I expect you to lead at the upper levels of your knowledge, skill, and authority.
—ADMIRAL ERIC OLSON, quoted in Dick Couch, The Finishing School
Sparta was a city-state in ancient Greece, located on the Eurotas River in the southern part of the Peloponnese. It rose to become the dominant military power in the region in 650 BC due to its military efficiency and its social structure, unique in ancient Greece. In 480 BC a small force of Spartans, along with allies from Thespiae and Thebes, led by King Leonidas made the legendary last stand at the Battle of Thermopylae against the massive Persian army, inflicting very high casualty rates on the Persians. The weaponry, strategy, and bronze armor of the Greek hoplites and their phalanx proved far superior to that of their opponents. The phalanx was a military formation in which the soldiers would lock shields and project their spears over the shields and progress in a fashion that all but prevented a frontal assault, making the phalanx greater than the sum of its parts.
The agoge, a rigorous training regimen for all Spartan male citizens, involved stealth, cultivating loyalty to one’s group, military training, hunting, dancing, and social preparation. The agoge, first introduced by the Spartan lawgiver Lycurgus in the first half of the seventh century BC, was designed to train male citizens from the ages of seven through twenty-nine. The goal was to produce physically and morally strong males to serve in the Spartan army by encouraging conformity and stressing the importance of the Spartan state over one’s own personal interest, and so generating the warrior elites of Sparta.
When a boy reached his seventh birthday, he was enrolled in the agoge under the authority of the paidonomos, or magistrate, charged with supervising education. This began the first of three stages of the agoge: the paides (ages seven to seventeen), the paidiskoi (ages eighteen to nineteen), and the hebontes (ages twenty to twenty-nine). The boys were given one item of clothing per year and expected to make or acquire other needed clothing. They were also deliberately underfed, and taught to become skilled at acquiring their food.
At the beginning of paidiskoi, around the age of eighteen, the students became reserve members of the Spartan army. At the beginning of hebontes, roughly at the age of twenty, the students became full part of the syssitia, the obligatory daily meal for men and youths in the army, and were finally permitted to marry, although they continued to live in barracks, and continued to compete for a place among the Spartan hippeis, the royal honor guard. The modern-day SEALs view their training, community, and tactics as being very similar to that of the ancient Spartans, so it is not uncommon to see and hear references to Spartans and the Battle of Thermopylae in many SEAL training evolutions, events, and ceremonies.
With his college education at Penn State, Officer Candidate School, and BUD/S behind him, Ensign Michael Murphy had earned the right to progress to the next level in the SEAL agoge: SEAL Qualification Training, or SQT.* Before getting there, he had five different applications or prepatory schools to complete.
Army Jump School: The “Air” in Sea, Air, Land (SEAL)
Following a week of well-earned leave, Ensign Murphy reported to Fort Benning, Georgia. Successful completion of the Army Airborne School, more commonly known as jump school, would result in military certification and the awarding of silver jump wings for completion of five static-line jumps. Conducted by the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army Infantry School, jump school was designed to qualify students in the use of the parachute as a means of combat deployment, and to develop leadership, self-confidence, and an aggressive spirit through mental and physical training.
The instructors were known as Black Hats because of the black baseball caps they wore, along with their dress uniforms, rank insignia, and parachutist badges. All students were required to call them “Sergeant Airborne” (or “Petty Officer Airborne” in case the instructor was from the Navy). At jump school, the instructors were from not only from the Army, but also the Air Force, the Marine Corps, and the Navy. Because trainees from all four main branches of the military are able to attend jump school, each branch insists that it have at least one representative present to ensure quality instruction.
Compared to the physical-training demands at BUD/S, the Army’s requirements at jump school might have seemed like nothing more than a mere warm-up to Michael and other prospective SEALs; however, the students were expected to remain professional and respectful in their attitude toward their classmates from the other service branches, as well as the instructors. The three-week program was designed to teach the basics of successful military static-line jumping and mass troop evacuation of an aircraft, and was broken down into three distinct phases, each of which had to be successfully completed before progression to the next phase was permitted.
Ground Week
During Ground Week students began an intensive program of instruction designed to build individual airborne skills, which prepared them to make a parachute jump and land safely. The students simulated jumping from an aircraft using a mock airplane door and practiced parachute landings through controlled falls from a thirty-four-foot tower. To successfully complete Ground Week, each trainee had to qualify individually on all of the training appratus and pass all PT requirements.
Tower Week
During Tower Week the element of teamwork was added to the training with the introduction of mass-exit techniques. The apparatuses used for this training were the 34-foot tower, the mock airplane door, a suspended harness, and a 250-foot free tower. The students completed their individual skill training and built team-effort skills during this week. To move on to the final week of training, each trainee had to master mass-exit procedures and pass all PT requirements. Although SEALs do not use mass-exit procedures in tactical applications, Michael and other SEAL trainees were required to successfully complete this part of the course.
