The Navy Seals

The Navy Seals are a Highly trained and deadly force that is some of our top tier soldiers that we have. My goal is to inform you about them and their history, what they do, how they do it, what it takes to become one yourself, what they use and the different things you can be in the Navy Seals. Many people are not informed on them and don’t know what they go through and what they do everyday to keep this amazing country safe and free. That’s why I’m writing this, to inform people on them and also if you would like to join yourself there will be details and information on what it takes and how long training is for a Navy Seal.

History of the Navy Seals

SEAL’s are U.S. Special Operations Command’s force-of-choice among Navy, Army and Air Force Special Operations Forces (SOF). They conduct small-unit maritime military operations which originate from, and return to a river, ocean, swamp, delta or coastline area. Today’s seal embody in a single force the heritage, missions, capabilities, and combat lessons-learned of five daring groups that no longer exist but were crucial to Allied Victory in World War II and the conflict in Korea. These were (Army) Scouts and (Navy) Raiders; Naval Combat Demolition Units (NCDUs), Office of strategic Services Operational Swimmers, Navy Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs), and Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons. These varied groups trained in the 1940’s for urgent national security requirements, saw combat in Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific, but mostly disbanded after World War II. However, The UDT’s were called upon again and expanded quickly for the Korean War in 1950. Exercising great ingenuity and courage, these special maritime units devised and executed with relatively few casualties many of the missions, tactics, techniques and procedures that SEALs still perform today.

A team was formed during World War II and lasted until the Vietnam war. The team was called NCDU( Naval Combat Demolition Unit) The Navy Seal Program was not formed until the Vietnam war. In 1962 president J.F.K established Seal team ONE and Seal team TWO from the UDT teams that they had. The Navy Seals were designed to be a maritime counterpart of the Army’s special forces. The Green Berets. At first the Seals trained and helped the Vietnamese army like the LDNN ( Vietnamese Navy Seals). Later during the war they conducted missions and ambushes at night to capture prisoners of high intelligence value who would be helpful or even harmful to their cause. The Navy Seals have since then evolved into what they are now.

Requirements to Enter BUD/S

This is the requirements to for physical condition to enter BUD/S

REQUIREMENTS TO JOIN THE NAVY SEALS BUD/S TRAINING PROGRAM-

Physical screening test                          minimum          average        optimum

———————————————————————————–

Swim 500 yard     12:30                10:00             09:30

———————————————————————————–

Push-ups in 2 minutes                          50                     75               100

———————————————————————————–

Sit-ups in 2 minutes                              50                     75                 100

———————————————————————————–

Pull ups no time limit                          10                     11                 25

———————————————————————————–

Run 1.5 miles                                        12:30                 10:00              09:30

———————————————————————————–

Age requirements- 18-28 to sign up for Bud/s

Eye sight- Has to be 20/20 or correctable to 20/20, 20/40 for your best eye and worst eye has to be 20/70 and has to be able to correct both of those eyes to 20/25 with no color blindness

ASVAB scores-The minimum score allowed-GS+MC+EI=170 OR VE+MK+CS=220 OR VE+AR=110 MC+50

Height + weight- Height has to be 60-80 inches Weigh a maximum of 141lb at 60 inches, 191lb at 70 inches and 211lb at 74 inches

BUD/S

Training is said to be 90% mental and 10% physical. Yes that is true. I know that could be hard to believe but it really is true, you have to have the mental strength to push through the training and to get through. Yes you have to be in peak physical condition as well. Training consists of three stages

First Phase (Basic Conditioning): Includes continuous physical conditioning. Students also study small boat seamanship and hydrographic surveys and charts.

Second Phase (Diving): Covers SCUBA skills. Students learn open and closed circuit combat diving and how to complete long-distance underwater transit dives.

Third Phase (Land Warfare): Includes land navigation, small-unit tactics, rappelling, military land and underwater explosives, and weapons training.

Post-BUD/S Training BUD/S graduates attend several more courses before they are assigned to a team:

Basic Parachute Training- Diving medicine and medical skills training in the Special Operations Medical Course (for medical personnel) Once all courses are completed, graduates are assigned to a SEAL or Special Delivery Vehicle (SDV) Team for duty.

