Hi, I’m a woman in her 20s and I’m training to become a U.S. Navy SEAL.
What advice would you give for women that want to be SEALs? If you had to go to BUD/S again, how would you prepare differently? What books or workout programs would you recommend?
Most female SEAL candidates struggle with carrying the boats and logs, doing pull ups, having grip strength and completing the “Dirty Name” on the obstacle course. Also, a lot of female SEAL candidates break their legs or develop stress fractures.
A woman made it to day 4 of BUD/S first phase recently but she quit on day 4. That’s the farthest a woman has made it. Nine women have entered the SEAL pipeline since 2016.
I think you answered my first questions. You have not yet enlisted? I'll assume that you are in good shape, but are prepared to work like a maniac to meet your goals.
Then, I'd ask, why the SEALs? Have you looked at any number of other Tier 2 US Special Operation Forces? There are a number of similarities in their training and mission sets, but they do have different missions, different cultures, attrition rates, etc. Keep training, but you owe it to yourself to look into the other units.
U.S. service members are already exceptional, but the special forces only take the best and brightest of each branch. Here’s what you need to do to join.
www.militaryonesource.mil
Does it matter to you whether you become the first female to earn a Trident or the 15th female to earn a Green Beret? Or the 50th to earn a Ranger Tab? (I don't know the exact numbers other than SEALs, which is 0).
Have you considered the possible occupation that would await you if you do not reach your goals? You don't get to choose. I have recounted this story several times.
I know two young men, my son's age, who entered the BUD/S pipeline via enlistment. They grew up in the same good neighborhood in solid families. They went to the same high school and graduated one year apart, about the same time as my DS.
Young man #1, the older, had an unremarkable HS career with little or no sports. He hated college and dropped out after Freshman year. He enlisted in the navy, much to his parents’ chagrin. They were disappointed that he was forgoing college and that he was enlisting in any branch of the military. He entered the BUD/S pipeline immediately and is a SEAL still to this day. His parents are proud, but his mother still can't get use to her son carrying a gun.
Young man #2 was a recruited swimmer to an NCAA D1 school, from which he graduated on time. He enlisted, seeing that as the quickest route to doing cool guy stuff. He voluntarily dropped out during Hell Week. He couldn't handle the combination of exhaustion, hunger and the ice cold Pacific Ocean. Fast forward several years and he was a Navy air traffic controller, hating his job and counting the days until he could get out and start his life as a financial planner, which is what he did and is doing today.
My DS is an Army SF Officer. He has his Ranger Tab, which is the basic qualifier for Ranger Regiment. He had many advantages, but never for a minute felt like like he had a lock on anything. His driving force was fear of failing himself. His assessment is that BUD/S Phase 1 is, by a huge measure, the most physically difficult of the initial qualifiers. The first female to earn a Green Beret was a year ahead of him. The first female SF officer was in his graduation class, ~3 years ago. According to him, she ALWAYS finished in the top 50% of rucks and runs and was in his words, "built like a trapezoid." Although there was some harumphing, almost all the other candidates didn't care because she carried her own weight, literally and figuratively, and never slowed the team down. Whatever SOF route you choose, being a good teammate is the most important factor after establishing one's physical bona fides.
Later, at Ranger school there was one female who graduated with him in a class of about 150-200, but he had no contact with her. Another Ranger schoolmate, was a fellow Green Beret. This young man, American born Chinese, enlisted as an 18x (straight into SF qualification). He had a degree in Finance from University of Chicago and gave up a career at Goldman Sachs to enlist. If he washed out there is no telling where the Army would have put him.
Wherever you pursue your SOF dreams you will be surrounded by a very diverse group of highly motivated people. They, male and female, also will have many of the same motivations and self-doubts as you, but you can feed off of and benefit from from that energy to get you through.
I wish you the very best of luck in whatever you do!
