Graduation Week: Final Training Evolutions
Back at the NSW Center, their last graded physical evolution was the SEAL Physical Readiness Test (PRT). The test began with the maximum number of push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups in timed two-minute intervals, then continued with a three-mile timed run and a half-mile timed swim. It was not uncommon for individual scores to seem unbelievable by civilian standards, with the number of push-ups exceeding 200, sit-ups exceeding 150, and pull-ups exceeding 30, with near fifteen-minute three-mile runs and twelve-minute half-mile swims.
After the men successfully completed their SEAL PRT, only two physical evolutions remained before graduation. The first, Hooyah PT, consisted of a run through the O-course, a seven-mile beach run, and then another run through the O-course. The other was the Balboa Park Run, a ten-mile run from Balboa Park in San Diego back to Imperial Beach.
With one day left in their training, the students completed their BUD/S checkout briefing, received their orders, and spent time rehearsing for the event they had been working toward for the previous nine months—graduation.
Graduation
On the Friday of Class 236’s final week at BUD/S, the grinder was transformed with flags, rows of chairs, a small stage, a microphone, and colorful and patriotic bunting. With family, friends, SEALs, and the entire NSW command in attendance, and after remarks by invited guests, each graduate received a certificate of completion. Having threatened to resign their positions with the New York City Police Department if not permitted to attend their best friend’s graduation, Jimmie and Owen O’Callaghan joined Michael’s parents, Maureen and Dan, and his brother, John, as they watched Michael receive his certificate of completion.
Ben Sauers remembered him as “the guy that always had a smile on his face and words of encouragement for everyone. And he was always the guy that during our rare time off could be seen running with full combat gear and doing extra PT. He was not the fastest. He was not the strongest, but very smart and very determined. No one had more determination than Ensign Murphy. I would follow him anywhere.”
On October 18, 2001, Ensign Michael P. Murphy signed his Fitness Report and Counseling Record for BUD/S. The written comments about his performance read as follows: “Completed 25 weeks of instruction in physical conditioning, surface swimming, small boat handling, hydrographic reconnaissance, weapons training, small unit tactics, demolition training, and open and closed circuit scuba. His professional performance was outstanding during this physically and mentally demanding course of instruction.”
For Murphy and the rest of his class, it was a bittersweet moment. The cost had been high, with the loss of Lieutenant Skop, and Michael’s near loss of both his lower legs and feet. Although they had graduated, Michael Murphy and each of the other members of BUD/S Class 236 realized that his certificate of completion was merely a ticket of admission to the next phase of their training.
The agoge was the warrior-training program utilized by the ancient Spartans. NSW had its own version of the agoge to train modern-day warriors for a nation at war.
CHAPTER NINE
Agoge: Earning the Trident
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 BCdue 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.3 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 teameffort 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 nonavailability 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.
SEAL of Honor Page 14