Advanced Training- Training, physical conditioning and drills are part of the SEAL lifestyle. Once you’ve completed the initial SEAL training, you can go even further with advanced training, which includes foreign language training, SEAL tactical communications training, Sniper, Military Free-fall Parachuting, Jump Master, Explosive Breacher, and much more.

Different things you can be in the Navy Seals

There are several things you can be as a Navy Seal. examples are medic, sniper, K9 trainer/handler etc….

SNIPER

Navy SEAL snipers are considered the elite among the elite. Sniper is among the most challenging specialties in the Seals. Only a small percentage of Seals qualify for the demanding training regimen and even fewer complete the program. Sniper training is a 3 month 12 hours a day 7 days a week course. Ironically its not all that demanding physically since the people going for that has already done bud/s and some of the SEAL Tactical Training, there wouldn’t be really anything in the course that posed any real physical challenge. Training is in three parts. The first month focuses on technology, digital photography and satellite communications. The second month shifts to the techniques of camouflage, scouting and learning to move undetected in and out of enemy territory. In the final month trainees hone their mental focus and work with advanced marksmanship methods. Only after successfully completing all of this training can a SEAL call himself a sniper.

MEDIC

Special Operations Combat Medic Course (SOCM), takes a student with little to no knowledge of medicine and begins teaching him medical fundamentals. This provides a base on which to build upon as the ensuing modules become increasingly more difficult, with the end product to the combatant commander being a trauma specialist trained in warfare related injuries. The Force Reconnaissance Corpsman receives NEC-8427. Upon completion of SOCM, E-4 and below Corpsmen and medics move on to an operational unit as a Special Operations Combat Medic, while E-5 and above Corpsmen and Medics will go to an operational unit or have the opportunity to attend the Special Operations Independent Duty Corpsman course (SOIDC).

Med Fundamentals (7 Weeks)-This is the first section of training. It covers pharmacology, pharmaceutical calculations, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, medical terminology, basic physical exam techniques, and medical documentation. During the anatomy and physiology section, our students are privileged to use the cadaver lab located in the schoolhouse facility.

SOCM Trauma Modules (7 Weeks)-This training covers AHA Basic Life Support, advance airway management, patient management skills, pre-hospital trauma emergencies and care, advance trauma tasks/skills, pre-hospital trauma emergencies and care, advanced trauma skills, operating room procedures, and minor surgical skills. Students take the NREMT-Basic examination after completing these subjects. Included in the Trauma Modules is the Advanced Tactical Practitionerphase. This covers obstetrics and pediatric emergencies, cardiac pharmacology, training in combat trauma management, PEPP, and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).

Clinical Internship: (4 Weeks)-The students then go on the -Paramedic clinical rotation and field internship at one of several Level I Trauma Centers on the east coast. This consists of 2 weeks of ambulance, 2 weeks of hospital. The hospital training consists of rotations in the emergency department, labor and delivery, surgical intensive care, pediatric emergency department, and operating room. Ambulance training consists of assignment to an Advanced Life Support EMS unit responsible for responding to a variety of 911 emergency calls.

Military Medicine: (3 Weeks)-The last phase of training is conducting Sick Call procedures. This covers the care of routine walk-in patients under the supervision of a physician or physician’s assistant at one of the many clinics at FT. Bragg.

K9 UNIT

Seal K9 handlers are usually Team Guys who have 2-4 combat deployments prior to attending the course to become a K9 handler.

Anyone who wants to be a medic, sniper, k9 handler etc… still has to go through buds rainig and become a Navy Seal before becoming any of these.

The Dogs- Belgian Malinois is the preferred dog by the Navy Seals. German shepherds are still used as war dogs by the American military but the lighter, stubbier Malinois is considered better for the tandem parachute jumping and rappelling operations often undertaken by SEAL teams. Labrador retrievers are also favored by various military organizations around the world.

Like their human counterparts, the dog SEALs are highly trained, highly skilled, highly motivated special ops experts, able to perform extraordinary military missions by Sea, Air and Land.

The dogs have cameras on their backs are sent in first so the Seals can see what is in there and what is not. The Seal dogs are also highly trained parachutists and will be attached to their handlers chest and parachute with the handler.

Thank you for reading my first blog. I will be posting more blogs over time and hopefully have 4-5 blogs by the end of this.