What is Harry Beal?
'''Harry Beal''' (August 16, 1930 &ndash; January 26, 2021) was the first [[United States Navy SEALs|US Navy Seal]]. ==Navy SEAL== Beal joined the [[U.S. Navy]] in 1948, first serving aboard the U.S.S. Shenandoah as a [[gunner's mate]]. He joined the underwater demolition team, the precursor to the Navy SEALs, in 1955. When the first Navy SEALs team was established in 1962, Beal was the first to volunteer for the elite special operations force. Later, Beal was credited with pulling [[John Glenn]] out of the water after his [[Mercury-Atlas 6|historic spaceflight]]. Beal became a SEAL instructor, serving until his retirement from the U.S. Navy in 1968.<ref>{{cite web |last=Crowther |first=Linnea |title=Harry Beal (1930–2021), first Navy SEAL |url=https://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/harry-beal-1930-2021-first-navy-seal/ |website=Legacy.com |access-date=January 28, 2021}}</ref> ==Later career== Beal later worked for the [[Pennsylvania Department of Transportation]] for 20 years until his retirement in 1990. In 2020, a bridge was named after Beal in his hometown of [[Meyersdale, Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Kieta |first=Eric |title=Harry Beal, America's first Navy SEAL, dies at 90 years old |url=https://www.goerie.com/story/news/2021/01/26/harry-beal-greenville-township-first-navy-seal-obituary-john-f-kennedy-patriot-pioneer/4268877001/ |work=[[Erie Times-News]] |access-date=January 28, 2021}}</ref> He died on January 26, 2021. == References == {{Reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Beal, Harry}} [[Category:1930 births]] [[Category:2021 deaths]] [[Category:Military people from Pennsylvania]]