Funny SEAL story

Chuckman

Chuckman

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Background: in the mid-90s through a friend I met a SEAL who was a plank owner of ST6 and ended up CMC of NSW training at BUDS, retired in 1998. When we met I was a lowly HM3 (E4) and even though he was in a different community we keep up with each other and he has been a mentor of mine over the years.

He and I were chatting recently, and we got talking about priorities, what's important, and how you might find a certain job might not be for you. He told me this story about a student at BUDS who determined that being a SEAL just wasn't going to be his thing.

There was this student, a real stud, a first-time-every-time guy (passes every test and evolution on the first go), really a class leader. 90th percentile in everything. He made it through hell week. Master Chief said that in second phase (dive phase) there was a morning they had to muster particularly early, and when they did, he walked over and rang the bell. The students and instructors were just incredulous that this guy would ring out. So instead of the normal chat of 'if you are sure you want to do this, go over there to process out,' they told him he had to see the Master Chief. So Master Chief said, 'I looked at your record, you are a stud, you are an overachiever and high performer, everyone likes you. Why do you want out?'

The guy responded, 'I hate getting up early.' Master Chief said, 'um....say again?' 'Yeah, Master Chief, I hate getting up early. I have had my fill of it. I'm done.' Master Chief said he was so shocked you could have knocked him over with a feather. He said, 'well...OK. Go process out...good luck', and that was that.
 
Climberman said:
At least he is honest. It would suck for everyone if he isn’t willing to wake up early when it matters.
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True. Master Chief said he did ask, 'you know you are in the Navy, you'll be getting up early every morning no matter what you do?'

DogFather said:
Would be interesting to hear where the soldier ended up & what he is upto these days.
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Yeah. Curious what motivates people. Was he a lifer or a one-tour-and-out guy?
 
So...being a non-veteran...is there any branch of the service that allows late wake up calls? Other than perhaps the normal AF jokes and stuff?
 
B00ger said:
So...being a non-veteran...is there any branch of the service that allows late wake up calls? Other than perhaps the normal AF jokes and stuff?
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There is a whole side of the military that is shift work or even 8-4/9-5. Yeah, it's a thing.
 
Chuckman said:
There is a whole side of the military that is shift work or even 8-4/9-5. Yeah, it's a thing.
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Gotcha...I just guess...well...there isnt like a special forces that states "we only do the combat thing between 9-5, weather permitting."
 
Gotcha...I mean, good on em for being honest...but "having to wake up early" seems like it would have been a "known factor" way before hand.
 
Chuckman said:
There is a whole side of the military that is shift work or even 8-4/9-5. Yeah, it's a thing.
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you know i only woke up at 845 this morning because i had to pee, right?
some of us are just NOT morning people
 
Good story, and apparently unusual in that setting, but I suspect we’ve all worked hard to get something and once we had it within our grasp decided that it wasn’t what we wanted.

For example, common for kids who finish their college experience intending to become a doctor who then decide not to go on to med school. Even more common, chase a skirt and then walk away.
 
They may have cut him anyway. Marcinko said he didn’t like perfect guys. They never had a chance to learn on the job.
 
GymB said:
Good story, and apparently unusual in that setting, but I suspect we’ve all worked hard to get something and once we had it within our grasp decided that it wasn’t what we wanted.

For example, common for kids who finish their college experience intending to become a doctor who then decide not to go on to med school. Even more common, chase a skirt and then walk away.
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A friend of mine is an ENT doc at Duke, he went to law school, graduated, realized he wanted to be a doc. I know another who went through med school, graduated, went into something else entirely different. Yeah, it definitely happens.
 
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