Sales of pins, books, patches and other merchandise have skyrocketed as the popularity of Navy SEAL Team 6 rose after the death of Osama bin Laden on May 1.
The U.S. Navy SEALs blog refers to SEAL Team 6 as a "tier-one Counter Terrorism and Special Missions Unit" and "their classification is Top Secret and their missions are generally not made know to the general public." The team is based out of Virginia Beach, Va.
With mystery shrouding the team, many Americans are left wanting more.
A report on Today shows the book "SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper" going from rank No. 20,000 to No. 5 on Amazon.com, and a Hollywood talent agency has been brought in to handle the movie rights.
With books and movies spotlighting military operations, many Americans became fascinated with groups like Team 6. However, the team's popularity threatens its covert operations.
Naturally, the SEALs shun any celebration for the commandos and their families.
Jim Smith, executive director of the Navy SEAL Foundation, told the Virginian-Pilot that drawing attention to them is unnecessary and could put them and their families at risk.
Though the celebration amongst Team 6 is quiet, ignoring the media attention could be a missed opportunity.
Bin Laden's death shadows some negative publicity from the team's past, and more recognition would garnish the team's record.
Yahoo!News reports the last time the public was made aware of a SEAL raid on Pakistani soil in 2008 the team's target fled and those left in the compound attacked, causing multiple civilian casualties.
SEALs from the unit accidentally killed a hostage in October. The team was trying to rescue Linda Norgrove, a British hostage, from militants in Afghanistan. One of the commandos threw a grenade at a militant not realizing that Norgrove was sheltered nearby.
According to ABC News, President Barack Obama will thank Seal Team 6 personally for killing Osama bin Laden. The team will meet with the President at Fort Campbell, Ky., on May 6.
Email: jferguson@desnews.com