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I'd probably break down crying during Indoc (is that still the term)?
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No. I'm too dense. Swimming on the surface requires way more effort than it should and I've never been able to thread water. Sink right to the bottom even with a breath full of air. I'd likely need to loose muscle and gain some fluff. I guess I'd need to look like less of a super soldier in order to be a super soldier.
![]() Other physical aspects, not a problem. Mental aspect....no freaking clue. I don't know how you an even prepare for that. I'd guess you either have it or you don't. |
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Yes, and I'm almost 37, and not in very good shape at the moment. What one man can do, another can do.
Thankfully, this is hypothetical and I don't have to actually do it. ![]() |
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Yes...bet most of you could too.
At one time I would have said "hell no!". Since then I've been exposed to many aspiring endurance athletes and seen how impressive a little motivation can be. Saw people that could barely waddle their fat ass off a couch to end up finishing a full Ironman. The human body is capable of more than you give it credit. I think the hardest aspect would be maintaining the mental capacity at the peak of sleep deprivation. Maybe if the fear of death and adrenaline was flowing I could be coherent with no sleep. Don't know as I've never been in that situation. All I know now is I feel hungover if I get less than 6 hrs of sleep at night. |
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Nope. I was in great shape when I enlisted (by gen-pop standards), but I was never that great. That and it wasn't something that would have interested me.
I remember when the TAC-P recruiters came through our flight...you had to be able to do 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups for them to even give you the time of day. I was around 80 push-ups and 80 sit-ups. These days...not only no, but hell no. There's no way my ankles, knees, and shoulders would hold up. I'd get medically DQ'd long before they'd break me mentally. |
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Yes. This stuff is highly mental.
My past experience has taught me that when most people say 'I can't' it means 'I won't'. One step at a time. One challenge at a time. One day at a time. I'm also a weird person. I like a bit of pain and challenge. Makes me feel alive. Did a few fun things while I was in the USMC |
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Even at 24, I think I would have failed miserably. There is a certin mindset you have to have, and I do not have it.
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Quoted:
Nope. I wouldn't want it bad enough to tough it out View Quote |
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Quoted:
If given 18 months to prepare, could you pass BUD/S? You have no family, career, or life obligations to interrupt or distract from this scenario. Your current health, fitness, swimming abilities, and all other factors are the same in the hypothetical scenario as they are in real life at this moment. This is about you, your ability to prepare for, and then your ability to get through BUD/S with nothing else in life getting in the way or distracting you. Edited to add - this is about whether or not you believe you could pass BUD/S given 18mos to both physically and mentally prepare. To make it more interesting and to include more of you; also assume you are in your twenties...let’s call it 24. I am interested to see if you believe you have the character and traits it takes to have prepared for it in 18 months and then handled the physical and mental aspects of BUD/S. Let’s also guess what % of GD will click, “yes” thinking they legitimately could have passed and see how that compares with the actual pass rate. View Quote Now, in my thirties. No doubt. Not saying it would be "easy", But nothing is easy. I remember swimming laps in a pool on base, in my MARPATs a couple years ago, when a Senior Chief brought in a bunch of BUD/S candidates for a PRT. He and I started BSing for a minute and he asked when I would be done in the pool, then asked what I was training for- I told him I was training for Basic Reconnaissance Course. His response was a serious and straight faced "Good luck, I dunno if I could do that." It was bizarre, and not confidence inspiring. Come to find out, BUD/S supposedly involves less swimming and more running than most expect- at least according to one of their screeners. ETA: wait- if you're saying I have to continue as a SEAL, surrounded by SEALs afterwards, no. I'd quit the last day. ![]() |
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I'm pretty sure I would blow out my back, even when younger (before my back problems).
Cut, load and stack on a couple of these bitches was more than enough for me, but if you asked me today to do it again at 43, I would. ![]() |
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Almost anyone can get in shape enough to physically pass it.
Its the mental toughness to get through it that will get most of us. |
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Not a chance in hell, even twenty years ago when I was in the best shape of my life.
Edited for typo. |
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When I was in my early 20's my workout partner was a former SEAL. He went through BUDS twice because he broke his eye socket the first go around.
The guy was amazing. Before we'd even begin to workout, he'd bang out a 7 mile run or mile swim in the pool. He was fun to hang out with as well. |
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I'm fairly certain I could. I'm very physically fit, I'm extremely comfortable with water, already scuba dive, etc.
I'd love to try, just to see. |
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Most of those 18-months better be spent in 60 degree water.
