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

listened carefully while Chief Nielsen ran quickly through the first four weeks
and what we could expect — more running, log PT boats, and swimming, the
full catastrophe. Purely to find out how tough we really were.
“Conditioning,” he said. “Conditioning and a whole lot of cold water. Get
used to it. The next month represents a hard kick in the crotch. Because we’re
going to hammer you.” I still have my notes of Bob Nielsen’s speech.
“You fail to meet those standards, you’re out. Of course most of you will end
up being dropped. And most of you will not be back. You must make that fourmile
thirty-two-minute run, and you must make the two-mile swims in an hour
and a half. You’ll get a tough written test. There’s pool standards, there’s
drownproofing. With and without the fins — kick, stroke, and glide.
“You may be thinking, What does it take? What must I do to make it
through? The cold truth is, two-thirds of you sitting right here will quit.”
I remember him standing next to my row and saying, “There’s seven rows of
you sitting here. Only two rows will succeed.” He seemed to look straight at me
when he said, “The rest of you will be gonzo, history, back to the fleet. That’s
the way it is. The way it’s always been. So try your best to prove me wrong.”
He issued one further warning. “This training does not suit everyone. We get
a lot of very good guys through here who just decide this is not for them. And
that’s their right. But they will walk away from here with dignity, understand?
We catch one of you laughing or making fun of a man who has requested DOR,
we’ll hammer you without mercy. Big time. You will regret those moments of
ridicule for a long time. I advise you not even to consider it.”
He closed by telling us the real battle is won in the mind. It’s won by guys
who understand their areas of weakness, who sit and think about it, plotting and
planning to improve. Attending to the detail. Work on their weaknesses and
overcome them. Because they can.
“Your reputation is built right here in first phase. And you don’t want people
to think you’re a guy who does just enough to scrape through. You want people
to understand you always try to excel, to be better, to be completely reliable,
always giving it your best shot. That’s the way we do business here.
“And remember this one last thing. There’s only one guy here in this room
who knows whether you’re going to make it, or fail. And that’s you. Go to it,
gentlemen. And always give it everything.”
Chief Nielsen left, and five minutes later we stood by for the commanding
officer’s report. Six instructors filed into the room, surrounding a navy captain.
And we all knew who he was. This was Captain Joe Maguire, the near-legendary