Jump Week
During the final week of training Michael made five parachute jumps into the drop zone (DZ), the area in which training parachute jumps are conducted. Michael and his class were required to run to the airfield, conduct pre-jump training, and then get into their harnesses and wait their turn to jump. Two of these jumps were combat-equipment jumps, in which the jumper carried a rucksack and a dummy weapon. The other three jumps were “Hollywood jumps,” meaning that the jumper only wore a parachute and a reserve. In addition, one jump was made at night.
Ensign Murphy successfully completed all requirements and was awarded his silver jump wings. Upon completing five additional jumps, he was awarded his gold wings. His next duty station was back at the NSW Center in Coronado.
Junior Officer Training Course (JOTC)
Throughout BUD/S each trainee is expected to assume a leadership role. Petty officers and officers are rightfully held to a higher personal standard and also responsible for ensuring their respective boat team is up to standard. Failing to ensure the readiness of their men results in discipline of the entire team. For Michael Murphy, having the bar raised was not a matter for concern—for him, the higher the better. In the SQT course to follow there would be an increased dichotomy of training between the enlisted men and their officers. Enlisted men would be expected to become experts in communications, diving, air operations, weapons, and reconnaissance, as well as all of the specific technical specialties required by the SEAL teams. The officers would be primarily responsible for mission planning and tactical decision making.
In NSW there are two primary leadership development courses: Junior Officer Training Course (JOTC) and Senior Petty Officer Training Course (SPOTC). The JOTC is for new officers through the rank of lieutenant. The SPOTC is for team petty officers with two or more deployments who are being groomed for leading petty officer (LPO) or chief petty officer (CPO) duties.
The JOTC is a five-week training program conducted at Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado. The first three weeks consist of a comprehensive group of leadership seminars covering topics such as NSW history, command relationships, enlisted performance evaluation, and public speaking, as well as presentations from SEALs, both active and retired. Students also are schooled in the other special operations forces (SOF), such as the Army’s Rangers, Special Forces (Green Berets), and 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force), the Marine’s Force Recon, and the Air Force’s pararescue jumpers, known as PJs.
Ensign Murphy and the others learned where NSW falls in the chain of command in a special operations mission involving another service branch as well as in a special operations combined and/or joint task force. There were also classes on their administrative and legal responsibilities as officers. As in BUD/S, each day started with a rigorous PT session and an ocean swim.
Their leadership classes featured case studies of actual events, battles, and operations involving SEAL teams during deployment. They learned quickly that in combat situations there are few instances of black and white, but rather all varying shades of gray. It is these shades of gray that required true leadership. Michael Murphy would learn that lesson all too well.
The first three weeks were full of guest speakers describing deployments in the combat theaters of Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf, Bosnia, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Michael’s class also received several presentations by the commanding officer of NSW. In one such presentation, Admiral Olson had this to say:
I expect you to lead at the upper levels of your knowledge, skill, and authority. Be a teammate. What’s good for the team has priority over what’s good for you. Demonstrate professionalism in all that you do. Be sharp, look sharp. Teach, coach, guide, and mentor your force, but don’t claim experience that you don’t have.
Never sacrifice what you know is right for what is convenient or expedient. Live the life of a leader—one of values, character, courage, and commitment. What you do and what you tolerate in your presence best demonstrates your standards.
Empower your subordinate leaders to work at the full level of their authority. Encourage your subordinate leaders; train them, trust them, hold them to standard. Remember—the prime measure of your performance is the performance of your men.
The fourth week of training was also classroom based, with the emphasis on mission planning, using the most current mission-planning software and the SEAL Mission Support Center (MSC). Ensign Murphy learned the mission-planning platform known as SOMPE-M (Special Operations Mission Planning Environment-Maritime). The Mission Support Center was utilized by deployed teams to allow them to interact with rear-echelon support units for logistical support and tactical information on a real-time basis.
Again Admiral Olson addressed the class, providing a firsthand account of the fight in Mogadishu, Somalia, in October 1993. His insights turned his session into a series of lessons learned.
Amid all the heroics and the carnage, and yes, the mistakes, we found out some things that may help us the next time. And these lessons did not come cheap. Two hundred men from Task Force Ranger were involved start to finish. We suffered ninety-nine casualities—sixteen dead. No SEALs were lost, but we did collect some Purple Hearts. So what did we learn? . . .
There are some macro issues, like the lack of armored vehicles and the non-availability of an AC-130 gunship, but there are times when you simply may not have the assets available you would like to have for a mission or for mission contingencies. We also had a mission statement focused on capturing a single personality—the warlord General Muhammad Farrah Aideed. Our mission statement in Somalia was to get General Aideed, which meant that we could destroy his infrastructure, nab his top lieutanants, restore global peace, and solve world hunger, but it would have still been mission failure if we didn’t capture Aideed. So, although we had many tactical successes, we still didn’t get Aideed, so we failed our mission. Aside from those terrible twenty-four hours, since we didn’t get him, our mission was a failure in that regard. The lives we lost in Mogadishu drove our national policy regarding the use of the military up until 9/11. That’s why we fought the conflict in Bosnia with air power alone from twenty-one thousand feet. No one wanted to accept the political risks of another Mogadishu. A policy that involves a single personality sets you up for failure. Much the same thing could be said in Afghanistan because we did not get bin Laden. However, in Afghanistan, we successfully routed a brutal regime.
