Howard Wasdin, former Navy SEAL:
I can take just about anyone and make them physically strong. A lot of people showed up at [training] who were much more physically capable than I was, football players and athletes in phenomenal shape, and they were the first to quit. Mental toughness is a must to make it through training, much less through combat.I've always believed this was the case, for this kind of hardcore work. I remember reading that the survival rate for torpedoed British merchant marines, during World War II, was higher for older men than for young, and they attributed it to their mental seasoning. It also kinds sorta supports my view of why it is perfectly okay to have proportionately less severe pushup standards, for females in the military.
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In another article, another Navy SEAL (was it Wasdin again?) said that the he could tell by looking at the tattoos on a person to see if they would make the cut. Those who made it through the training generally DID NOT have tattoos.
ReplyDeleteInteresting commentary on tattoos-of which I am not a fan. I made a deal with my kids--they can get tattoos or piercings if they want, they just have to hold off until they are 25.
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