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Posted: 6/10/2016 10:33:34 PM EDT
Steve DelBianco flew out to California two months ago to check on how his son was doing in basic Navy SEAL training. He left a couple of days later, feeling reassured.
Danny DelBianco, who had spent years preparing for this moment, seemed to be acing one of the world's most grueling mental and physical endurance tests. He had completed the obstacle course and other physical elements on his first try, "so he was ready to go" for Hell Week, the arduous culmination of the first phase of SEAL training, DelBianco told NBC News. "He was excited and very confident." That was the last time he would see his son alive. After 50 hours without sleep and a punishing series of drills, Danny DelBianco, who'd played rugby at the University of Southern California, couldn't take any more. Like most of the young men who attempt it, he rang a ceremonial bell and dropped out of the punishing SEAL training course. He placed his green helmet in a line next to the ones worn by other drop-outs, and walked toward the barracks. A few hours later, on April 5, he walked off a ledge on the 22nd floor of a Marriott hotel in San Diego. He was 23 years old. "Heartbroken" is the only word Steve DelBianco can muster publicly to describe his family's pain. View Quote http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dad-demands-change-in-seal-training-after-sons-death/ar-AAgTK2p?li=BBnb7Kz |
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It's awful that his son committed suicide, and I don't doubt that the stress of training was likely a large factor.
but the training has to be that hard, and I don't see any way around it if you want to be a truly elite unit. |
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Reading the title, I had assumed he died during training. Hurt feelings/depression/disappointment because of failure is no reason to lower standards.
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Quoted: Steve DelBianco flew out to California two months ago to check on how his son was doing in basic Navy SEAL training. He left a couple of days later, feeling reassured. Danny DelBianco, who had spent years preparing for this moment, seemed to be acing one of the world's most grueling mental and physical endurance tests. He had completed the obstacle course and other physical elements on his first try, "so he was ready to go" for Hell Week, the arduous culmination of the first phase of SEAL training, DelBianco told NBC News. "He was excited and very confident." That was the last time he would see his son alive. After 50 hours without sleep and a punishing series of drills, Danny DelBianco, who'd played rugby at the University of Southern California, couldn't take any more. Like most of the young men who attempt it, he rang a ceremonial bell and dropped out of the punishing SEAL training course. He placed his green helmet in a line next to the ones worn by other drop-outs, and walked toward the barracks. A few hours later, on April 5, he walked off a ledge on the 22nd floor of a Marriott hotel in San Diego. He was 23 years old. "Heartbroken" is the only word Steve DelBianco can muster publicly to describe his family's pain. View Quote http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dad-demands-change-in-seal-training-after-sons-death/ar-AAgTK2p?li=BBnb7Kz View Quote This was not the Navy's fault IMO, the 24 hour cool down makes sense. |
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Wheres the member here who's brother has been cycled through two or three times because of a medical issue? He posted about it a few weeks back if anyone remembers.
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I can't imagine what it is like to lose a child (at any age).
I am sure it is devastating! However... placing the blame of a suicide on someone/something else... is being in denial as to the facts of depression! |
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Quoted:
Reading the title, I had assumed he died during training. Hurt feelings/depression/disappointment because of failure is no reason to lower standards. View Quote Same. What this guy did was a permanent solution to a temporary problem. You want it that bad? Go home, lift, and get right back to it. Just because your son killed himself because he quit, doesn't mean you get to change the standards for the armed forces. Don't like it, become president or secretary of state, then fuck up the infantry standards by letting chicks in Sucks that he killed himself. But don't blame harsh training standards. |
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Sorry for your loss. Your kid couldn't hack the training and failed the test.
The fact that he committed suicide after failing kind of points to a weakness that didn't help him pass which is the whole point of the brutal training (cull the weak). |
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Tragic, but that's what some guys do when they fail to achieve their dreams. The Navy doesn't hold any responsibility when I guy decides to quit and then decides to kill himself over it.
The cooling off period or at least some supervision for guys that quit during Hell Week isn't a bad idea. There is certainly an increased potential for bad decision making when someone has been awake for two or three days. |
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So after dad visits, SEAL in training commits suicide?
Daddy blame's uncle government. Make's since. |
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They shouldnt change the training, but maybe they could have the guys checked out by docs on their way out of the program.
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Lets see:
Rugby Player Jock Super motivated Emphasis on physical readiness Spend years getting ready Helicopter Dad. Sadly he fit the profile of the ones that are most likely to wash out. It's the normal looking, quiet ones that excel in SEAL training. TYCOM |
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His Dad went out to see how he was doing at basic? Really?
ETA Sorry for his loss. |
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It seems to me that the weeding out process did exactly what it was supposed to do, seeing that he chose stepping off of a 22nd floor balcony as a solution to his failure. Do I feel for him and his family? Absolutely. It saddens me greatly that a young man couldn't see a light at the end of his tunnel. On the other hand, it appears that he wasn't mentally tough enough to finish the job, proved that in training, and then proved it again as the last decision of his tragic life. The father of the young man needs to find another outlet for his grief, instead of trying to bring down a much-needed institution. |
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I never thought BUDS was a physical game, it's all mental.
