My journey to SEAL

[caustin1986]

This picture was taken in mayport, fl. I was waiting to fly the helo, during my midn cruise

Whats a midn cruise?

[nutsy54]

Whats a midn cruise?

Midshipmen are Navy officer trainees
Midn = Midshipman
Midn Cruise is annual summer training, where they go on a "cruise" on a ship, or work elsewhere within the Navy (subs, aviation, Marines, etc)

[caustin1986]

Midshipmen are Navy officer trainees
Midn = Midshipman
Midn Cruise is annual summer training, where they go on a "cruise" on a ship, or work elsewhere within the Navy (subs, aviation, Marines, etc)

lol I know what a Midshipmen is...Last time I checked though ROTC were not midshipmen...The only midshipmen I've seen were from the Naval Academy...Things might have changed though. I've been in the Navy for 4 years and been on 3 real cruises. I've just never seen the abbreviation midn so that's why I asked. God we LOVE to screw with the midshipmen on the boat lol

[caustin1986]

lol here I am explaining my 4 years to a Senior Chief haha. Man I'd kill to be in Hawaii. Take that over this place any day!

[Vitamin C]

3rd phase is no picnic but it has offered some interesting training so far.

Got back from a week of land nav which was challenging. Finding a one-inch-thick stake in the ground on a hill top amongst brush and vegetation is not very easy lol but most managed to pull it off well enough to pass. But not all, unfortunately.

More land nav to come and then San Clemente.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it makes me want to all-out-sprint to the finish. Still have to be patient. More to do and learn before I'm done at BUD/S.

Thanks for following along.

Someone asked if it is better to be a stronger runner or swimmer and the real answer is both, but if I had to choose one I would choose runner since you only swim for a timed evolution. You run everywhere else!

[oOoJUNIORoOo]

Got mad respect for you brah, not just for making it this far but just for trying out. Remember seeing something that out of 1000 people that contacted recruiters about becoming SEALs only 100 made it to Indoc. Good luck youre almost done.


Also what class you with, had a buddy that went through BUD/S a year ago but dropped out in 1st phase.

[sayanythingLOL]

LOL! I know you. sup man, this is AWR2 tall asian guy from work. anyways good luck man, everyone here in the aw shop is stoked for you to make it.

[2canman]

Vitamin C- How did you prepare for the Navy SEALS tryouts? Obviously running/swimming and calisthenics but what did your training schedule look like? did adding mass help or hurt you? I have my heart set on becoming an airforce PJ and i have about 2 years until i'm actually able to make an attempt it. a few of my scores that i did the other day: 65 pushups, 8 pullups, 9:30 run for 1.5 mile run. I'm an okay swimmer but i'm not sure about scores. Based off the scores i listed, am i at a good point for 2 years of training still ahead of me? Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions...

[imapolarbear]

thx for postin im lookin to be a seal too
good luck and remember its 90 mental

[Tiwaz]

When is your graduation date? It must be very close!!! Thats AWESOME!!!! Hope the Island went well for you. Is there still a big frog on top of the hill? It was there in 88' but it may be gone now. I saw last year or the year before, the Creature from the Black Lagoon had been all repainted so I was wondering if the frog lives on the Island still.
Take Care & best of luck!

Hoo-Yah

[Vitamin C]

It's funny how quickly everything seems to have gone by once you're done.

BUD/S graduation ("transition" is what they call it) was an in-house ceremony, held in the same classroom I spent many wet & sandy nights in. It was diluted intentionally so that the focus is placed more on SQT and less on the 6 months of basic training the class just completed.

And for good reason, too. BUD/S is just the beginning of the beginning. I'm just a few days into SQT and quickly realized that SQT is the real beginning. BUD/S was just the selection process; the weeding-out phase; a right of passage, if you will.

It has all been worth it!!!! I cannot wait for what comes next!

Unfortunately, this is the last update I will have for this Thread. SQT will have me even busier than BUD/S and learning too much sensitive material to be regurgitated for others' enjoyment. I started this thread to shed insight into my mindset from the beginning (boot camp), through hardship and disappointment onward to goal achievement. I do not taut myself as someone of unique ability or competency. I am average, plain and simple, but I wanted to be part of something great and am willing to pay the price.

If I can do it, anyone else can. Trust me on that.

Last piece of advice I can give to future BUD/S hopefuls is this: be patient; be persistent; push through. Don't worry about how fast you can run or swim, it really does not amount to much. You will be tested on more aspects of performance than you can prepare for on your own so just accept the challenges as they come and do your best to succeed.


And as they say, "the only easy day was yesterday..."

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more." (Shakespeare's Henry V, Act III)

Thank you all for following along!

When is your graduation date? It must be very close!!! Thats AWESOME!!!! Hope the Island went well for you. Is there still a big frog on top of the hill? It was there in 88' but it may be gone now. I saw last year or the year before, the Creature from the Black Lagoon had been all repainted so I was wondering if the frog lives on the Island still.
Take Care & best of luck!

