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

4
Welcome to Hell, Gentlemen
Battlefield whistle drills were conducted in the midst of highpressure
water jets, total chaos, deafening explosions, and
shouting instructors...“Crawl to the whistle, men! Crawl to the
whistle! And keep your goddamned heads down!”
We assembled in the classroom soon after 1300 that last afternoon of Indoc.
Instructor Reno made his entry like a Roman caesar, head held high, and
immediately ordered us to push ’em out. As ever, chairs scraped back and we hit
the floor, counting out the push-ups.
At twenty, Reno left us in the rest position and then said crisply, “Recover.”
“Hooyah, Instructor Ree-no!”
“Give me a muster, Mr. Ismay.”
“One hundred and thirteen men assigned, Instructor Reno. All present except
two men at medical.”
“Close, Mr. Ismay. Two men quit a few minutes ago.”
All of us wondered who they were. My boat’s crew members? Heads
whipped around. I had no idea who had crashed at the final hurdle.
“Not your fault, Mr. Ismay. You were in the classroom when they quit. Twotwo-six
will class up in BUD/S first phase with a hundred and eleven men.”
Hooyah!
I realized we had been losing guys fairly steadily. But according to these
numbers, Class 226 had had 164 men assigned on the first day, and we’d lost
more than fifty of them. I know a few never showed up at all, mostly through
sheer intimidation. But the rest had somehow vanished into the void. I never saw
any of them leave, not even my roommate.
And I still cannot work out quite how it happened. I guess they just reached