In answer to the question “Sir, what should our mission be in these situations?” the admiral responded:
They should be as general as possible. In Somalia, to go after the clan infrastructure that was opposing our humanitarian efforts there. In Afghanistan, it is al-Qaeda and those who support terrorism. I think our failure to find bin Laden cost us something in the eyes of those who oppose our interests in the area. But these are big issues, well above your pay grade and mine.
Let’s talk about things we can do—what you can do as future naval leaders as you train and prepare your platoons for special operations. First of all, you cannot do enough medical preparation and training. Every man in the squad file has to be medically competent. You don’t always want to send your corpsman to drag the wounded out of the line of fire, but the men you do send must have the medical skills to deal immediately with the life-threatening injuries. You have to be prepared to carry on the fight and the mission while you treat your casualities. We had some problems with communication in Mogadishu. We cluttered up the nets when things got hot and didn’t use proper call signs. Keep your comms clean and stay with procedure. That said, train for this. In all your scenario-based training, have a man go down; have your radio malfunction. Train for the worst-case scenarios.
As Admiral Olson continued, he began to pace around the room.
If it’s a daytime mission, plan for what will happen if you have to stay out after dark, and for the reverse as well. In Mogadishu, when we went back in that evening with the relief convoy, it was to be a daytime mission, in and out quickly. We didn’t get out until the next morning. One of my SEALs handed me a night-vision optic right before we left. As it worked out, I would have been hard-pressed to do my job without it. Close air support. Know your fire support platforms; know how to use them. Our special operations pilots are the best in the world. We had pilots flying continually for fifteen hours in a very dangerous environment. They were magnificent. Know what they can and they can’t do; don’t misuse these brave and talented airmen. Body armor. It’s heavy and that day it was very hot, but some of those sixteen good men we lost could have been saved if they had worn body armor with ballistic plates. Your SEALs might complain, especially during training on a hot day, but in an urban environment, it’s a life saver. You are leaders; do the right thing. Train like you intend to fight. See that you and your men train exactly as if you were doing it for real.
After a deliberate pause, and looking into the eyes of the junior officers, he continued:
One last thought concerning Somalia. In Mogadishu, we put men at risk and remained in harm’s way to bring back the bodies of those we could. We have to bring them back; it’s part of who we are. It’s the right thing to do for ourselves and for the families of our fallen comrades, but it also affects policy. If we are involved, it’s a tough mission and we are on the world stage. The bodies of those Americans they dragged through the streets of Mogadishu changed American policy for more than a decade. It will always be a judgment call, risking lives to bring home the remains of our own, but it’s something we must do if at all possible. Someday it may be your call. Think about it ahead of time, because if that decision falls on you, it will be in the heat of battle under the worst possible conditions. Good luck to all of you. Take care of your men.
Little did anyone in that classroom realize that Admiral Olson’s words were not only reflective, but prophetic as well.
The final week was field based, at the NSW La Posta training facility, conducting leadership quick-reaction drills. These fast, hard-hitting drills were designed to teach tactical decision making in a simulated combat environment. The training was essentially continuous for five days, with the officers eating and sleeping in the field.
While Ensign Murphy finished the JOTC with great anticipation of SQT, he had to complete three more courses before getting there.
Range Safety Officer Course
The range safety officer (RSO) course taught the essentials of using firearms in a safe and effective training environment. Conducted over a one-week period on multiple firing ranges, the training was designed to familiarize the students with all NSW shooting and training regulations and instruct them how to comply with those standards.
Dive Supervisor Course
This one-week course emphasized compliance with all NSW training and diving regulations. While actual diving was an important aspect of this course, Michael and each of his fellow classmates also had to establish and supervise a diving evolution. This involved making sure that all of the students under their charge were properly checked out before entering the water.
Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE)
Established by the Air Force at the end of the Korean War, SERE was extended during the Vietnam War to Army and Navy personnel. A course common to nearly all SOF operators, it is conducted by the naval aviation community at Warner Springs, California.
Survival and Evasion
The majority of the SERE training focused on survival and evasion. Woodcraft and wilderness survival techniques in all types of climates were taught, including emergency first aid, land navigation, camouflage techniques, methods of evasion, communication protocols, and the making of improvised tools.
This segment was designed based on the experiences of former prisoners of war. It included training on how to resist the enemy and survive in the event of capture. The majority of this training is classified.
After spending five days in the classroom learning survival skills, assisting rescuers in the event they are caught behind enemy lines, and learning the U.S. military code of conduct as it pertains to prisoners of war (POWs), Michael and his class were placed in the field. There, for five more days, they applied the skills they had learned in the classroom. In a simulation of an actual event, they engaged in combat and were captured and detained as as POWs. Through this both physically and psychologically demanding course, Michael and his classmates got a small glimpse as to what might be in store for them as POWs.
