Day In The Life

When many people think of Navy Seal jobs, all they think of or remember are visual images of Navy SEALs in training, carrying logs, rolling in the sand, submerged in pools and rough ocean water with full gear, or jogging endless miles along Southern California’s pristine beaches with a glorious sunset in the background.

More often than not, articles as well as television shows and documentaries spend more ink and air time on the BUD/S training process that makes a Navy man into a SEAL than to what a Navy SEAL job requires on a daily basis after (or if) he succeeds in graduating from the BUD/S training program.

As a matter of fact, there’s much more to being a Navy SEAL than just going through the training process. Highly specialized training continues after graduation in a multitude of different fields. After log PT, after the night swims, after the different training phases endured during the BUD/S training process, Navy SEAL graduates move on to other training and special warfare and special operations.

A Navy SEAL may be ordered to help dispose of mines on beaches as well is within the ocean. He may be asked to take part in combat operations at the drop of a hat. Navy SEALs are also involved in gathering intelligence, performing reconnaissance, and engaging in counterterrorist operations.

Navy SEALs typically go through what most military experts deem to be the most intense and difficult training of any military unit. Their duties include but are not limited to:

• Conducting underwater reconnaissance and demolition
• Carrying out missions against military targets
• Capturing enemy personnel and terrorists
• Conducting both insertion and extraction missions from air, land, or
sea

SEALs receive military pay and allowances, just like other Navy men do, but they receive an incentive pay for special skills and assignments. A Navy SEAL may be offered a $40,000 enlistment bonus, which is one of the highest paid in the Navy, and indeed most other military branches.

A day in the life of a Navy SEAL always involves something new, and missions are assigned one minute, and they are on route the next. While most Navy SEAL  responsibilities and missions include clandestine missions and unconventional warfare in counter terrorism operations, they also serve needs in demolition and reconnaissance. Because SEAL teams train in a multitude of environments, including mountains, deserts, jungles, and even the Arctic, they are especially equipped in special tactics and procedures to ensure success.

Becoming a Navy SEAL requires a special type of individual. Getting through the BUD/S training process is only the beginning.

A Navy SEAL will forever after be considered a SEAL, whether he is on active duty or retired.