The true, heartbreaking meaning behind David Boreanaz’s ‘SEAL Team’ helmet

Having run for six seasons, first on CBS and then Paramount+, SEAL Team is one of those shows that defies all odds and keeps going no matter how tough things get. Centered on Team Bravo, the series follows an elite group of U.S. Navy SEALs led by master Special Warfare Operator Jason Hayes, played by veteran television actor David Boreanaz, who you will probably recognize from Angel and Bones. The series is scheduled to end with its final, seventh season airing in August 2024. But before we say goodbye, let’s go back to basics. Did you notice anything unique about Hayes’ helmet on the show?

Unlike many of the props worn by members of the SEAL Team, the helmet worn on Boreanaz’s head is a legitimate military issue that honors the real-life heroes he represents on screen. Having played a number of influential television characters throughout his career, Boreanaz has made it clear that his work on SEAL Team is his most personal. “[Jason Hayes] is really important to me,” the actor told Parade in 2019. “Playing him, I feel more in tune with myself like I used to play a character.” But there’s more to the helmet’s history than its authenticity.
David Boreanaz wears an actual SEAL helmet to honor real-life heroes
It turns out that the helmet Hayes wore in SEAL Team actually belonged to a real-life SEAL who went by the pseudonym Mark Owen. Owen, the series’ executive producer, was the one who came up with the idea online in the first place. In addition, Owen also fought abroad, especially in the Middle East, where he participated in the assassination of Osama bin Laden. In fact, following his military experience, he wrote No Easy Day, a memoir published in 2012 about his 14-year career as a Navy SEAL and especially his role as him in bin Laden’s death.
Boreanaz explained wearing Owen’s helmet: “I wore his helmet. I could have worn a lighter [prop] helmet, but I decided to wear my real helmet.” him to honor him”. “And I’m going to do that throughout its entire run.” Given that SEAL Teams has been active since 2017, David Boreanaz’s commitment to showcasing and honoring the vets he represents is commendable.

Although SEAL Team was not the first Navy SEAL series to air on television in the late 2010s (the first was History Channel’s Six), it is by far the most successful. The program not only helps share the experiences and stories of men and women on duty, but also highlights the deep emotions and personal conflicts that soldiers face when returning home.
Speaking of which, one of the things that sets SEAL Team apart from its contemporaries in the military fiction genre is its commitment to authenticity. In addition to David Boreanaz wearing a real SEAL helmet on camera, the cast and crew included a large number of US military veterans, all of whom performed their roles. In an interview with Military.com, actor Tyler Gray, who plays Trent Sawyer on the show, explained that has always been true of the show. “I’ve been on the SEAL Team since the pilot started. It initially started with someone who had served in the military who wanted to do something about Special Operations. It started with a veteran soldiers, not the other way around. That’s very rare.”

Gray was right; It’s really rare for a movie or TV series like SEAL Team to have a majority of veterans, not to mention the two former Navy SEALs (Mark Semos and Kenny Sheard) in the writers’ room. But beyond trying to accurately depict the horrors of combat, the show also does a great job of sharing what it’s like to try to live with the consequences. Mark Owen explained in a CBS special, noting that one of the things he loved most about the series was the inner turmoil: “It was really hard to go from fighting to coming home and Face your family, then go back to fighting.” it presents its characters. “It takes a lot of sacrifice, and that’s really why I think this program is so successful.”