The Warrior Elite: The Forging of SEAL Class 228 by Couch Dick

Author:Couch, Dick [Couch, Dick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography
ISBN: 9780307566232
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 8142877
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Published: 2001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

INTO THE SEA

ake your seats, gentlemen. Welcome to Second Phase. My name is Steve McKendry and I will be your class proctor. Do you have a report for me, Mister Gallagher?”

Gallagher rises. “Hooyah, Instructor. Thirty-six men assigned, thirty-six men present.”

Class 228 has been reconfigured, just as it was after Hell Week. And once again, eleven men have been added to the class—this time, two officers and nine enlisted men. Most are rollbacks from Class 227. The rollbacks are like replacements for battlefield casualties in 228's war of attrition at BUD/S. The character of the class changes with each of these augmentations. Since the class must function as a unit, these new men will have to meld quickly into the group. Gallagher and Yost organize the class into six boat crews, with one of the six class officers to head each crew. There are no boats in Second Phase; it's an accountability convenience. When Gallagher asks for a count, his boat-crew leaders answer: “One's up … Two's up …,” and he can quickly report the status of the class.

McKendry is one of the junior instructors in Second Phase and no older than some of the senior petty officers in Class 228. He is a very fit man with a calm intensity. He looks young, with choirboylike good looks and a soft manner. McKendry deployed with SEAL Team Two and served with Special Boat Unit Twenty before coming to BUD/S. Like many BUD/S instructors, he is finishing his college degree in his spare time. For McKendry, it's computer science. He consults his notes for a few moments, then speaks in a quiet, measured voice.

“Most of you have just completed First Phase. Some of you have been here before and are back for another try at this phase. You are all the same class now, Class 228. Let me tell you what I expect—what you will need to do if you want to successfully complete Second Phase.

“First of all, I like being an instructor here. This may sound strange, but I even liked being a BUD/S student. I think you need to like this business to be successful at it. At least, that's how I see it. Let me tell you what I don't like. I have little tolerance for anyone who sandbags it—does just enough to get by or cuts corners. That may have been tolerated to some degree in First Phase. Not here. We don't cut corners underwater. You cut corners here and it can get someone killed, your swim buddy or possibly yourself.” He pauses a moment. “I also have little patience for those who lack spirit. You get through this training as a class. If you aren't contributing to your class spirit, then you're holding your classmates back— you're sandbagging it.” He again pauses a moment to regard the class. “And what I will not tolerate at all is being late for watch or missing watch. This is a duty you have to perform. If you're late, it shows you don't care about your classmates—your future teammates.

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