NAVY SEALS' KNACK

By Richard J. Noyes

 

In our extended series on knack, we’ve looked for the most knackish of all professions. It might be the successful head of a big country or corporation or a Nobel laureate, but on a more practical level it’s likely the aptitude needed to become a Navy Seal. (And Navy Seals are in the news again with the recent rescue of an American woman and a Danish man in Somalia.)

But first some background on the type of person who aspires to be a Seal: A 17-year-old neighbor named Joe went into to the city to meet his girlfriend. During his late evening bus ride home to the near suburbs he noticed and ignored a group of five or six rowdy young men around his age in the back of the bus. Soon, and without warning, a member of the group hit Joe over the head from behind with a stick. After being momentarily stunned, Joe grabbed the perpetrator and coldcocked him. The bus driver intervened, kicked the gang, including the revived assailant, off the bus, and Joe rode on to his stop.

Once Joe’s father saw the ugly, bloody gash in his son’s head he got him into the car, and they headed to the emergency room of the local hospital. Coincidentally, they retraced the bus route. They soon stopped at a red light, and Joe saw the miscreants who attacked him across the street hanging outside a diner. He jumped out of the car, threaded through traffic, and waded into the group, fists like pistons, knocking them every which way until they ran off.

A year later, Joe joined the Marines. Following basic training and a tour of duty in the first Iraq war, where he saw action, Joe applied for admission into the Navy Seals’ training program and was accepted.

Among a thousand applicants, four out of five men who start training wash out. It may be the hardest physical training any group anywhere goes through. Many of the recruits are ex-athletes who must survive the pain of “Hell Week” while showing they can help others. They work out 20 hours a day, run 200 miles, sleep four hours total and absorb constant harassment while surviving cold water in underwater demolition drills. Like astronauts, Navy Seals must have the right stuff.

They learn to take out pirates, criminals and terrorists like Osama Bin Laden. Navy Seals’ Team 6, the group who killed Bin Laden and rescued American hostages in Somalia, are the elite of the elite. These men are tough, smart and diplomatic when necessary. They solve problems amid chaos and have the instinct for correct decision-making.

Shortly after Joe entered Seals’ training we moved to a distant city and never learned what happened to him. Everything we knew about Joe¾his presence, physique, intelligence, quiet self-possession and direct, respectful manner predicted success and the potential to be an American hero.

Note: Limited research of the Navy Seals’ training regimen was conducted on the Internet and from other sources. I believe that all of it qualifies as common information. However, if I have inadvertently used someone else’s language and knowledge contributions without attribution, I apologize and I am grateful for the help. Thank you. Richard Noyes

Richard J. Noyes, former Associate Director, Center for Advanced Engineering Study, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a consultant to public and private sector organizations.

Noyes is the co-author with Pamela J. Robertson of Larceny of Love, a provocative print and eBook novel that traces the interwoven careers of three men in jeopardy (one of whom is a professional pitcher who experiences sudden, extreme, unexplained, career-threatening wildness) and the unforgettable women in their lives. (Amazon print and e-Book. Nook and Google e-Books.)

“Whenever dramatic storytelling about people you like is created around business, sports and film, I'm a happy reader. I'm sure you will be as well.”  –Kevin Marcus, Vice President, Sotheby

Another recent print and eBook by Richard Noyes and Pamela Robertson: Guts in the Clutch: 77 Legendary Triumphs, Heartbreaks, and Wild Finishes in 12 Sports, with a Foreword by Drew Olson of ESPN. (Amazon print and e-Book. Nook and Google e-Books.)

“The best compilation of fascinating sports stories I have read.” -David Houle, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer of documentaries on Hank Aaron and the Harlem Globetrotters.