History

The seals are a special military unit that has been fighting on land since the early 1960’s. They have to do many dangerous missions like swimming to shore and disabling mines right in front of the enemy’s eyes. This is one of the most dangerous jobs on earth.

Training

As a Navy Seal, you have to go through six months of hard training. You have to be able to swim several miles, handle heavy weapons in the water, and set up explosive charges. They also train you in deep sea diving and high-altitude parachuting.  As a Navy Seal, these soldiers are probably in the best physical condition of their lives.

How They Were Formed

The Navy set up 100-man squads known as Under Water Demolition Teams, or UPR’s. They were a part of all the major landings in the Pacific. They swam to shore before the invasion, sometimes under heavy gun-fire. Their orders were to set explosive charges on enemy obstacles. After the charges were placed, they would swim back to the ships. The charges would then go off as the main troops arrived leaving the enemy clueless and with nothing but riffles. Because of all the time they spent in the water, they earned the nickname Frogmen. By 1945 there were 34 UPT teams and about 3400 frogmen.

The Korean War

When the Korean War started, the UPT’s went to war. This time they had to take out railroad bridges and tunnels while behind enemy lines. It was also at this time that they became paratroopers.

Smaller Teams

John Kennedy was the President at the time that the Seals were actually formed. He wanted the military to form smaller groups of guerilla fighters. The Army already had a Special Forces unit nicknamed the Green Berets. In January, 1962, the Navy formed theirs and they named themselves the Seals for Sea-Air and Land.

Hell Week

Hell Week is learning about never leaving a man behind and working together. At the beginning, instructors assign swim buddies to teach them to never leave a man behind. The trainees form teams to teach each other about depending on each other. One of the many exercises might be taking six men and having them carry a heavy log over their heads through the waves.  Another hard exercise is to carry a heavy rubber raft up a sand dune. During hell week, the instructors yell through megaphones and force trainers to run, crawl, and squat. They must sit in the cold water with arms linked for 15 minutes. Then after a five minute break they go back in the water for another 15 minutes. The trainees are constantly doing physical exercise. They are forced to run miles and spend hours in hard tasks.  After Hell Week is over, they only have three more weeks of training. Then they have to do SCUBA instruction.

Joining

You must be in the Navy and at least 17 years old. During training, they must register for the Navy’s Special Forces program. You must volunteer when you are 28 years old or younger seals are encouraged to be excellent swimmers, run 15 miles in a week and swim for 60 minutes non-stop.