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Chevy and National Navy SEAL Museum Partner for Military Appreciation Month

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Special Operations Chevy Silverado in front of National Navy SEAL Museum

Special Operations 2016 Chevy Silverado in front of National Navy SEAL Museum

In honor of National Military Appreciation Month coming up in May, Chevrolet announced today that it is joining forces with the National Navy SEAL Museum.

Chevy will help fund the museum and its foundation by donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the automaker’s all-new, Special Operations 2016 Chevy Silverado, which is available for sale throughout the US.

The partnership was announced today, and in the press release, Chevrolet also took the opportunity to list these ten interesting facts about the National Navy SEAL Museum, the US military, and the bowtie brand itself:

      1. In 1940, Chevrolet President William Knudsen accepted President FDR’s offer to lead US war production efforts during World War II, forfeiting his $300,000 salary (equivalent to more than $5 million today) to work for $1 per year in Washington DC. Knudsen attained the rank of US Army Lieutenant General, and was honored with the Distinguished Service Medal in 1944.
      2. Between 1942 and 1945, Chevrolet manufactured 60,000 Pratt & Whitney bomber and cargo plane engines, 3,000 90 mm cannon barrels, 500,000 trucks, 8 million artillery shells, 1 million tons of aluminum forgings, 1 million tons of grey iron castings, 2,850 tons of magnesium forgings, and 3,800 T-17 Staghound armored scout cars for the US war effort.Chevrolet WWII poster
      3. May was selected as National Military Appreciation Month because it has the most holidays commemorating military service, including Loyalty Day (established in 1921), Victory in Europe (VE) Day (commemorating the end of WWII on May 8, 1945), Armed Forces Day( established in 1949), Military Spouse Appreciation Day (established in 1984), and Memorial Day. Chevy is celebrating National Military Appreciation Month by expanding its Military Discount Program (more information at chevysalutes.com).
      4. The National Navy SEAL Museum is located in Ft. Pierce, Florida, because the Navy’s first Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) trained there on the museum grounds during WWII.
      5. The UDT teams did not become SEALs until 1962, when JFK commissioned them as Sea Air Land Teams, expanding their mission beyond their traditional role.
      6. Because UDT teams went into battle wearing just their swimming trunks, they earned the nickname “The Naked Warriors.”
      7. In 2009, Navy SEALs rescued Capt. Richard Phillips from his ship’s lifeboat after he and his crew were held captive by Somali pirates, as dramatized in the film Captain Phillips. Phillips’ lifeboat is on display at the Navy SEAL Museum.

        The lifeboat that Captain Phillips was rescued from

        The lifeboat that Captain Phillips was rescued from

      8. The Navy SEAL Museum is the only memorial in the world dedicated to UDT divers and Navy SEALs who gave their lives in service of their country. Their names are carved into black granite panels, much like the names of those who are honored by the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC.
      9. The Navy SEAL Museum also provides assistance to military families though its Trident House, where families of Navy SEALs and other special operations forces can receive complimentary respite.
      10. The UH-60 Black Hawk—a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-lift helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft—is on display at the Navy SEAL Museum. In 2012, it was used during an operation to rescue hostages from pirates in Somalia.