Navy SEAL

My first day of SEAL training had gone great, I ran 8 miles, swam two miles, and pulled off a few hundred 9mm rounds at the range. It wasn’t until later that night, or morning rather, that the hell that SEAL training is known best for started.

I was sound asleep when all the lights were turned on and Commander Taylor’s booming voice came out of nowhere. “Everybody up, it’s time to learn how to be a Navy SEAL,” he ordered.

“Are you crazy? It’s four o’clock in the morning!” I moaned.

“Are you crazy? It’s four o’clock in the morning!, Sir. Ensign I am your superior officer and you will address me with military courtesy. Clear?” he replied.

“Yes sir.”

“Now get your men assembled in full gear on the beach,” Commander Taylor ordered.

“Aye, aye sir,” I stately replied.

Five minutes later we were assembled on the beach and the commander started his speech. “Over the next month I am going to undo what God has so horrible messed up, I am going to turn you miserable sailors into the best damn warriors that this country has ever seen. And I will not rest until I have succeeded. Clear?”

“Explicitly sir,” we all shouted in reply.

Talk about an honest officer, it’s two days until graduation and Commander Taylor has brought us to hell and back. But boy is he a fine officer, he has turned a group of boys just out of colleges into the best of the best, Navy SEALs. Tomorrow is the last test, a live fire operation where we have to rescue a hostage. Commander Taylor says we’re ready and if he says it, I believe it.

April 29th, 3am: the operation has started and everything is running smooth; however I somehow doubt that it will stay that way. Suddenly a burst of machine gun fire has us pinned down. But we were ready, our training promptly took over and we took out the machine gun got the hostage and got out of there.

As soon as we got back to base Commander Taylor was standing there with a grin on his face, we all were going to graduate and not one of us had rang the bell. The next morning we had our graduation and Commander Taylor gave one last lecture.

“ Today you are all Navy SEALs, you are the best of the best and I do not hesitate to say that when all else fail, you will succeed. I’m damn proud of all of you and I will say that I am a better person for having the honor to lead you into battle for the first time. Give ‘em hell, boys.”