Blue stood waist deep in the chilly water of the Pacific Ocean. His core temperature was plummeting.
The incessant waves were pounding down on his shivering body.
Blue and the rest of Navy SEAL recruit class 86 was standing in what is commonly referred to as the “Surf Zone”.
Theo and six other recruits struggled to hold a telephone pole log above their heads.
A Navy SEAL instructor paced the sand in front of the men with his deep voice bellowing,
“ Its mind over matter people, if you don’t mind it don’t matter”. Blue’s teeth were chattering as the instructor asked the group if they were cold.
The answer to that question was obvious as the recruits fought to stand against the icy waves.
The Navy SEAL instructor’s piercing eyes looked right through the recruit class as he stated sarcastically
“ You think you are cold now, people you don’t know what cold is”. The rumbling voice continued to motivate the recruits to endure by saying
” The only easy day was yesterday.
You are striving to become a member of a Navy SEAL team. Pull together right here and right now because failure is not an option”.
The team of recruits holding the log next to Blue fell forward into the surf. One by one the seven men rose from the water and took hold of their log.
Just as they began lifting the log one of the men detached from the group. He stumbled forward and collapsed on the beach in front of the instructor.
With a wavering voice and tear filled eyes the recruit looked up at the instructor and announced his decision to quit.
The instructor told the recruit to ignore the pain and the cold and fall back in with his squad. This recruit was unable to comply and
SEAL training claimed another victim. He slowly rose from the sand and took one last look at his boatcrew.
He knew that his leaving was going to leave his squad to absorb the weight of the waterlogged telephone pole without him.
Guilt consumed him as he searched for internal reserves that were absent. With his mind, body and spirit broken the trainee stumbled to the main
compound where he rang the big brass bell outside of the instructor’s office three times.
This ringing out signified that he no longer had what it took to continue SEAL training.
The instructor’s eyes scanned the cold wet recruits as he growled “Anybody else want to quit? Navy SEALs don’t ever quit.
Remember people if you want to wear the name you have to play the game. You don’t have to like it, you just have to do it”.
The recruits were tired and hurting but stood ready for his next command.
The instructor ordered the recruits to keep the log up above their heads and to stand still.
A resounding Hoo-Yah from the group ensured that the directive was understood.
While Theo’s team of recruits faltered they did not fail in their task to keep the log aloft.
Blue was learning a valuable lesson in teamwork as the men struggled to do together what none of them could have accomplished alone.
Blue was experiencing log physical training, one of the many training “Evolutions” that must be endured to become a United States Navy SEAL.
