SEAL Team Six: Accuracies and Inaccuracies

[CommieHunter]

I watched SEAL Team Six: The Hunt for Osama Bin Laden, from National Geographic. It was ok, and a decent overview if you haven't read the book 'No Easy Day'. However, I felt there were a number of inaccuracies in the film. I'd like to discuss both what elements were incorrect, as well as note those that were correct. It's one of those areas in life where we may not get the real story publicly, so we have to piece it together from multiple accounts. I'm also interested in SEAL specific elements, like gear and tactics that may or may not have been accurate.

1: Factual Inaccuracies
The crashed Blackhawk landed with its tail propped on the wall. AFAIK, the tail stem did not snap.
Osama was unarmed when he was shot. There was an AK in the room, but he was not holding it.
Osama was shot in the doorway from down the hall. They did not breach the room he was in.
They did not show the extreme evidence gathering that went on afterwards.
They imply that everyone left on a single Blackhawk.
They showed the Pakistani jets being 'scared down' by F-15s
Failed to show photos being taken after Geronimo was KIA.

2: Gear/Tactics Issues
Everyone was shown with ACH/MICH 2000 helmets, and single tube NODs. They should have been wearing quad-tube NODs. I'm not sure what helmets they should be wearing, but I would have expected MICH 2001+COMTAC/SORDIN
They wore Navy/USMC FROG shirts, not CRYE Combat Shirts
They wore external kneepads, not the CRYE Combat Pants
3-2-1-Execute! Really? I was under the impression that they exploded the locked doors, not shotgunned.
The room clearing tactics seemed old.


3: Technical Inaccuracies
Muzzle Flash shown on suppressed rifles? Did I see that right?
The arguing between Cam Gigandet's character and the Redneck seemed out of place, like they added it purely for drama.
The attitude of the Senior NCO and the SEALs towards each other did not ring true. They did not have the genuine feeling of the SEALs in Act of Valor. They lacked that je ne sais quoi.


Let me know if you saw it, and what you thought. I'd like to hear if I missed something, or if I called out something that actually is accurate.

Accurate:
They carried HK416s.
They wore AOR1 at some point
They killed Osama Bin Laden

The courier's brother was shot in the gate-house (shown, but not really clear where it happened, as with much of the action).
Women and children were shepherded to safety.

[Diegunner]

Thanks for saying this I just finished reading the book a few days before the movie came out and that just about covers the complaints I had about the movie.

[Nark]

Is it available to watch online?

[AndyC]

Yes, it is available on Netfix for streaming,

[Catch22]

National Geographic made it, Xzibit is in it. The suck factor will be high.

Edit: You'll probably have better luck with Zero Dark Thirty

[Reeko]

wasnt it a joint mission? not just NSW devgru? i thought i remember hearing that after it happened. That may explain some equipment differences.

[CommieHunter]

The equipment listed was on the SEALs as portrayed.

I am very very much looking forward to Zero Dark Thirty.

I watched SEAL Team Six because my cousin Cam was in it.

[McNair]

I watched part of it, but it there was too much time focusing on animosity between team members for me to care much. I figure NatGeo will play it into the ground so I'll watch it at some point. At least the gear was a step up from other things I've watched.
The other day I watched one on the CIA teams that were first sent into Afghanistan and then the Rangers and SF teams. All the "Rangers" were carrying rubber ducky A2s and wearing PASGT helmets. All of the CIA members were carrying the A2s as well. It's like they just took shit they had from cheesy docudramas about the Gulf War.

[STRIK3]

there was a backup chopper with CAG personnel on station.

Doubt it, I don't think they could get Dan to jump out of any more helicopters.

[McNair]