I'm weak, and I know it. He was weak too, but couldn't handle it. |
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Quoted:
Lets see: Rugby Player Jock Super motivated Emphasis on physical readiness Spend years getting ready Helicopter Dad. Sadly he fit the profile of the ones that are most likely to wash out. It's the normal looking, quiet ones that excel in SEAL training. TYCOM View Quote Hate to sound like a dick, but with a super involved helo dad, I wonder if this is the first thing this guy failed at that his parents couldn't protect him from. |
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can you guys not fucking read?
they want to change what they do with the guys who drop out, not make changes to the seal training itself they want the dropouts to be watched for a day in case they are so wrung out and exhausted that they so something crazy If that young guy had somebody with him for the day after he dropped, he probably would have got some rest and got his bearings the guy was apparently practically in a cataleptic state of despair and exhaustion |
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Reading the title, I had assumed he died during training. Hurt feelings/depression/disappointment because of failure is no reason to lower standards. +1 -1000 http://www.readingbear.org/ |
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Better to find out he can't hack it now and what his response to failure is than lose a team due to his inability to man up when the chips are down. Sucks for dad, but don't blame the training. Something was badly lacking in the man.
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It's awful that his son committed suicide, and I don't doubt that the stress of training was likely a large factor. but the training has to be that hard, and I don't see any way around it if you want to be a truly elite unit. View Quote It isn't the harshness of the training, but rather changing how those who fail are handled. You didn't read for comprehension. |
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We need the men that can make it through. Otherwise learn Arabic and sharia law.
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It isn't the harshness of the training, but rather changing how those who fail are handled. You didn't read for comprehension. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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It's awful that his son committed suicide, and I don't doubt that the stress of training was likely a large factor. but the training has to be that hard, and I don't see any way around it if you want to be a truly elite unit. It isn't the harshness of the training, but rather changing how those who fail are handled. You didn't read for comprehension. kudos you're the only other guy in the thread that actually read the article or has a clue |
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I think the SEALs have a pretty good read on what they need to do to make SEALs.
Some sort of aftercare for those who fail might be a pretty good idea. |
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Title of article is misleading.
Nowhere does it mention wanting to change training. |
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can you guys not fucking read? they want to change what they do with the guys who drop out, not make changes to the seal training itself they want the dropouts to be watched for a day in case they are so wrung out and exhausted that they so something crazy If that young guy had somebody with him for the day after he dropped, he probably would have got some rest and got his bearings the guy was apparently practically in a cataleptic state of despair and exhaustion View Quote Pussy. I bet his dad gave him shit for not dropping out. To the point of suicide. |
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Quoted: can you guys not fucking read? they want to change what they do with the guys who drop out, not make changes to the seal training itself they want the dropouts to be watched for a day in case they are so wrung out and exhausted that they so something crazy If that young guy had somebody with him for the day after he dropped, he probably would have got some rest and got his bearings the guy was apparently practically in a cataleptic state of despair and exhaustion View Quote I'll put my torch and pitchfork away now. |
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I'm not seeing anything in the article about changing the training. Some of you guys are being pretty cold bastards. They changes the dad is looking for and it looks like the Navy is going with, is a set cooling off period and monitoring for those that drop out. Frankly it really does make sense. They are taking these guys and ramping them up to the breaking point. They deserve and have certainly earned a controlled path back to normal.
Frankly the Navy does the same thing with people that drop out of the Nuke program. One day they are busting their ass in class with the same people they have been working with for months, and the next they have you cleaning toilets in the same buildings while those friends walk by. It's pretty fucked up. It's a prime situation for people to have a mental break. There is no reason that we can't be smarter about how we manage our sailors and soldiers when they come out of stressful situations. |
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can you guys not fucking read? they want to change what they do with the guys who drop out, not make changes to the seal training itself they want the dropouts to be watched for a day in case they are so wrung out and exhausted that they so something crazy If that young guy had somebody with him for the day after he dropped, he probably would have got some rest and got his bearings the guy was apparently practically in a cataleptic state of despair and exhaustion View Quote I agree. There should be a 24-48 hour med hold on dropouts for evaluation. Dropouts during hell week are under tons of stress and sleep depravation. |
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Quoted:
can you guys not fucking read? they want to change what they do with the guys who drop out, not make changes to the seal training itself they want the dropouts to be watched for a day in case they are so wrung out and exhausted that they so something crazy If that young guy had somebody with him for the day after he dropped, he probably would have got some rest and got his bearings the guy was apparently practically in a cataleptic state of despair and exhaustion View Quote This makes sense |
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I don't see how this is the navy's fault.
Maybe having the guys who are washing out talk to a psychiatrist would be a good thing. Also moving them to SD and back to the fleet after a week to decompress would be a good thing. It's still tragic. |
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There have been countless people who have rung out, and didn't kill themselves. While I feel for the father, don't blame the Navy. They make it debilitatingly hard for a reason.
ETA: That he wanted a change to monitor the people to ring out for 24 hours, is actually a good idea. Guess I should read before posting. |
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It was his choice to ring the bell, they didn't make him.
It was his choice to end his life, they didn't make him. |
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