SEAL Qualification Training (SQT)
Considered the capstone course, more money, time, resources, and talent are given to SQT than any other program conducted at NSW. As such, the pace and schedule are elevated several levels. Successful completion of all training up to this point does not guarantee a student his Trident. Only after succeeding in the fifteen-week SQT course is a student awarded the coveted Trident, the symbol of the SEALs.
For Michael and his classmates, after PT, the first evolution was combat medicine, called tactical combat casualty care, or TCCC. Here they learned how to treat combat casualties, prevent additionial casualties, and still complete their assigned mission. Overall, the best battlefield medicine is superiority in firepower. TCCC required the SEAL trainees to use BATS, a procedure that focused on bleeding, airway, tension pneumothorax, and shock, rather than the civilian ACLS (advanced cardiac life support) protocol. After Michael and his class successfully completed their classroom instruction and passed a written examination, they were placed in simulated combat positions under simulated fire conditions with single as well as multiple combat casualties with varing degrees of injury. The skills Michael Murphy learned during this training would serve him well in the years ahead.
Next was the land-navigation evolution, which began with two days in the classroom learning map reading and land-navigation techniques that include the use of a compass. During this phase of their training, Michael and the other students were also taught how to classify their equipment.
First line gear was what they wore: camouflage uniforms (known as cammies), boots, hat, and whatever they carried in their pockets, which should include a pencil, a notebook, a waterproof penlight, a map, a compass, a pocketknife, a strobe light, emergency rations (usually a PowerBar or two), and a survival kit. Primary and backup weapons were also considered first line gear.
Second line gear, also known as operational gear, was all the equipment carried on their H-gear. This included ammunition and grenades, a personal medical kit, a PRC-112 survival radio, twenty-four hours’ worth of rations, and two quarts of water. Also on the H-gear should be a weapons cleaning kit, insect repellent, water purfication tablets, a snap link, an IV pouch and extra field dressings, and a battlefield knife.
Third line gear consisted of their rucksack and its contents, which should include a sleeping bag, a ground pad, rations, water, socks, extra ammunition, demolitions, and grenades.
The students were taught to pack and secure all three levels of their gear to ensure it made absolutely no noise when walking, running, or jumping. Each of them was issued a basic set of first, second, and third line gear.
Following land navigation, they headed off to the NSW Mountain Warfare Training Facility in La Posta, California, to become combat shooters. Sight picture (properly aligning the target within the weapon’s sights) and trigger control were stressed, as well as the combat stance: feet apart, knees bent slightly, arms straight, shoulders rolled forward, elbows in tight. Thousands of rounds were fired by each student as he learned to get rounds downrange and on target.
From La Posta they traveled to the firing range at Camp Pendleton, California. Here they learned marksmanship for five days. Again, thousands of rounds were fired by each student, with minimum scores required.
After these evolutions the students moved on to Close Quarters Defense (CQD) training back at NSW. During this phase of their training, only a few hours were spent in the classroom; this training was all hands-on. Here they learned to manage and utilize aggression for self-protection in what are called Box Drills. Box Drills were one-on-one training exercises utilizing the hand-to-hand combat skills they had been taught. The action continued until one of the contestants was knocked out of the box. This training was all about the student dominating his space and fighting to win in a tactical situation. The instruction also included several sessions on prisoner control. Following their week of CQD, Michael’s class prepared for the next evolution, at Camp Billy Machen, NSW’s Desert Training Facility, located about 135 miles east of the Special Warfare Center. Camp Billy Machen is a Navy SEAL desert training facility located at the edge of the Chocolate Mountains in southern California named after the first Navy SEAL killed in Vietnam.
At Camp Billy Machen, Michael and his classmates began a three-week evolution that required them to demonstrate sound judgment, teamwork, and physical stamina. The first week was spent at the range for weapons training. During week two the men engaged in night evolutions, practiced hand and arm signals, and had a day of rocket firing training, They also had to survive the combat conditioning course, which included a thirteen-mile run that began at 3:00 AM, with full gear and weapons. Several days of practice with military demolitions were followed by immediate-action drills, or IADs. Combat search and rescue (CSAR) was also covered. The last three days were devoted to the final mission problem, or final field training exercise. The final field training exercise was a full-scale exercise that required Michael to use all of the skills he had learned.
Camp Billy Machen was followed by the two-week Combat Swimmer Course (CSC). In a stark change from the desert heat, the students now endured the 60° waters of the Pacific. Here, they would learn about the placing of mines and the vulnerabilities of a ship’s hull, master underwater navigation, and hone their knot-tying and diving skills. To successfully complete this evolution, a dive pair swam into a harbor, attacked two ships with limpet mines, and exfiltrated to a pickup point without being detected from the surface.
