American Sniper - Boekje Pienter

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they end your Navy career. It makes sense, though, since being a SEAL
is more about mental toughness than physical prowess—if you have
the psychological fortitude to come back from an injury and complete
the program, you stand a decent chance of being a good SEAL. I personally
know a SEAL who broke his hip so badly during training that it
had to be replaced. He had to sit out for a year and a half, but he made
it through BUD/S.
You hear guys talking about getting kicked out of BUD/S because
they got into a fight with the instructor and beat the crap out of him.
They’re lying sacks of shit. No one fights with the instructors. You just
don’t. Believe me, if you did, they’d come together and whip your ass
so fast you wouldn’t ever walk again.
MARCUS
You get close to the people in BUD/S, but you try not to get too close
until after Hell Week. That’s where the heaviest attrition is. We graduated
two dozen guys out of our class; less than ten percent the number
that started.
I was one of them. I’d started in class 231, but the rollback meant I
graduated with 233.
After BUD/S, SEALs go to advance training—officially known as
SQT or SEAL Qualifying Training. While I was there, I was reunited
with a friend of mine I’d met while at BUD/S—Marcus Luttrell.
Marcus and I got along right away. It was only natural: we were a
couple of Texas boys.
I don’t suppose you’ll understand that if you’re not from Texas.
There seems to be a special bond between people from the state. I