shipdog
02-29-2008, 05:26 PM
I received a phone call from a young aspiring SEAL who wanted to do my courses. He wanted to do them because he was afraid of BUD/S. Scared of attending, failing, cold water, lack of sleep, all of it. After we spoke at length, he, like many guys, wasn’t really afraid of BUD/S, he respected it, and I’d say his chances of surviving BUD/S are much better than most guys. It was all “Attitude.”
Guys that post on here about cold water training and sleep deprivation “Respect” BUD/S and are looking for an edge. They look at the drop out rate and why guys drop and try all kinds of things to get that edge. What they don’t know is that they already have it through “Respect” and have dramatically increased their chances of “getting through.”
They respect BUD/S.
I was a bit fortunate being stationed in Coronado. I saw the guys going through training and thought “I can do that.”
I was never overly confident about my chances, I never said “I’ll make it,” all I said I would do, and did was my VERY BEST each day and every evolution and tried not to stress out about upcoming evolutions.
Day one, we were assembled in the classroom when the doors blew opened and this insane looking, steely eyed Instructor walked in and at the front of the class he yelled “Everyone look at the man to your left.” We did . . .
He yelled “Everyone look at the man to your right.” And we did . . .
His next words were “He won’t be here very F------G long.”
He was right . . .
From day one, the first minute of BUD/S, you receive a lesson and hear over and over that “Intimidation is a Very Powerful Tool” as the Instructors start pumping you about your chances not being good and that they’ll “Graduate This F-----G Class on a Postage Stamp.”
You hear all about Hell Week, Drown Proofing, Pool Comp, and much more continually, daily, by the hour, and it’s designed to “Freak Guys Out” and it works as guys begin to stress weeks out from upcoming evolutions. They stress, they worry, they begin screwing up other evolutions, and they fail.
Stressing and respecting are two different things. I respected BUD/S but I did not fall into the “Stress Trap” as so many others did. I carried the attitude of “I’ll do my Best” and at graduation I discovered that all that intimidation was designed to get guys through who “don’t stress” under adverse conditions.
BUD/S is adverse and extreme, but SEAL Team, Oooo Boy, now that’s adverse, and it starts all over again with your first Night Water Jump or Submarine Lock Out as an example.
Don’t sweat it . . .
Cold water and sleep deprivation? You’ll either do it or you won’t. Cold water in BUD/S is nothing compared to doing a night drop into a bitter Norwegian Fjord and swimming for the boats at the start of an Operation lasting a week where sleep is next to none.
I promise that in SEAL Team, you’ll repeat Hell Week many times and you’ll always be cold and tired.
In the end, if you want to be SEALs, enduring cold water and sleep deprivation is just something you do. It’s really very simple. When they tell you to get in the water or stay awake, you just do it.
It is as honestly and plainly “simple” as that and a very small price to be a SEAL. You just do it and don’t stress about it.
My old Platoon buddy and long time BUD/S Instructor told me once that,
33% of a BUD/S class won’t quit no matter how hard it is.
33% of a BUD/S class will quit no matter how easy it is.
33% are on the edge, in the middle. They’ll quit for some of the stupidest reasons or they’ll stay and take it a day at a time.
“Don’t Sweat It, Just Do It” is truly the hallmark of a SEAL.
Need more motivation? www.youtube.com/watch?v=afoBIMQzENE
Good Luck . . .
Guys that post on here about cold water training and sleep deprivation “Respect” BUD/S and are looking for an edge. They look at the drop out rate and why guys drop and try all kinds of things to get that edge. What they don’t know is that they already have it through “Respect” and have dramatically increased their chances of “getting through.”
They respect BUD/S.
I was a bit fortunate being stationed in Coronado. I saw the guys going through training and thought “I can do that.”
I was never overly confident about my chances, I never said “I’ll make it,” all I said I would do, and did was my VERY BEST each day and every evolution and tried not to stress out about upcoming evolutions.
Day one, we were assembled in the classroom when the doors blew opened and this insane looking, steely eyed Instructor walked in and at the front of the class he yelled “Everyone look at the man to your left.” We did . . .
He yelled “Everyone look at the man to your right.” And we did . . .
His next words were “He won’t be here very F------G long.”
He was right . . .
From day one, the first minute of BUD/S, you receive a lesson and hear over and over that “Intimidation is a Very Powerful Tool” as the Instructors start pumping you about your chances not being good and that they’ll “Graduate This F-----G Class on a Postage Stamp.”
You hear all about Hell Week, Drown Proofing, Pool Comp, and much more continually, daily, by the hour, and it’s designed to “Freak Guys Out” and it works as guys begin to stress weeks out from upcoming evolutions. They stress, they worry, they begin screwing up other evolutions, and they fail.
Stressing and respecting are two different things. I respected BUD/S but I did not fall into the “Stress Trap” as so many others did. I carried the attitude of “I’ll do my Best” and at graduation I discovered that all that intimidation was designed to get guys through who “don’t stress” under adverse conditions.
BUD/S is adverse and extreme, but SEAL Team, Oooo Boy, now that’s adverse, and it starts all over again with your first Night Water Jump or Submarine Lock Out as an example.
Don’t sweat it . . .
Cold water and sleep deprivation? You’ll either do it or you won’t. Cold water in BUD/S is nothing compared to doing a night drop into a bitter Norwegian Fjord and swimming for the boats at the start of an Operation lasting a week where sleep is next to none.
I promise that in SEAL Team, you’ll repeat Hell Week many times and you’ll always be cold and tired.
In the end, if you want to be SEALs, enduring cold water and sleep deprivation is just something you do. It’s really very simple. When they tell you to get in the water or stay awake, you just do it.
It is as honestly and plainly “simple” as that and a very small price to be a SEAL. You just do it and don’t stress about it.
My old Platoon buddy and long time BUD/S Instructor told me once that,
33% of a BUD/S class won’t quit no matter how hard it is.
33% of a BUD/S class will quit no matter how easy it is.
33% are on the edge, in the middle. They’ll quit for some of the stupidest reasons or they’ll stay and take it a day at a time.
“Don’t Sweat It, Just Do It” is truly the hallmark of a SEAL.
Need more motivation? www.youtube.com/watch?v=afoBIMQzENE
Good Luck . . .