On April 4, 2002, Ensign Michael P. Murphy acknowledged and signed his SQT Fitness Report and Counseling Record. The report noted Michael’s “solid performance as a student in SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) learning the full spectrum of Naval Special Warfare tactics, techniques, procedures, and equipment. He had participated in Medical Training, Land Navigation, Parachuting, Live-fire Weapons and Demolition Scenarios, Combat Diving, and Maritime Operations. He performed well in all aspects of this training and successfully completed all graduation requirements and was recommended for full duty at a SEAL team.”
SQT Graduation
With his family present, Ensign Michael Murphy graduated from the Naval Special Warfare Command Center wearing his golden Trident, the symbol of a Navy SEAL. It had taken him nearly six years of education, dedication, and training to get here.
No one graduated from SQT without the the approval of the officer in charge, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Mike Loo. At SQT he was referred to as “the Warrant.” Before graduation he provided each student with a handout that was headed “Rules to live by in Naval Special Warfare.”
1. Congratulations. You guys have completed a major milestone in your Special Warfare career. Here at the Naval Special Warfare Center you have completed BUD/S, Army airborne training, and SQT, and you have been awarded the NSW SEAL insignia, the Trident. SQT has taught you the SEAL tactics, techniques, and procedures required to successfully integrate into a SEAL platoon. You are now prepared to go in “harm’s way” as an operational SEAL. This course has laid the foundation of warfighting knowledge and skills you will use for your entire Special Warfare career. Mastering these skills should be your primary mission. Your lives and the lives of your teammates depend on it.
2. Don’t forget that Special Warfare is the number one maritime Special Operations Force in the world and arguably the number one Special Operations Force in the world. Being number one in the world in anything means paying a very high price. You have to be more focused, smarter, work harder, and have more desire than anyone else in other SOF units. Accomplishing the many tasks and difficult assignments that are thrown our way requires great effort, dedication, and persistence.
3. When you get to your team you need to work extremely hard to prepare yourselves for real-world operations. You must be physically and mentally prepared—trained to win the gunfight and accomplish the mission. Stay focused, train hard, and be the professionals we expect you to be. Always maintain your own integrity and the integrity of the teams. This handout contains, in no particular order, a list of lessons learned and rules to live by in Naval Special Warfare. Some of these are my personal rules for success and others are from great leaders in NSW who have been mentors and role models in my life. Keep this handout! Refer to it now and then. Never forget that you are the future of Naval Special Warfare. Talk is cheap; action is everything. Put out the effort and take the action needed to keep our force the best in the world.
A. Master the basics and you will be a good operator. Take care of your equipment and always have your operating gear complete, in good working order, and ready to go to the field. Forgetting a flashlight or having a dead battery in your strobe may cost lives and/or the mission. Pay attention to the basics, in training and real-world. Be the consummate professional whether in the water, in the air, or on land. Practice good noise discipline and situational awareness—360-degree security. Know your duties and responsibilities.
B. Never make the same mistake twice. You are your best critic! When you make a mistake or do something wrong, take it onboard and take it seriously. Be hard on yourselves. Do what you have to do in order to not make the same mistake twice.
C. Strive for perfection. You’ll never get there; perfection doesn’t exist for SEALs, but we can ALWAYS do better. Being number one in the world is a heavy burden. You will often feel that you are not ready—that you haven’t trained enough in a certain area or you’re not in top physical shape or there are shortfalls in your gear. Take action. At anytime you could have to risk your life on a dangerous, real-world mission. Knowing this will happen in advance, like right now as you read this, will make you train that much harder to get to the highest possible level of readiness. Put out 110 percent in every endeavor. Identify your weak points, tackle them aggressively, and make them your strong points.
D. The SEAL work ethic. Our job is not eight to five. You cannot be number one in the world and not put in extra hours. Don’t be lazy; it is infectious. If some part of your platoon’s training is not working, perhaps it’s a matter of command and control or a gear problem or a tactical maneuver; fix it now! Don’t let it go or put it off to the next training day. As a new guy in the platoon you have the right to speak up and take action on issues like this.
As a new guy, you’ll find the learning curve more steep and difficult. You will be required to know and perform a number of tasks to a high operational standard. You will have to master specific assigned duties in the platoon organization. This means working overtime to get the job done. This will not end, even when you have a deployment or two under your belt. It is the SEAL work ethic.
E. Responsibility/Accountability. Ultimately, you have a responsibility to the chain of command and to this country to be prepared to risk your life and the lives of your teammates as you go into harm’s way to successfully complete the mission. You are accountable to do what is necessary to make this happen. That is the big picture. On a smaller scale, take your responsibilities seriously and be accountable for your actions.
F. Be a subject-matter expert in your field. We are a small community and we rely on in-house subject-matter experts in communications, ordnance, air operations, diving operations, intelligence, etc., to accomplish our missions. Strive to be the “go to” guy in your field—the one they come to for the right answer. Know all the references, know what other service/units are doing in your field; strive to know everything there is to know about your department or area of expertise.
