessimistic about the future. “The whole place is a time bomb.”
The terrorist threat has shifted dramatically since he left the Navy, he said. Just 10 years ago, anti-terrorism teams trained for plane hijackings diverting passengers to Cuba.
Marcinko said he sees danger in the franchising of al-Qaida: Small cells only loosely affiliated with Osama bin Laden recruit aggressively and hold similar terrorist goals, and the extremists connect through the Internet with coded messages and have set up a decentralized command structure.
“In that respect,” he said, “they’re a lot more sophisticated.”
They also have less regard for human life, he said. “They don’t lose by dying,” he said, alluding to the Muslim promise of paradise for martyrs. “They win.”
This country needs more aggressive and creative civilian and military leaders to take down these bad guys, he said. Maybe like the Rogue Warrior?
Marcinko used to chew over that idea with an old Navy SEAL friend, former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura.
“Waste of time,” he said.
Marcinko, compact and trim, dressed comfortably in a black button-down shirt, stylish jeans and black Crocs. He was soon noticed by the early happy-hour crowd.
Two guys in their 30s approached. They wanted to shake hands with the Rogue Warrior. One recommended a gin-and-cucumber drink.
Rogue shook his head.
“No tossed salad,” he replied. “I take it naked.”
Louis Hansen, (757) 446-2322, louis.hansen@pilotonline.com
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AQ a minor threat
AQ is a minor threat that was blown up by Bush-Cheney for political purposes. A bunch of guys in a cave in Pakistan with no army, no navy, and no air force is not a threat to a country of 300 million people. One million people have been killed by gun violence in this country since 1960. The NRA is a greater threat to Americans than AQ.
stick to what you know
I was there last night, and I would have much preferred to hear about his experiences testing security and the tactics he and his teams used to break in to highly classified national assets. If his talk had focused on those topics hw would have brought insight and perspective on the tactics we do or do not employ in the fight to keep the homeland safe. Instead however, he spoke not at all about that which he knew and/or had done, and instead delivered a highly opiniated diatribe about topics he clearly does not know or understand. If the diatribe had been better organized or had delivered in a more compact style, he may have still impressed. Regretfully, he did neither.
"Burn Washington to the ground and start over"
That will get some reaction, but it's what people need to hear when they're clueless about just how worthless our elected leaders are. I think that 90% of both Democrat and Republican politicians are idiots! Especially when it comes to National security issues, International affairs as well as our economy.
The truth hurts!
Dick always told it like it was and not how DC could feel comfortable with. The lack of true leaders like Dick are some of the reasons we are in the situations we face now. The PC touchy feely society of dreamers and ex hippie doctrine beleivers are in for a rude awakening if it has not happened to them yet . They say that he who laughs last laughs longest but this problem is not a laughing or harmless matter.
Listen to what?
Burn DC to the ground? That’s useful. The Middle East is a powder keg – wow, who would have guessed that? This is what we need from experts and news reporters – more sound bites. Go have another beer and watch your Clint Eastwood moivies.
Someone..
..should listen to him. If the idiot at the american embassy in Bierut had listened, people would have been saved! A true warrior in this "feel good", "PC" world! Fair Winds Shipmate!