After the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and the release of the movies Act of Valor, Zero Dark Thirty, Captain Phillips and especially Lone Survivor, it seems like “Navy SEAL” has become a household word.
The 2012 tragedy in Benghazi, that included the killing of former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty causes many people to ask me many hard questions. This is my response:
Did it matter that Tyrone and Glen were former Navy SEALs? The bottom line answer is yes.
Both men were American citizens, emergency medical treatment personnel, former Navy sailors and former Navy SEALs.
What does that mean — “former Navy SEAL?” To be honest and up-front, to some men, being a former Navy SEAL means absolutely nothing. However, I believe that is a minority.
To the majority of my community, being a former Navy SEAL means almost everything. The key and essential bond is our basic training — Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training.
The experience of attending and graduating from BUD/S is the bond that binds SEALs both young and old. Besides enduring the length of BUD/S training, the other bonding element is the portion of the training called, “Hell Week.”
It is said that although Hell Week does not cleanse the soul, it certainly “tests” your very soul. Specifically, how bad do you really want to be a Navy SEAL?
At some point in time during that week, every man makes that commitment to not quit — no matter what. Also, the other portion of the training that is driven into every man’s very soul is to never, ever, leave your swim buddy.
Leaving your swim buddy had direct corporal and administrative punishment. The phrase – “leave no man behind,” does not even need to be discussed, it is engrained in every Navy SEALs very soul.
So, what did it mean to be a ‚“former Navy SEAL” to Tyrone and Glen? I would venture to say, almost everything.
Their training muscle memory kicked in and they engaged their mind, body, and very soul. In summary, like a lot of organizations Navy SEALs have an ethos and I would contend that it follows a person into retirement or civilian life. Consider these tenets of the Navy SEAL Ethos:
Loyalty to Country, Team and Teammate,
Serve with Honor and Integrity On and Off the Battlefield,
Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow, Never Quit,
Take responsibility for your actions and the actions of your teammates,
Excel as Warriors through Discipline and Innovation,
Train for War, Fight to Win, Defeat our Nation’s Enemies, and
Earn your Trident every day.
For Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty:
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
— Edmund Burke
“Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
— John 15:13
“The only easy day was yesterday.”
— Navy SEAL motto

(Photos courtesy of Jack James.)