McGarrett was actually a Navy officer. He graduated from Annapolis, spent a few years in Naval Intelligence, and then a few more years as a SEAL. He was a Lieutenant Commander at the time of the pilot episode.Since there was some confusion expressed earlier, I thought I'd lay out the 'experience dynamic' in terms of each character, as per the pilot:
McGarrett: Army officer
Chin Ho: 'Seasoned'/veteran cop who worked with McGarrett's father, but was forced off the police force due to accusations of corruption
Danno: Veteran cop who transfered to Hawaii from New Jersey
Kono: 'Rookie' about to graduate from the Police Academy
McGarrett may be the leader of the group, but he isn't the most experienced when it comes to handling actual police work; that honor goes to Chin Ho, with Danno being the next most experienced.
Sorry for being picky. I'm a military brat.![]()
I thought he went from SEAL to Naval Intelligence like Magnum did. He wasn't with a team but alone with Army MPs when the convoy was attacked.