G. Train as you would fight. An old Army saying but a good one. When possible, train with all the gear you will use in real combat. Train as hard and as realistically possible. That means don’t cut corners. During your platoon training, if you accomplish everything successfully, then the training needs to be more challenging. Never say, “If this was real, I’d have this piece of gear with me, or we’d do it this way.” Train as you would fight. Use Simunitions as much as possible in urban, CQC, VBSS, and land-warfare training. Whenever possible use role players and other SEALs to oppose you. You may learn that tactics you used for shooting paper targets or bullet traps in the kill house may have to be changed or modified.
H. Don’t get cocky; stay humble. Remember the disadvantages we always face:
• Fighting in an unfamiliar foreign country—someone’s backyard.
• Bad guys who are highly trained. They may have a lot more real-world combat experience than you do, have top-of-the-line gear, and may know our tactics.
• Bad guys who are passionate about their cause and want to kill you in the worst way.
• Remember, wearing a Trident doesn’t make you invincible.
I. Think ahead and stay organized.
J. When you have a good idea that benefits your platoon/team, share it with other teams.
K. Officers and petty officers need to be administratively savvy; be proficient with awards and evaluations; take care of your men.
L. Look out for your buddies on and off duty.
M. Stay physically fit; be just as smart as you are tough.
N. You are an ambassador of NSW wherever you go. You enjoy a reputation that was earned by the blood, sweat, and toil of the true frogmen of old. You haven’t earned this; you have inherited it, based on the good faith that you will further the tradition. Do nothing to tarnish something you haven’t earned by thought, word, or deed.
O. If you don’t know or didn’t understand, ASK! It’s your responsibility to find out. Research; demonstrate an unquenchable desire to know everything about your job.
P. If something is broken or not right, take the initiative to fix it or make it right! Don’t wait for someone else to take action.
Q. Always check your equipment again before going into the field. Make sure you have everything and that it’s serviceable. LPO and CPO inspections are to make sure this happens.
R. Listen and take notes during all Patrol Leader Order. Prior to going into the field, know the minimum:
• Routes in and out. Have a map and compass.
• Rally points.
• Basic communications plan, call signs, and frequencies.
• Actions at the objective.
• Your platoon’s medical plan.
• Your E&E [evasion and escape] plan.
S. ALWAYS rehearse/Dirt Dive everything. Plan the dive (operation). Dive the plan.
T. Mobility. Take only what you absolutely need in the field. When the shit hits the fan, you want to be as light as possible and fast on your feet. You need energy and mobility to win and survive.
U. There is no second place in a gunfight. Winners kill, losers get killed. Fight to win. Train to live.
V. All encounters during a mission are a threat to your team. Never drop your security and always expect contact. Never turn your back on a threat.
W. It takes a shooter to lead a shooter.
X. The easy way out may not be the safest way out.
Y. If the enemy is in range, so are YOU!
Z. Tracers work both ways.
Conclusion: You are a U.S. Navy SEAL, feared by the enemy and respected as the best maritime warrior in the world. Others envy your iron willpower and superior physical toughness. Countless men have dreamed they would become SEALs. Thousands have tried, but only a select few ever earn the right to wear the Trident. Wherever you go, whatever you do, whomever you meet, remember this: you are responsible for your actions. You must protect and defend your country to the best of your ability and uphold the honor of the U.S. Navy and the Navy SEAL Teams. There is no “I” in SEAL team.
You exist to serve the mission. No one owes you anything. You are always on duty, every moment of your career. Your responsibility to be fit and ready to fight never ceases. A crisis will not wait until you complete your next training cycle or recover from a hangover. A warrior’s responsibility to be ready for combat never goes on liberty or leave. Think positive mission accomplishment at all times. Synchronize and train your mind and your will just as you train your body. Discipline yourself. Study tactical and leadership material daily. It is only a matter of time before you will engage the enemy in a gunfight. SEAL operations mean you may have to stand toe to toe with an enemy. For those who want to win, there is never enough time to train. Aggressively seek any knowledge that will assure mission accomplishment and make you a survivor and a winner. Never lose the desire to find a new tactic or technique that will make the difference for you and your teammates.
Be openly patriotic. You pay for that right. Wear your uniform proudly and with the same precision and quality with which you would execute a mission.
Live the legend of the teams every day. NCDUs, UDTs, and SEALs have been decorated for incredible acts of valor and accomplished seemingly impossible feats in combat. You are responsible for carrying the SEAL reputation above and beyond your predecessors. Carry yourself with SEAL confidence and professionalism. Leave all who come in contact with you with a positive sense of your combat skills, your loyalty, and your tactical savvy. Make the Trident stand out as the most select special operations insignia in the world.
Be passionate in the pursuit of excellence. Be cautious when working with those who are not. Never allow another man’s attitude to jeopardize the mission [or] your teammates’ lives. Look for the best in your teammates, not the worst. There are plenty of flaws within each of us. Look for the positive; help and assist those with weaknesses. Openly build and cultivate the close esprit-de-corps that has made the teams famous.
