National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum
The National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, also known as the Navy SEAL Museum, is located in St. Lucie County, just outside Fort Pierce, Florida. It houses exhibits to inform and educate on the role of Navy Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) and Sea, Air, Land (SEAL) teams. The museum also preserves the history of the SEALs (the original Navy frogmen first trained outside of Fort Pierce). The idea of the museum originated in the home of Albert Stankie, where he and other former UDT Frogmen gathered personal artifacts and experiences from their service in World War  II. They worked to procure the defunct Ft. Pierce Treasure Museum building and site. The Navy SEAL Museum sits on public land owned by the state of Florida. This evolved into a dedicated facility, which opened in 1985, and was recognized as a National Museum by an act of Congress signed into law February 7, 2008. UDT-SEAL memorial. The focal point of the museum is the UDT-SEAL Memorial, the only memorial in the world dedicated exclusively to the United States Navy SEALs and their predecessors. The memorial consists of a 500-pound, 9-foot-tall, bronze sculpture of  a modern Navy SEAL. The names of all Underwater Demolition Team members—the "Frogmen" of World War II and modern Navy SEALs—who have died in the service of the country are carved into black, granite panels on the walls surrounding the sculpture and its reflecting pool. Other notable exhibits. The museum collection includes a number of rare artifacts dating from the founding of the SEALs, from the days of Scouts & Raiders, through the Underwater Demolition Teams, to recent present-day activities of US Navy SEALs: Annual UDT-SEAL muster ceremony. Each Veteran's Day weekend, the museum holds a  three-day tribute to UDT and SEAL veterans, that includes demonstrations and exhibitions. Controversies. On August 2, 2020, a video surfaced showing a live service dog demonstration conducted in front of a crowd of civilians and uniformed military personnel at the museum in 2019. The demonstration included four dogs attacking a museum staff member wearing the jersey of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick over his protective equipment. Kaepernick had become a divisive figure after kneeling during the national anthem before games in 2016; a protest against police brutality towards people of color in the United States. In response to the  footage, the Commander of US Navy Special Warfare Command Rear Admiral Collin Green released a statement saying “Each and every one of us serves to protect our fellow Americans - ALL Americans. Even the perception that our commitment to serving the men and women of this nation is applied unevenly is destructive,” and that “We will revisit our relationship with the Museum when I am convinced that they have made the necessary changes to ensure this type of behavior does not happen again.”