Read Online Battle Ready: Memoir of a SEAL Warrior Medic by Mark L. Donald, Scott Mactavish - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mark L. Donald, Scott Mactavish
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intense prizefighter looking for his next opponent. Constantly training and never satisfied with their performance, they carry themselves with an attitude that can be interpreted as an inflated ego. Spend a few moments speaking to a team guy, though, and you’ll find him humble, especially when it comes to warfare, well read, and fiercely dedicated to the community to which he belongs. Outsiders often buy into the team mystique, mesmerized by our stories and commitment to one another—but don’t ask too many questions or overstay your welcome, or you risk alienating yourself from the group. It’s not that we purposely try to push folks away; far from it. SEALs enjoy diversity in conversation and opinion but are intensely private when it comes to team business. It’s simply in their DNA. SEALs are warriors in every sense of the word: men who actually go into combat on missions that bring them eye to eye with their enemy, up close and personal. Even their methods of insertion are extremely dangerous; parachute jumps, submarine launches, and ocean swims in treacherous seas are very serious business. I guess that’s why I find it hard to accept how our society tosses around the word “warrior” when describing an athlete, businessman, or even a politician. To me the term “warrior” is a sacred one characterizing a lifestyle of personal sacrifice. A warrior’s training is continuous in order to maintain a constant state of readiness, often taking him away from the ones he loves and those he’s sworn to protect. A warrior does this not for reward but for a chance to join his brothers on a high-risk mission. It doesn’t sound like any civilian occupation I know of.
* * *
“When you get to shore, Donald, just drop down in the push-up position with the others,” Instructor Richardson’s voice bellowed from one of the safety boats trailing the swimmers. I had zoned out for the majority of the swim but was still focused on the objective, a tactic that we would all have to perfect if we expected to graduate. If you can’t put discomfort and monotony out of your mind and concentrate on the particulars at hand, you really don’t stand a chance. Fortunately, there is ample opportunity to learn the technique during the multitude of must-pass events going on during each week of training. Those that get it right develop an ability to find a certain nirvana during the most stressful times. That doesn’t always equate to success but definitely prevents pressure from being a cause of mission failure. I still recall how one of my classmates looked as if he had fallen asleep during underwater knot tying. Imagine having to hold your breath at the bottom of the combat swimmer training tank, tying one knot after another on a line that transverses the bottom of the pool. Most people would panic and bolt to the surface once they started to run out of oxygen, but the majority of the remaining students were well versed in controlling their senses and compartmentalizing anxiety, and the ones that weren’t either failed or “rang out.” (A SEAL who chooses to quit BUD/S voluntarily can do so without prejudice by ringing the brass bell in the quadrangle three times.)
I got to shore, took off my fins, turned in my swim time, and joined the rest of the class alternating between push-ups and flutter kicks in the surf zone. It may not sound like much, but facing waves in a foot of water as they surge up from underneath you or crash over your face while you’re breathing heavily from exercise creates a water boarding effect. Add in the saltwater and the sand chafing every fold of skin imaginable while the cold water steals your heat away, and you’ll begin to understand the effectiveness this training has in building mental stamina. The continual employment of the surf zone as a means of punishment eventually sweeps away any fear of drowning, leaving the navy with one hell of a resilient amphibian.
From the push-up position I
* * *
“When you get to shore, Donald, just drop down in the push-up position with the others,” Instructor Richardson’s voice bellowed from one of the safety boats trailing the swimmers. I had zoned out for the majority of the swim but was still focused on the objective, a tactic that we would all have to perfect if we expected to graduate. If you can’t put discomfort and monotony out of your mind and concentrate on the particulars at hand, you really don’t stand a chance. Fortunately, there is ample opportunity to learn the technique during the multitude of must-pass events going on during each week of training. Those that get it right develop an ability to find a certain nirvana during the most stressful times. That doesn’t always equate to success but definitely prevents pressure from being a cause of mission failure. I still recall how one of my classmates looked as if he had fallen asleep during underwater knot tying. Imagine having to hold your breath at the bottom of the combat swimmer training tank, tying one knot after another on a line that transverses the bottom of the pool. Most people would panic and bolt to the surface once they started to run out of oxygen, but the majority of the remaining students were well versed in controlling their senses and compartmentalizing anxiety, and the ones that weren’t either failed or “rang out.” (A SEAL who chooses to quit BUD/S voluntarily can do so without prejudice by ringing the brass bell in the quadrangle three times.)
I got to shore, took off my fins, turned in my swim time, and joined the rest of the class alternating between push-ups and flutter kicks in the surf zone. It may not sound like much, but facing waves in a foot of water as they surge up from underneath you or crash over your face while you’re breathing heavily from exercise creates a water boarding effect. Add in the saltwater and the sand chafing every fold of skin imaginable while the cold water steals your heat away, and you’ll begin to understand the effectiveness this training has in building mental stamina. The continual employment of the surf zone as a means of punishment eventually sweeps away any fear of drowning, leaving the navy with one hell of a resilient amphibian.
From the push-up position I
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