Never show weakness or dissension to anyone outside the teams. When you speak, you learn nothing; you learn only by listening. Listen, then speak, and speak from the heart. Take only those actions that make you a stronger SEAL or strengthen the teams. Think before you act. If an action does not make you or the team better, then don’t take it. You must use every precious moment of training to move forward and prepare for combat. You must always be aware that your every action affects the reputation of the team. Never lose the physical and mental courage that you discovered in yourself in BUD/S. You will fail at many things as an individual during your career but you will always face combat as a member of a team. Never be a loner; never leave a teammate alone. Rely on your teammates and never let them down. You are a member of the Naval Special Warfare community; you are the teams.
Looking back on the good times, the bad times, and the hard times in my career in the teams, it has been challenging, rewarding, and fun. If I had to do it all over again, I would relive my career in the teams. The experiences and the lifetime friends I have made are priceless.
Have fun, train hard, and when the time comes, kick ass. It was great working with you.
Cold-Weather Training—Kodiak Island, Alaska
Even though he now wore the Trident, Ensign Murphy was still assigned to the NSW Center for another mandatory training course. Like each of his previous training courses, it would offer new challenges and require the acquisition of an entirely new and different set of skills.
After twenty-four hours of well-deserved leave and another twenty-four hours of preparation, Ensign Murphy found himself on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Claiming more American bald eagles than seagulls, Kodiak is the largest island in the United States outside of the Hawaiian Islands. The SEAL training compound was located at Camp Spruce, home of the Naval Special Warfare Detachment, Kodiak, and consisted of two steel buildings that contained sleeping facilities, a classroom, equipment bays, a galley, and a small clinic. A third building served as a boat barn, an indoor climbing facility, and a smaller storage area.
This three-week training evolution was designed to train Michael and his classmates how to survive in some of the harshest conditions and terrain. This training had become vital because SEALs might find themselves involved in operations in the highest elevations of the Hindu Kush mountain range in Afghanistan.
The first few days were spent in the classroom, where the students received medical, nutritional, and environmental briefings and learned about cold-weather gear—how to use and care for it. They were issued their protective combat uniform (PCU), the cold-weather garment issue that formed an entire clothing system, consisting of multiple layers of special fabric and outer materials to protect the wearer in temperatures as low as 50° below zero Fahrenheit. The system had seven separate layers of varying thickness to permit the wearer to mix and match the layers to fit the environment.
They were also issued their field equipment, called personal environmental protection and survival equipment (PEPSE), which consisted of a sleeping bag, a sleeping shelter, ground pads, cooking utensils, water bottles, a portable stove system, boots, balaclavas (knit caps), several hats, and six pairs of gloves and mittens, as well as a water-filtration system, a pack shovel, a folding saw, and a climbing harness. For mobility they were issued snowshoes, crampons, and folding ski poles.
Their last issue was the military assault suit (MAS). A lightweight dry suit designed for surface swimming in frigid waters, it featured latex wrist and neck seals and a waterproof zipper. With built-in feet, it could be worn with sneakers or boots.
Upon completing a few days of classroom preparation, the new SEALs were off to the field. Their first exercise occurred over three days and two nights. The objective of this exercise was to familiarize the men with the equipment. Drills were conducted at low elevations in which the men used altimeters and contour maps to navigate their way through the rough terrain. During this first exercise they carried only sixty-five pounds of gear—no operational equipment or weapons. The first night was spent near sea level. The second day found them operating at an elevation of twenty-one hundred feet, and spending the night at fifteen hundred feet.
On the third day, the SEALs returned to sea level, where they developed a real appreciation of the equipment they were issued earlier. In what was called the rewarming exercise, each man stripped down to his underwear and waded into the 42° water up to his neck and remained there for ten minutes. The objective was to lower the body temperature several degrees. The men all knew that after those ten minutes they had exactly six minutes—a period known as the six golden minutes—to get warm. They were taught that their low core body temperature would go even lower as they began to move about and blood flow was restored to their arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, and toes. It was imperative that the SEALs get warm quickly. Working in pairs, they dried off with one layer of their PCUs while putting on another. After putting on a balaclava and a stocking cap, one got the stove going and began to heat water while the other erected a sleeping shelter. Both got quickly into their sleeping bags and then went into their shelter while the water heated up. The objective was to get warm liquids and a hot meal prepared.
After this training evolution, Michael and his classmates received a day off to reassemble and repack their equipment, then went back into the classroom, then went back out for another field training evolution. Before their three weeks of training were complete, they had practiced climbing and rappelling on dangerous cliffs in the most brutal of weather conditons with full gear, during both day and night, when the only light is that from the moon and the stars. Their final training evolution was conducted in weather conditions common to Kodiak Island—a full blizzard that delayed their flight back to NSW for two days.
After returning to Coronado, the men were released and dispatched to their teams. Those reporting to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Teams, including Ensign Michael Murphy, would remain at the NSW Center.
SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) Training
Volunteering for the SDV Teams placed Ensign Murphy at the apex of the NSW teams. He participated in an intensive three-month program conducted at the NSW Command Detachment SDV in Panama City, Florida, which taught SEALs how to operate the MK-16 mixed-gas dive rig and to pilot and navigate the MK-8 SEAL Delivery Vehicle. The SDV is a “wet” submersible used to conduct long-range underwater missions. Much of the training and information regarding the MK-8 as well as the new Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) remains classified.