I've known a few guys that washed out/failed due to the physical pain of the cold water. |
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At 66 no. When I was running on the track team in high school, still no. Swimming is not my thing. I can't even float. If I try to lay on my back in a pool I simply sink right to the bottom. On top of that I hurt my lower spine when i was 10 or so. Never told my parents (they had enough to worry about already). I quit all sports that year as I could not even run. Took several months to get back to a new normal. Still bothers me a lot while doing stuff like shoveling snow etc. I just deal with it. About the only thing I could do is ring the bell at the start of day one. I would die for any one of them, but dying does not accomplish the mission.
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Shin splints, so the answer is no, but if it were not for that I would have given myself a 50/50 chance back in the day.
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Solid, nope.
My knees and ankles were pretty wrecked by the time I was 21 so I doubt I would have even made it through 18 months prep. The sleep deprivation would have washed me out for sure. I like to think I could have handled the swimming, though. |
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Quoted:
I know four Seals personally. There is no way I could pass, ever. I never had the body type. View Quote |
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Many of the hardest men this country has ever known, certified badass BTDT guys, have jumped into things like BUD/S and Ranger School/RASP only to get chewed up and spit out.
But not GD. Here we are truly overweight men among boys ![]() |
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No way, I hate cold water.
One of my nephew's friends (Naval Academy Grad) will be going to BUD/S very soon. We're rooting for him like crazy to get through. |
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Quoted:
If given 18 months to prepare, could you pass BUD/S? You have no family, career, or life obligations to interrupt or distract from this scenario. Your current health, fitness, swimming abilities, and all other factors are the same in the hypothetical scenario as they are in real life at this moment. This is about you, your ability to prepare for, and then your ability to get through BUD/S with nothing else in life getting in the way or distracting you. Edited to add - this is about whether or not you believe you could pass BUD/S given 18mos to both physically and mentally prepare. To make it more interesting and to include more of you; also assume you are in your twenties...let’s call it 24. I am interested to see if you believe you have the character and traits it takes to have prepared for it in 18 months and then handled the physical and mental aspects of BUD/S. Let’s also guess what % of GD will click, “yes” thinking they legitimately could have passed and see how that compares with the actual pass rate. View Quote |
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Yes, why we all could
![]() I'd like to try, but at a much younger age |
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This poll result reflects about the same percentage who think that they could hit a MLB 100 mph fastball.
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I voted "no" because I'm not mentally willing to do it, and that's a huge portion of it.
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128 “yes” and 548 “no” votes as of this post
I’m curious who these “yes” votes are coming from, as almost every member who has posted in this thread, has said they could not do it. I am a bit surprised by how few have replied saying they could do it...I figured we’d have at least a few Squatdog types Also, page four and still not even one dumbass joke about hair gel...what is happening to GD? |
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Now no effin way.
After your edit to say 24, yes, I was a bad m'fe'r thru my 30's. The water would've actually been the easy part for me, I LOVE the water, you can't get me out of it. Growing up in Austin I spent countless summers/days/hours in Barton Springs & Krause Springs, they didn't even seem cold to me. Today, hell I'd sprain an ankle just watching LOL. |
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Quoted:
I had a buddy who prepared for nearly a year. Constant swimming, running, and hiking. He made it about 3/4 through and said he had enough. I’ll never, ever fault him because it’s a fucking grinder. I don’t think there really is a way to “prepare” for that type of mental/physical pain. View Quote |
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Being in great shape/ swimming? Ever been soaking wet all night long. Shit is mental torture. Do that stuff well..
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Quoted:
Now, in my thirties. No doubt. Not saying it would be "easy", But nothing is easy. I remember swimming laps in a pool on base, in my MARPATs a couple years ago, when a Senior Chief brought in a bunch of BUD/S candidates for a PRT. He and I started BSing for a minute and he asked when I would be done in the pool, then asked what I was training for- I told him I was training for Basic Reconnaissance Course. His response was a serious and straight faced "Good luck, I dunno if I could do that." It was bizarre, and not confidence inspiring. Come to find out, BUD/S supposedly involves less swimming and more running than most expect- at least according to one of their screeners. ETA: wait- if you're saying I have to continue as a SEAL, surrounded by SEALs afterwards, no. I'd quit the last day. ![]() View Quote |
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Quoted:
No way, I hate cold water. One of my nephew's friends (Naval Academy Grad) will be going to BUD/S very soon. We're rooting for him like crazy to get through. View Quote Otherwise the anticipation of the rest of the day can overwhelm. |
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