Trouble & Attitude 4/Trouble and Attitude - Issue 04.iso/mac/DATA/MOVIES/TBW.Dxr/00005_Text_TBW.TEXT.INTRO-HISTORY.ED.txt.txt

Text File | 1997-01-14 | 7KB | 100 lines

INTRODUCTION
    Thanks in equal parts to Hollywood (e.g., 1990's Navy SEALs ) and Washington
(e.g., Somalia, Haiti), we, the public-at-large, have become increasingly aware of that near
mythical group of elite operatives known as the Navy SEALs.  Somewhere around the time
of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the SEALs began to emerge from the gray mist of Cold War
secrecy.  These once shadowy, black-clad figures, still gleaming wet with the residue of a
lifetime spent underwater, have come to shore and into view.  And what have we seen?
These guys are fit as hell!  How do they do that?
    Thanks to former Navy SEAL Mark De Lisle, you'll find out.  De Lisle lays out in
explicit detail the rigors of the SEAL training process in his new book, <i>The Cutting
Edge Total Body Workout</i>.  The video workout that follows, shot exclusively for
Trouble & Attitude by De Lisle and his team, gives you a few of the basics.  Watch, and
you'll be on your way to Dive Bomb, Cobra and Helen Keller your way to ultimate fitness-
-no equipment necessary.  For the full Navy SEAL workout, <i>The Cutting Edge Total
Body Workout</i> ($23.50; 1-800-281-SEAL) will tell you everything you need to know.

In De Lisle's Own Words (section 2--with photos)
    "Many people believe the only way to get in shape is by putting a lot of money into
trendy fitness centers, or spending hard-earned cash on a variety of workout video tapes.
In the end, these methods seldom give us the results we are looking for.  But don't get me
wrong--I am not demeaning the value of gyms or workout tapes, and I still enjoy the
benefits of a gym to keep fit.  Weight-lifting and other facilities can be extremely beneficial,
but I have found that in order to obtain and maintain supreme cardiovascular fitness and a
rock-hard body, I must continually employ the training regiment I learned as a member of
the Navy SEALs."

Navy SEAL HISTORY & TRAINING

by Mark De Lisle
    My purpose here is not to give you a complete and in-depth review of SEAL
history, but rather a basic understanding of who we are and where we came from.  Also,
you will better understand why it is paramount for us to excel in all areas of physical fitness
and mental development.
    In the early 1960s, President John F. Kennedy, envisioning the path modern
warfare was heading, decided to organize an elite group of men specializing in counter-
terrorism tactics.  SEALs (the acronym for Sea, Air and Land) were taken from the ranks
of the United States Navy Underwater Demolition Teams [UDT].
    All SEALs get their roots from the "frogmen" of World War II, who successfully
performed covert amphibious missions against incredible odds.  During the 1960s
"frogmen" began forming what is today known as Navy SEALs.  By 1983 the term "UDT"
was eliminated, and all UDT teams became SEAL teams.
    Vietnam was the first arena for Navy SEALs to be showcased and prove their value
as a combat unit.  They proved themselves ten-fold, leaving Vietnam as the highest
decorated unit and with the highest kill-per-person ratio of any U.S. combat unit.  SEALs
were so feared by the Viet Cong, they were called "devils with green faces!"

SEAL Training
    SEALs come from all walks of life, but that does not mean that anyone can be a
Navy SEAL.  You have to earn the rite of passage.
    This is where BUD/S comes into the picture.  BUD/S stands for Basic Underwater
Demolition/SEAL School, located in Coronado, California, U.S.A.  This is where all initial
training for SEAL candidates is held.  All candidates--officers and enlisted men alike--are
required to pass the same tests.  The training is excruciating and bordering on impossible.
    BUD/S is broken into four phases.  Upon arrival, you begin Fourth Phase.  This is
the preparatory phase, and the only phase where instructors can show a little bit of their
human side.  You begin running, swimming, and performing difficult exercises, improving
your techniques daily.  After an average of two months you take an entrance physical test to
determine if you are ready make the next class for First Phase.
    Once the First Phase class is finalized, there is a traditional party on the beach the
Saturday night before class begins.  This is where all SEAL candidates shave their heads
and celebrate wildly, because as of Monday, life ends as you know it.  You are now
property of the SEAL instructors.
    First Phase is very demanding.  The sixth week of First Phase is the infamous
"Hell Week."  After "Hell Week," we were given one week in tennis shoes to allow the
swelling in our feet to go down.  Soon we were back in jungle boots.  Now we were
qualified to learn SEAL tactics, stealth, concealment, and Hydro Reconnaissance.
    Then came Second Phase, or Dive Phase.  Here we learned about scuba diving with
open air scuba tanks.  Once we gained the instructors' confidence, we were allowed to use
pure oxygen tanks.
    The stamina required for such grueling training was taking its toll, and the numbers
in our class continued to dwindle.  We started out with a class of 130, and at this phase of
training we were down to 75.
    The last and final phase, Land Warfare, was spent half in Coronado and half on
San Clemente Island.  We learned everything from land navigation and demolition tactics to
small firearms.
    We also had to increase our speed and endurance because the qualifying times for
running and swimming were getting shorter and shorter.  Even though our bodies were
falling apart from the grueling training, we managed to keep up and pass the tests.
    I'll never forget the feeling coming back from San Clemente Island, knowing I only
had one more week of training left, walking tall and proud!

The Infamous "Hell Week" (Dave--hot off of Hell Week above)
    Only the best survive at BUD/S.  You have to stay extremely alert and focused,
while never letting your guard down.  The best example of this is "Hell Week."  This is the
week that all BUD/S students must pass somehow, some way, if they want to become a
Navy SEAL.  During this week, every training scenario you have learned up to that point is
executed.  There were many times I didn't know if I would make it through a test or
evaluation, but each time I dug deep inside myself and found the strength and determination
I didn't know I possessed.
    Throughout the entire week you only get a half hour of sleep, here and there, and
never more than two hours total for the week.  The majority of time you are soaking wet--
either from hoses or "surf torture."  Surf torture is where you have to get in the ocean's
surf zone and let the waves crash down on your face.  The extensive amount of time we
had to spend in the surf zone brought us dangerously close to hypothermia, and many
SEAL candidates were disqualified during this exercise.
    Somehow, I made it through Hell Week, by taking it one day at a time, and not
looking too far into the future.