Have any of you been a Navy Seal?

[SBruce]

Originally Posted by mo

My little brother did the Navy Seal training. He didn't make it!!! I wouldn't say underwater welding is safe. It is a very dangerous profession. A dear friend of mine died doing a underwater welding job.

MO,

I am really sorry to hear about your friend.

Yes, I know it's not really the safest place to be either. I was being a little sarcastic. Just that I already lost one son, hate to see my only other one in harms way too. I know there's probably very few places in the service that are "safe", and in all honestly, I wouldn't want him to do it at all if he was just taking the easy way through it.?

I guess, none of us really get to decide how or when we go. We only get to decide how we live.

[BountyHunter]

It takes a different mind set to make it through any of the SOF selection courses.

I am retired SF and ran our Qualification course also, so got to see plenty of what it takes to make it and what will not make it.

You do not have to be the fastest, or strongest but you cannot know the meaning of the word quit! That means no matter how tired, how hurt, how sleepy or whatever, you have to keep going.

Most are trying to recruit wrestlers because they tend to have the proven gut check and tenacity it takes to make it through.

BH

[SBruce]

Well, he's never been a wrestler. Hopefully some of my 8 years of it rubbed off onto him a little.?

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Tell him join the ARMY here's why. If he trys BUDS and fails his life for the next 4 years will suck as he is stuck haze gray and underway on a ship cleaning the floor.

If he joins lets say the Nation guard in one of its special forces units with a willingness to learn he will be better off. They dont have all the money in the world so they prep the hell out of him before he is sent to various schools.

Just my opnion

[cowboy]

My oldest son graduated from the US Naval Academy. In the four years he was there we got to know quite a few of the young men/women. Although our son chose to be commisioned Marines when he graduated we do know one of his friends that went seals.

[QUOTE=SBruce;488982]I am curious, if you have been, what is the training/selection process like?

It has become my impression that one does not get to choose to be a seal as much in the fact that the SEAL program chooses you - it is beyond very competitive. The entrance requirements are very very difficult to qualify - the physical requirements are beyond what the average person could even visualize and they use these physical exercises to evaluate mental/leadership qualities under extreme duress.

If the water is the main attraction for your son you would being doing him a favor in encouraging him to look at the Coast Guard as well as just the Navy. Trust me - these boys are no slouches. We have a young man from our home town that was friends with my son that chose to go to the Coast Guard Academy and he has literally seen the world via the waterways - One heck of a career and one heck of a young man.

I can relate to your concerns regarding the safety for your son like it was just yesterday that we put him on a plane to attend the academy - or the day he said goodbye on his way to Iraq. Once they deploy your concern escalates. Every time the phone rings you jump.

BUT - From my personal experience he will make friends for life and they will be in every corner of the globe. I mean they are CLOSE FRIENDS. My son chose to get out a couple of years ago and recently got married. We had Marines fly in from everywhere - One pilot came from Iraq. There is a bunch of them that get together once a year and ski into a yut for a long weekend - or they will go to some far off place to mountain climb - or they may plan a hunting trip in who knows where. When you go through what they do and depend on one another you make friends for life.

I think the best thing you can do as a father right now is be encouraging and try to get him to try and get as much info on anything and everything he can lay his hands on.

Good Luck to your son in whatever direction he may decide.

PS: You have a right to be proud of your son RIGHT NOW - he is in the minority.

[pgothro]

My little brother is (just retired but works for the Admral in Coranado) as well as my brother-in-law (retiered now works at another agency) if you send me a PM i'll get you in touch with them.

[nfhjr62]

I haven't served in the military, Enlisted didn't pass physical long story but from watching the Military Channel there are shows on the Seals from early training to deployment and when they talk about Seal HELL WEEK they mean it.