Graduating on July 1, 2002, Ensign Michael P. Murphy again signed for his Fitness Report and Counseling Record, which stated in part: “. . . completed two weeks of MK 16 Underwater Breathing Apparatus Operator course with 80 contact hours of instruction including maritime Combat Swimmer operations during day and night environments. Completed 10 weeks of SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) Operator/Navigator course consisting of 64 hours of high risk diving operations, 548 contact hours of instruction in basic pilot and navigator skills, SDV subsystems, maintenance procedures and mission planning.”
Having been promoted to lieutenant (junior grade), Michael Murphy served as the assistant operations officer, assisted with schools management, field training, and exercise planning and execution. During the period of July 3–10, 2002, he deployed to Central Command (CENTCOM) as an assistant operations officer. His Fitness Report and Counseling Record covering the period of July 3, 2002 to January 2, 2003 stated as follows:
LTJG is a model SEAL Officer. Possesses the superior leadership, creative ability and self-confidence traits to excel in any wardroom assignment. Deployed to CENTCOM AOR filling a Key 04 billet as a Joint Operations Center Commander. Assistant Operations Officer for Exercise Early Victor 02, involving five CNSWTGs, and one SDV Task Unit. Expertly coordinated eight full mission profiles and produced 35 daily situational reports and a detailed after action report. Tactical Operations Center Watch officer for a 14-day submarine underway period. Served as key information relay between underway SSN and SEAL Platoon in the field resulting in five successful at sea rendezvous and certification of the SSN/NSW/DDS package. Extremely fit. Regularly scores outstanding on NSW SEAL physical readiness test. Junior officer mentor. Developed electronic notebook of NSW Warfare PQS study materials and requirements greatly increasing junior officer readiness for oral and written boards. Expertly coordinated five Combat Capability Demonstrations for VIPs including COMNAVSPECWARCOM and Secretary of the Air Force. Hard charging Officer with unlimited potential. Unquenchable thirst for knowledge of NSW. Recommended for early promotion, assignment as a Platoon OIC, and follow-on Post Graduate education.
Michael’s Fitness Report and Counseling Record for the period of January 13–April 9, 2003 revealed the following:
Ranked # 1 of 3 outstanding LTJGs. Proven Wartime performer! Flawlessly performed as SOCCENT Joint Operations Center maritime Operations Officer, a position normally filled by an O4/O5. Provided operational-level coordination, support and overwatch for highly successful maritime SOF missions in the opening phase of the Iraqi campaign. These operations were vital to securing southern Iraq oil infrastructure, directly supporting of the achievement of COMUSENTCOM strategic military objectives.
Chosen for advance party to establish transition of SOCCENT operational control into the CENTCOM AOR. Helped ensure a seamless shift of SOCCENT CO of ongoing operations.
Single-handedly developed mission tracker used by SOCCENT to monitor special operations missions. Tracked and facilitated combat operations in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. These operations involved more than 15,000 special operations forces from a variety of Coalition countries. Created flag-level briefings for COMSOCENT and COMUCENTCOM.
LTJG Murphy is one of the finest junior officers I have ever worked with. A rising star in Naval Special Warfare, his work ethic, devotion to duty, and overall professionalism far exceeds that of his peers. Detail to only the most demanding assignments. Promote now!
The following assessment of Michael’s performance comes from his Fitness Report and Counseling Record for the period March 1–July 3, 2003, during which he served with SDVT-1.
INTELLIGENT AND FOCUSED! LTJG Murphy excels in critical position of responsibility.
AGGRESSIVE OPERATOR. As ALFA Platoon AOIC, LTJG Murphy deomonstrated superior operational acumen and led 12 SEALs in executing five high-risk at-sea maritime/air training evolutions and twenty arduous combat swimmer diving profiles.
DEDICATED PROFESSIONAL. Hand-selected to deploy as Future Operations Officer for NSWTG-HOA. Led real world operational planning for sensitive and highly classified intrusive ISR operations, which encompassed three large surface combatants, a nuclear submarine, a P-3 squadron, for NSW RIBs, three SEAL platoons and an NSW Task Group. His efforts facilitated mission success and positively impacted the War on Terror!
Meticulous manager. LTJG Murphy’s skill with administrative technologies and attention to detail ensure accurate accountability for 16 platoon members and over $8M in material and equipment.
Personable mentor. Recognizes potential leaders and continualy challenges junior personnel to reach for new heights and apply for commissioning programs.
LTJG Murphy is a mature and motivated NSW Officer whos sound judgement and operationasl expertise foretell a highly successful NSW career. PROMOTE EARLY AND ASSIGN AS PLATOON COMMANDER!
* For a complete and detailed description of of SEAL Qualification Training, read Dick Couch’s The Finishing School: Earning the Navy SEAL Trident (New York: Crown, 2004).