What is the Navy Seals like?

Gene B.

Im 22 years old almost 23, im young enough to be your son in many cases I know. But it has been my dream for a long time now to be a Navy Seal. Ive been in ROTC since high school and know alot about the army, and a little about the special forces. Am I to young to be a Navy Seal? Do I have to have a more extinsive military background, rather than just ROTC? And if any of you other guys where a Navy Seal, or in any other Special Force, can you tell me what hell week is like ex. what weapons we use, what training we do etc. And finally, whats after hell week?

badboybob

Gene if you want to be a SEAL you want to be a warrior, and if you want to be a warrior you don't give a damn about how hard the training is. Do you want to be a lean mean fighting machine? Then go for it. If you only want the glory forget it - you won't make it

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So many guns to buy. So little money.

Gene B.

Hell yes!! The only thing stopping me is I dont know how or where to join.

Gene B.

Damn it Im ready!! The only thing stopping me is I dont know how or where to join. But other than that Im ready to be one of AMERICAS best!![This message has been edited by Gene B. (edited 10-12-2001).]

gunnut

Well since you want to be the best, may I suggest you join the US ARMY, GO TO BASIC,GO TO INFANTRY SCHOOL,GO TO AIRBOURNE SCHOOL, GO THOUGH RIP, AND THEN ON TO RANGER SCHOOL RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!!!

opentop

gene b. - having visited the Navy's SEAL training base in San Diego while I was in the Marines, I can say that their training is some of the toughest around if not THE toughest (that's hard to admit being a Marine). If you are serious about becoming a SEAL, contact any U.S. Navy recruiting office. You are NOT too young, but if you wait much longer, you'll be in danger of being too old as I believe 27 is the oldest they'll take you. I recommend being in outstanding physical condition and an excellent swimmer, before you visit the recruiter, so that they will take your interest in SEAL training seriously. Tell them that you are specifically interested in going onto becoming a SEAL once you're in the NAVY (all people joining the Navy have to go to basic training first and then go onto other training for what they'll be doing in the Navy as their "job"). Initial training for SEALs is called BUD/S (which is short for "Basic Underwater Demolition/SEALs). If you went to college and have a degree, be sure to tell them that, as you may qualify for one of the Navy's Officer training programs. Check out the following websites and best of luck to you! http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/factfile/personnel/seals/seals.html http://www.sealphotos.com/ http://www.sealchallenge.navy.mil/ http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/factfile/personnel/seals/sealapply.html

HerbyJr

Get a book called, "Rogue Warrior" by Richard Marcinko. Make sure you get the first one. There should be no subtitle. It is an autobiography by a navy seal. The book will give you some real insight from his perspective. After his first book, Marcinko wrote a series of novels loosely based on his experiences. You can get it cheaply in paperback or at a used bookstore. It really is a very good read.H.

beachmaster73

Dano, I know you are just stirring the pot; and I appreciate your efforts. Now as far as the truth: As CO of BMU-1 I shared NAB Coronado with ST-1, ST-3, ST-5, and for a short time SDVT-1(they then transferred to Hawaii). I have met a few SEALs who were either Green Berets or Recon Marines in a previous lifetime. I'd be very surprised to find out if there was even one ex-SEAL in the Green Berets. Realisticly I think the Green Berets are pretty close to the SEALs in every combat area except swimming. Every SEAL goes through Ranger training at some point after BUDS. I know of no SEAL who has ever at any time failed Ranger training; although they do say it is a challenging training period for them and worth their effort. Service rivalries aside any one of the services' special forces branches are going to be challenging. As an NJROTC Instructor I have had literally hundreds of young high schoolers say, "I want to be a Navy SEAL." Probably not more than 1 in 200 stands even a chance of making it through training. I look at how they swim and if they are not fish in the water I recommend that they consider an alternative line of work. I have had several of my cadets who wouldn't have stood a chance of making it through SEAL training now proudly serving their country as Rangers...one of whom is on his way to Afghanistan even as I type. The Assistant NSI at another local high school. RMCS Jeff Krause was both a Ranger and a Green Beret before he left the Army to see if he could cut it as a SEAL. As a man who had been all three his opinion was pretty interesting. He felt there was not a lot of difference in the professionalism of the Green Berets and the SEALs; however their missions are completely different the Green Berets involve(ususally) long term deployment of A teams that by training indigenous people enable them to be a force multiplier,i.e. one A-Team can train 500 natives to be an effective guerrilla army. The SEALs do clandestine missions which if they are truly successful are completed before anyone knows they are there. The Rangers are just superbly trained soldiers who fight unconventionally in a conventional conflict. When we see perhaps 700 Rangers in the next week take down an Afghan airfield for United States use we will be seeing the perfect use of Rangers...no one does airport takeovers like the Rangers. That is a far different type of warfare than seeing a 6 man SAS, SEAL, or DELTA force team out by themselves for a couple of weeks behind the lines. As far as joining the SEALs you had better think about swimming and swimming and swimming and swimming in addition to doing all the other stuff....and you still might get unlucky and be assigned to an SDV Team where all you get to do is blow up ships and deliver other SEALs to the target area so they can play. Bottom line assess your abilities and join the one you think you can get through. If you join the Navy and fail SEAL training you are going to go on a "USS Grayship" which is a whole lot different than being a Ninja!! If you join the Army you can always get a second shot to go through Ranger training and eventually get a crack atGreen Beret training. Beach

opentop

gene b. - did you even read all the stuff I've put in above about Navy recruiters and the links to SEALs websites? All the info is right there. Surely you have a Navy Recruiting Office somewhere near where you live. It should be too hard to find one unless you're a complete moron or this whole thing with all the questions, etc. is full of crap. Look in the phone book under U.S. Government for christ sake. Obviously you have a computer. Do some web searching like I did to get the information I added to this thread (and the earlier one that CaptainKirk moved to this forum). If you're truly serious, quit jaw jackin' about it and contact a recruiter!

Walt Nunley

My 2 cents in 1988 i joined the navy to be a seal.I was rock hard and swam like a fish.I knew it was gonna be hell.After all my preparations and passing the physical and the swimm test and the prt which was alot more difficult than everybody elses i might add I got submarines guarenteed in my contract aaafggggghhhhhhhhThey brought me to the pool in great lakes and told me that submarines were about the only thing in the navy that i absolutely could not get out of to become a seal so make sure to tell them your PRIMARY objective is to become a seal.You will still have to choose a job just be sure you dont do what i did and get in to a conflict in your rate(job) and being a seal.I still managed a fairly good hitch in the silent service

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Submarine Sailor,Truck Driver,and very bad typist.GO RUSTY #2

USMC

To Dano: We had rangers training with us during MIT that dropped out on our humps during "Black Flag" conditions. We were just doing basics. Enough said. As for the SEALS, impressive and thank the Lord they are on our side. Ranger training is what SEALS do to warm up. Anyway, God Bless our Military, and bring them back alive!