US Navy SEALs Hell Week

Marshal Suvorov coined the phrase“Train Hard, Fight Easy” and US Navy SEALs take that adviceliterally with one of the most rigorous and toughest trainingprograms in the US military or anywhere else in the world. You don'tneed to be Superman to pass SEAL selection but you do need to use themost deadliest weapon on the planet – the human brain. Masteringyour mind is the key to mastering your body and pushing it to performfar outside the limits of ordinary human endurance.

Any SEAL instructor and operator willtell you that becoming a SEAL is 90% mental and 10% physical.

Hell Week takes place in the third weekof BUD/S and last for 5 ½ days. It is the toughest test inthe US military and it is meant to be for a simple reason - any thatgraduate will be fighting with the very same instructors urging themto quit during Hell Week – would you want to rely on a team matewho is prepared to quit during training when the metal is meeting themeat?

During Hell Week candidates will get atmost 4 hours of sleep during the 132 hours of testing. Physicallabor in the form of paddling, running, PT, sit-ups, pull ups, battlemarching, ocean swimming, transporting boats by hand, log push upsand anything else the training staff can think up is put into theprogram. Stress will be applied physical and mental to break thecandidates and separate the cream from the rest. 70% and more willnot pass this test and there has been at least one BUD/S course whereno candidate passed.

Nothing is done at a walking pace whilemud and sand will get everywhere causing severe chafing and opensores that together with the cold reduce athletic candidates toshambling men as they struggle to keep their body moving. Hell Weekis about breaking the will of candidates by applying stress in theform of cold, fatigue, being wet, physical exhaustion, sleepdeprivation, a lot of yelling coupled with offering incentives toquit:

“Allya gotta do is ring that bell and you can get a room in thathotel we just ran past and sleep all day!”

“Whowants some coffee and donuts? Just ring that bell and sit down forsome fresh....hmmm, smell that...smells goooooood!”

“You'ref......... useless, you f..... scumbag, you ain't packin' the gear, Iain't gonna pass you, you're gonna fail 'cos I'm gonna fail yoursorry ass so stop wastin' my f.... time and ring that f.... bell!”

Thebell in question is located high up on a platform visible to theentire camp and all a candidate need do to stop the pain andtorture is signify he wants a Drop On Request or DOR by simplystepping up and ringing the bell.

Once Hell Week is completedmost of the survivors will continue to graduate BUD/S and become SEALoperators. Once a test like Hell Week has been endured, the idea offailing or failure has been removed and they are well on the way tobecoming part of a proud SEAL tradition that never quits.