One thing I think you can count on is that if you don't know a man is/was a SEAL, you won't find out from him. That has held true as long as I have known these guys. They just don't talk about it unless it comes up somehow where they can't deny it.
In Coronado, I had dealings with a fellow about my age weekly, for several years. I knew he was retired Navy, due to the base pass stickers on his car. I knew he was/had been a Commander O-5. One year, he and his wife hosted our group at their home where I spotted a Trident glass cutting. I asked him if he was in the teams, he said he was. Did he know my b-i-l? He did, they were best buddies nearly. I had never spoken about one to the other. When I checked him out, not only was he a real deal SEAL but had earned some very impressive chest ornaments and, according to some few who knew him, had participated in some of the hairiest ops imaginable. Not a peep from him, though. That is exceedingly typical in my experience.
So if someone starts blabbing on about their SEALness, you can be almost certain they weren't.
I myself was not a SEAL, of course. I probably could have qualified as a Walrus, though.
