Nowadays, one of the must-haves for people who are into trucks and big cars is the HUMMER. The significant price tag does not seem to daunt enthusiasts, and several “versions” and “adaptations” have been developed in many countries all over the world.

Five years ago, while I was driving to Phoenix from Las Vegas, I shared the freeway with what I thought was the coolest thing in limos – the HUMMER limo. Its sleek black exterior and seemingly endless length was a perfect mix of glamour and machismo. This cool, high-end truck actually had its beginnings from a military vehicle.

Several years ago, it is only when military vehicles have become decommissioned that they are converted for civilian use. Being surplus, they weren’t exactly luxury vehicles. But now, a civilian version is concurrently being produced along with the military version!

Like all other teams in the US Armed Forces, the Navy SEAL also relies heavily on the HMMWV or the HUMVEE. Honestly, I decided to write this up because I sometimes forget that the SEAL also does air and land missions; it’s just the Navy part that sticks to me. In as much as the SDV and ASDV are critical parts of a successful sea mission, the HUMVEE serves the Navy SEAL team well in land missions.

In true Navy SEAL fashion, the HUMVEE is just as adaptable and as flexible as the SEAL team, with different types of HUMVEEs available for use on specific mission types. Produced by AM General, there are HUMVEEs with Armor Protection, Enhanced Reliability and Expanded Capacity. Some of these special features come in “kits” that may be installed or removed, depending on the requirement of the mission. I didn’t imagine that such a bulky vehicle can be so customizable! And just as the Navy SEAL customizes its uniform to blend into its surroundings, so are HUMVEEs, with exteriors customized to blend into jungle, arctic or desert environments.