Lone Survivor_ The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 ( PDFDrive )

3. A minimum of 50 sit-ups in 2 minutes
4. A minimum of 6 dead-hang pull-ups
5. A 1.5-mile run in 11 minutes, 30 seconds, done while wearing boots and
long pants
Only one guy failed to complete. In fact, most of us did markedly better than
we had the first time. I recall I managed close to eighty push-ups and a hundred
sit-ups. I guess the apparition of Billy Shelton was standing hard by my
shoulder, trying to frighten the life out of me and ready to throw me out of the
navy if I blew it.
More important, Instructor Reno was watching us with eyes like a fighter
jet’s radar. He told me several months later he knew I was putting out for him.
Made up his mind about me right then and there. Told me he’d never changed it
either. Good decision. I give it everything. On time. Every time. Might not
always be good enough, but it’s always my very best shot.
Looking back, I’m not sure that early test showed very much. There were a
lot of heavily muscled, bodybuilding types who looked pretty ferocious. I
remember they were among the very first to go, because they just couldn’t hack
it. Their legs and upper bodies were just too heavy.
The SEALs do place a premium on brute strength, but there’s an even bigger
premium on speed. That’s speed through the water, speed over the ground, and
speed of thought. There’s no prizes for a gleaming set of well-oiled muscles in
Coronado. Bulk just makes you slow, especially in soft sand, and that’s what we
had to tackle every day of our lives, mile after mile.
On this first morning of Class 226, we immediately learned another value
peculiar to BUD/S. We don’t stroll, walk, or even jog. We run. We actually run
like hell. Everywhere. All day. Remember that great Tom Hanks line in A
League of Their Own, “There’s no crying in baseball”? Well, we have a line in
Coronado: There’s no walking in BUD/S.
Our first encounter with this cruel and heartless rule came when it was time
for breakfast. The chow hall was a mile away, so we had to run two miles —
there and back — for a plate of toast, eggs, and bacon. Same for lunch. Same for
dinner. For anyone mathematically challenged, that’s six miles every day just to
find something to eat, nothing to do with our regular daily training runs, which