Hoo-Yah

The frog is still there! Heavy s.o.b. too. Hated doing that run lol. Thanks for the support.

[JamesTrexy22]

Good luck brah!

[Tree_v1]

This is a continuation of my other thread titled, "I joined the Navy this past weekend," located somewhere in the Misc. section.

I joined the Navy September 15, 2008.

They would not let me go SEAL since I have a criminal background, so they gave me a rating ("job") in aviation. That was almost 2 years ago.

I submitted my SEAL package as soon as I got to my first command and just got picked up for BUD/S.

If I make it, the process will go like this: pre-BUD/S, then BUD/S, then SQT (SEAL Qualification Training), then on to the teams.

This is a journal of my experiences.

I will update at my earliest convenience.

I start pre-BUD/S in August and my orders have me slated for BUD/S in January.

My friend just failed the SQT swimming portion of it by a few seconds or else he would of made it. GL bro they only take like .02% of the applicants.

[VinGonWrong85]

GL bro! I don't have that kind of discipline. I quit weed tho, so maybe I'll get close. Need a job.

[Tiwaz]

Hey get a hold of me with your name & ST. I am wanting to take a trip down there & if your on the W. Coast maybe we can hook up for a beer @ McP's??

tiwaz2003@msn.com

Heath

[ThaWhistle]

Howd it all go in the end?

[Vitamin C]

Howd it all go in the end?

Update

Been a while ... so here's a quick update.

Finished my first deployment (and first platoon) recently. I learned a lot and overall gained some positive experience.

Not gonna go into much detail about anything but everything is going well.

No longer a new guy but I've always got something to prove and, of course, will earn my trident every day.

Thanks for following along. As I stated in the beginning, I started this thread to give guys insight into the BUD/S program. I aimed to be as honest as possible about everything but I remind you - the reader - to understand that this is just my point of view based on my experiences. No names have been mentioned and a lot of specifics have been left out (i.e. day-to-day hell week activities, team life, etc.). If you want to know everything, sign up.

It's been a long journey so far, but well worth it.

[LeeGroSwim]

Update

Been a while ... so here's a quick update.

Finished my first deployment (and first platoon) recently. I learned a lot and overall gained some positive experience.

Not gonna go into much detail about anything but everything is going well.

No longer a new guy but I've always got something to prove and, of course, will earn my trident every day.

Thanks for following along. As I stated in the beginning, I started this thread to give guys insight into the BUD/S program. I aimed to be as honest as possible about everything but I remind you - the reader - to understand that this is just my point of view based on my experiences. No names have been mentioned and a lot of specifics have been left out (i.e. day-to-day hell week activities, team life, etc.). If you want to know everything, sign up.

It's been a long journey so far, but well worth it.

Congrats on all your accomplishments and thank you for your service.

[jaybc]

Congrats man!! I remember seeing you start this thread almost 4 years ago when I first signed up to this site and it's really motivating to see how hard you've worked over that time to reach your goals. It's funny too because I literally just searched for this thread a few days before you posted your update wondering what if you ever made it.

[lvsteven]

Wow. This thread still going?
Epic bump?

[PowerKore]

Just started reading through this, really motivated.
Doesn't the thought of being a SEAL scare you at all?

[Robination]

Update

Been a while ... so here's a quick update.

Finished my first deployment (and first platoon) recently. I learned a lot and overall gained some positive experience.

Not gonna go into much detail about anything but everything is going well.

No longer a new guy but I've always got something to prove and, of course, will earn my trident every day.

Thanks for following along. As I stated in the beginning, I started this thread to give guys insight into the BUD/S program. I aimed to be as honest as possible about everything but I remind you - the reader - to understand that this is just my point of view based on my experiences. No names have been mentioned and a lot of specifics have been left out (i.e. day-to-day hell week activities, team life, etc.). If you want to know everything, sign up.

It's been a long journey so far, but well worth it.

yeah wooo buddy

[sayanythingLOL]

Nice

[pep_meister]

best thread on bb.com. thank you for your service man. good luck with your future deployments and stay safe!

[D1Z]

Bumping this thread because OP is a god damn legend.

Reading through this entire thread and watching him update us day to day/week by week was like watching a movie.

One thing I can say is that I knew you would have the mentality to make it from the start, always staying positive, looking forward and staying absolutely and completely humble. You are exactly what SEALs want. Glad you made it to become a SEAL.

If you're still in by the time I get in. I'll see you on teams buddy

[TheDonQ]

Used to follow this thread back in the day. OP really delivered.
You still good?

[AcetylCoA]

Damn OP is a legend. Any updates for us?

[Anonymous71717]

Hi, I’m a woman in her 20s and I’m training to become a U.S. Navy SEAL. I’m a civilian and I want to go enlisted.

What advice would you give for women that want to be SEALs? If you had to go to BUD/S again, how would you prepare differently? What books or workout programs would you recommend?

Most female SEAL candidates struggle with carrying the boats and logs, doing pull ups, having grip strength and completing the “Dirty Name” on the obstacle course. Also, a lot of female SEAL candidates break their legs or develop stress fractures.