U.S. Navy Beach Jumpers Memorial

In the years leading up to, during, and after World War II, Ocracoke Island was home to a top secret, advanced amphibious training base for a highly classified U.S. Navy division named the Beach Jumpers. Here, in our remote location accessible only by boat or plane, Navy personnel were trained in tactical deception and psychological warfare. Using “new secret equipment,” Beach Jumpers could simulate a very large amphibious landing using very few men.

Their ability to distract and confuse the enemy was put to use in the battlefronts of the Mediterranean and Pacific during World War II. They were later reactivated to serve in the Vietnam War and later focused their efforts almost solely on PSYOPS during the Cold War. Today, Beach Jumpers are widely considered the precursors of the Navy Seals.