SEALs

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reeker

5-Year Member
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Nov 2, 2011
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19
Hello,

Is there any way to get in contact with an active duty or a retired Navy SEAL who went through the Naval Academy?

It would be awesome to get their thoughts on majors, workout schedules, etc and see what they did in order to receive the SEAL billet.

Thank you!
 
reeker said:
Hello,

Is there any way to get in contact with an active duty or a retired Navy SEAL who went through the Naval Academy?

It would be awesome to get their thoughts on majors, workout schedules, etc and see what they did in order to receive the SEAL billet.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

The SEALs have their own website, sealswcc.com (run from BUD/S right on the Grinder) for those interested in becoming SEALS or SWCCs. They cover most of your workout questions there. You can call them at 888-usn-seal tomorrow and tell them you are going to USNA (if you are) and ask them if they can connect you with the SEAL stationed at USNA. He would be a great resource for you.
 
Reeker,

I think Stew Smith, the really famous workout guy who wrote all those books, went through the naval academy and was a navy SEAL. You can find his email on his homepage by just googling his name.
 
basilrathbone,

Thank you for the information! I have been on that website many times but I had no idea that I could call them and ask to be connected with a SEAL. I will be doing that tomorrow!!

Thank you!

Bear-,
Thank you for the information. I have heard his name before but I did not know he had the Seal fit programs. Thank you!
 
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There is another website, socnet.com , that has SEALs (and all other SOF forces) from all eras, enlisted and officer. You could also try dropping a line there.
 
Stew Smith is involved with some workouts for USNA mids. He does that on his own and isn't affiliated with anything run by the SEAL Teams but he is a USNA grad. SEAL fit is a different program entirely run by a reservist SEAL who doesn't have a connection to USNA that I know of. Phil Black is another former SEAL who has a popular fitness program. There are dozens, if not more, former SEALs who do that sort of thing. Socnet might be an interesting read if you want to verify the authenticity of a SEAL but only a handful of SEALs are on there and none of them are involved in the Recruitment/Training pipeline so it's of very limited use for someone interested in becoming a SEAL.

A young man who is interested in becoming a SEAL would be smart to become very familiar with sealswcc.com and be in contact with them since more than likely someone in that shop will have a voice in who gets a shot at BUD/S.
 
Anyone at SEALSWCC.com will point you here if you ask about training:
http://www.sealswcc.com/navy-seals-buds-prep-docs.aspx#.T0UmhXmwVH4

SEAL motivators train enlisted men in DEP for the Challenge Contract, but I'm sure they would talk to you if you've been appointed. Instructions to get a hold of them:
http://www.sealswcc.com/navy-seals-find-mentor.aspx#.T0UmpnmwVH4

Don Shipley runs a mock BUD/s training camp and interviews a bunch of SEALs. This is with a Ensign who graduated from the academy. He talks about his training there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_qdS4Y9wbQ
 
reeker said:
Hello,

Is there any way to get in contact with an active duty or a retired Navy SEAL who went through the Naval Academy?

It would be awesome to get their thoughts on majors, workout schedules, etc and see what they did in order to receive the SEAL billet.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

Understand that the program at USNA has changed over time, so more recent grads are much better able to discuss what happens now than those from, say, my day. Standing high in your class is more important than your major. I believe there are formal and informal workout programs at USNA for would-be SEALs.

You might search this forum under "SEAL" because there have been some recent threads about the current "path" at USNA to becoming a SEAL.
 
The SPECWAR billets are few and extremely competitive at the Academy. Major is less important than order of merit and physical fitness. One of my company mates was a PT animal but didn't get picked up for NSW because of his mediocre grades. The competitive Mid will be on the Supe's List, excel during Mini-BUD/S (and it's tough getting selected even for that), go out for Jump and Dive schools and excel (you essentially try out for Jump and Dive if you want to go, though even if you pass you may not go due to budgets/billets...Mids get to go when absolutely everyone in the Fleet has had first refusal).

Wanting to go into NSW is a great goal. Just calibrate your expectations accordingly. You're going to school with a lot of very fit, scary smart, ambitious and driven peers who want to be SEALs just as much as you do.

There's something like a dozen Specwar billets each year, for an Academy class of about 1300. An alternative possibility is going into another community on graduation and applying for lat transfer after a couple of years. I knew a few guys who went that route and successfully made it to the Teams.
 
Concur with Uncle. Take a Major you enjoy or that works for plan B or C as the majority of MIDS who want to go SpecWar won't make the cut. There have been more billets available the last couple of years though - I think the class of 2012 had 28 SEAL selections. My understanding is that this increase will continue but that the requirements won't be watered down meaning that if there are 30 qualified candidates they might take all 30 but if there are only 20 considered qualified that is all they will accept.
 
AikiBudo said:
There have been more billets available the last couple of years though - I think the class of 2012 had 28 SEAL selections. My understanding is that this increase will continue but that the requirements won't be watered down meaning that if there are 30 qualified candidates they might take all 30 but if there are only 20 considered qualified that is all they will accept.
Click to expand...

In response to a question regarding the 2009 announcement that the teams wanted to double their size by 2012, Scott William (SEALSWCC administrator) said "The force has grown substantially, however there is still a goal to reach. The real question is whether you will be a part of the solution." (this was yesterday). I would guess the number of slots will plateau in the next couple of years.

From my understanding (and I can only go off of what I've heard second hand - I'll be right with you in the class of '16) the most important thing is how well you do in the SEAL screener and subsequently, mini-BUD/s. Followed by PST, leadership experience, and academics.
 
I agree with William's list of factors that are considered for BUD/S service selection, but I would urge anyone who wants this path to not take academics lightly. A lot of candidates get cut during the screeners (I think in an old thread Hurricane mentioned the numbers of candidates who started/completed the screeners this past year, but ~2/3 didn't finish), but there are still more who make it than there are spots in mini-BUD/S. There are also going to be more people who finish mini-BUD/S than there are BUD/S service selection slots. At those points, academics, interviews, and other factors will make the difference of who gets the slots.
 
Thank you for all the information. The general theme- its tough to get a SEAL billet. However, it has been done and I am very excited to embark on this journey.

Once again, thank you everyone!
 
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