Heard that one before?
It strikes me as both relevant and applicable, usable and appropriate.
Last night I finally watched Lone Survivor. It has been out a while and by now you have considered the many debates it initiated.
The rules of engagement debate.
The special forces debate.
The Gulf War(s) debate.
The Marcus Luttrell debate
The chain of command debate.
The Hell Week of BUDS debate.
The Mark Wahlberg debate.
All these worthy topics aside, the debate I am most interested in is the:
How can we train like SEALS debate.
It happens to be one of my favorites. I have always been a fan of the Boot Camp format. Specifically the strategy of taking raw recruits into new and uncomfortable situations in order to build better animals. And make no mistake, by that I mean Bad Asses.
Or badder than before.
Not everyone aspires to this ideal. There is a good reason why. BECAUSE IT IS FUCKING HARD. You get worked. You get the business end of everything we know to be necessary for mental and physical adaption, e.g. improvement. It is absolutely crucial that your mind is in for the long haul. Focused, ready, committed. The nanosecond your doubts assume control of the situation, the end is near, very near. And I do not mean the finish. I mean the end. You are done, washed out and sent packing.
Why do I bring all this hoo-rah stuff up today?
Because today we put several of those tactics into play. We call them Super Eights, and, like any self respecting team player, which the SEALS embody, they are called eights - but we do ten. Because we recognize the value, the reward and the accomplishments they represent. We have a mission and will do (for each other) everything (anything) it takes to get it done.
This is the age old we aren't Navy SEALS, so why even try to make the comparison debate. And that is valid. We aren't. I wouldn't last a day under those impossible conditions. Maybe not even to lunch. But….
We can train like them. We can focus, commit, bond and work together towards a united, worthwhile objective. We have team support to climb that hill.
I salute my teammates on a successful sortie this morning. I also caution them to accept the reality that today was the easy day.
Semper Fi.
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