im worried

[Squall]

I really miss Digem, and his posts. Has anyone heard from him lately. He said he would be back at the beggining of the summer, but I have yet to hear from him. :(
-Squall out

[platinumike]

I was gonna make a post about digem, but I kept mixing up his name with something else. I remember he left for "official buiness" around last nov. His posts were really informative too.

[Squall]

His posts were really informative too.

Yeah I miss him, he gave a very unbelievable speach about being a SEAL, almost got me in tears, it was very well worded and explains EVERYTHING, I saved it and made it my desktop months ago, and everytime I turn on my computer, its there, and I read it EVERYTIME word for word. Gets me through the day. I just wish I could tell him this myself. For all of you wanting a copy of his post, here it is, it deserves alot of publicity.

"A Post by a SEAL by the Alias of Digem"
I have been seeing some people asking questions about what it takes to make it through. If your not asking yourself that question - you should. It is an excellent question! I'm going to copy and paste an excerpt from a post I responded to in the BUD/S Preperation forum. I very strongly suggest that any and all WANNA-BES READ THIS 2 or 3 times (or more). Heed these words. Dont just read it - do it. But hey, it's all up to you. I offer it, you decide what to do with it. Good luck to you all. Here is the excerpt:



Where do I start with this one. Well, you seemed to have done a good job preparing yourself for the physical rigors of BUD/S. You are actually doing more than you need to do, in a physical PT sense, to be ready if and when you get to BUD/S. But you are forgetting a VERY, VERY, VERY important key consideration in all of this. That is the fact (and Im sure this has been pointed out in the past) that BUD/S is 90% MENTAL and only 10% physical strength.

Most anyone that is in good health and decent physical condition could have the potential to physically complete the exercises performed to test your physical endurance and strength. You don't have to be Lou Ferigno to endure the physical rigors. This is not to say it is not physically demanding. As a matter of fact, it is known as one of the most physically demanding courses in the military. However, brawn and strength do not push you to graduation day. It's guts and MENTAL endurance that get you there. You have to have that non-quitting attitude that no matter what they do to you, you will NOT quit.

Let me point out a few things here. Physical strength will not help you pass:

underwater knot tying, underwater swimming, drown-proofing, HELL WEEK, dive physics, diving in general, pool comp, etc., etc., etc. The list goes on and on, but Im sure you are probably familiar with the above mentioned evolutions so you can see the point I am trying to make.

I am not trying to say that you should stop doing what you are doing, become a fat slob and go to BUD/S in that manner. Of course not, the physical preperation for your body is great. keep it up, but focus more on your mentality. Do not tell me, oh, I already have it - I know that I will not quit no matter what. Because for every single BUD/S Class (WITHOUT EXCEPTION), there are over 100 men saying that exact same thing and at graduation day, there is usually only a handful left. What does that tell you? It tells me that most people are not mentally prepared for BUD/S. They do not want it as bad as they think. They THOUGHT, oh I can handle this. All I have to do is hold on for 6 months. WRONG! It is the most physically and mentally demanding thing you will ever face in your life (unless, in the unlikle event, you graduate and make it to a Team).

So what do you need to do to prepare mentally? Good question. Well, for starters, sit down alone where you can think to yourself with no distractions. Think about how bad you really want to be a SEAL. Everyone that goes to BUD/S obviously wants it bad (or they would not go through all it takes to simply get there), but just how bad is what determines those who quit from those that succeed and graduate. You have to make sure that you want it more than anything else. Do you have a girlfriend, or even a wife/family? If so (it sounds bad to say this, but its true), you have to want to be a SEAL more than wanting to be a "family man." Not to say you must "give up" on them, but you can not successfully perform a "balancing act" in BUD/S. Your girlfriend or wife/family better want you to be a SEAL just as bad as you do. If not, one of two things (or both) - you will lose them or you will lose BUD/S. Not impossible to make it through with both, but highly improbable.

Think to yourself, do I want to be a SEAL because I want to do the job, or do I want to do it because it looks good on TV, or to try to pick up women or someother BS. Seriously think about your motivations for doing this. Everyone's motivations are different. But the key is that your motivations have to be able to provide you with the never quit attitude/do whatever it takes mindset to make it through anything. Navigate this site, check out the Navy's Official SEAL site, talk to people, watch documentaries, read, find out all you possibly can about BUD/S and the Teams, then make sure it is what you really want to do. If it all appeals to you, trust me, when you actually get to do it all, you will LOVE IT! Make INFORMED DECISIONS about your life, not guesses because you tell your friends Im gonna be a SEAL and you think its cool.

Next, think about anything at all that they can possibly do to you at BUD/S. You can not imagine exactly what it is like, but you can get it into your head early on that no matter what they do to you, you will push through it. Get it into your head that 50 meters underwater is not that far (which it is not - your underwater for a whole 30-45 seconds guys - DEAL WITH IT!). Think to yourself, drown proofing is not about drowning you and reviving you (its about being RELAXED in the water). Think through all that will happen. Know that all of it (including surf torture) has a purpose. It all amounts to one final thing: producing warriors that can perservere through ANYTHING. We want men that can push through any obstacle in their way. Men that will not quit in the middle of a battle just because they are COLD, WET and TIRED. Men that can EFFECTIVELY operate and think on their feet in any conditions. That is what makes a SEAL. That is your goal. Get that mindset into your head now and never let it go - EVER!

Finally, don't get to relaxed even after mentally preparing yourself. Think about this stuff everyday. There will be some of you that are reading this right now that will go to BUD/S and in a year or two or three, you will be standing by that Gor-forsaken bell ringing it three times and setting down your helmet. But I am also confident that some of you reading this now will be, in a year or two or three that will be standing on the grinder in your dress blues or dress whites on graduation day yelling HOO-YAH! Which one will you be. The instructors do NOT decide which men become SEALs, your family and friends do not decide who become SEALs. ONLY YOU will be the deciding factor in whether or not you become a SEAL. It is all up to you. What do you want and how bad do you want it? Think about it long and hard, make an educated decision and go for it! Full speed and never let go.

[Ryman_2020]

I remember that post. I printed it out and was reading it all the time awhile back. Its all the truth though and I honestly dont think I could have put it into better words then that cause when I read it I was in aww. Thanks for putten that back up cause I lost my copy.

[Courtenay]

Don't worry about him Squall. I have not seen him either, but I can assure you that nothing has happened to him.