Mark Divine

You know, the evolutions, they call every event an evolution. The evolutions range from anywhere from, you know, a couple hours to like six or eight hours long. And they had us doing, you know, seal-like stuff, but not super complicated. Like we weren't... Jumping out of helicopters with, you know, live ammunition and bursting down doors because this, you know, wasn't the purpose of the training.

Training was to attrite those people who weren't mentally tough or emotionally resilient and couldn't be good teammates and to prove those of us who were mentally tough, emotionally resilient and good teammates that we were capable of freaking anything.

Training was to attrite those people who weren't mentally tough or emotionally resilient and couldn't be good teammates and to prove those of us who were mentally tough, emotionally resilient and good teammates that we were capable of freaking anything.

So the types of things we were doing, like one evolution was to take our 350-pound logs and, you know, to take them on like a 10-mile journey, right? Carrying them over our heads and on our shoulders without putting them down. And so that was, you know, interesting challenge to say the least in the soft sand. Another was to paddle our little rubber boats. They're called IBS.

So the types of things we were doing, like one evolution was to take our 350-pound logs and, you know, to take them on like a 10-mile journey, right? Carrying them over our heads and on our shoulders without putting them down. And so that was, you know, interesting challenge to say the least in the soft sand. Another was to paddle our little rubber boats. They're called IBS.

I'm not even sure what that acronym was, but we called it Itty Bitty Ship. Okay. Yeah. Little rubber bows. And there were seven of us and we had to paddle these itty bitty ships around Coronado Island in San Diego at night. And that was, I think, on like Wednesday night or something of Hell Week and everybody was hallucinating, including myself.

I'm not even sure what that acronym was, but we called it Itty Bitty Ship. Okay. Yeah. Little rubber bows. And there were seven of us and we had to paddle these itty bitty ships around Coronado Island in San Diego at night. And that was, I think, on like Wednesday night or something of Hell Week and everybody was hallucinating, including myself.

You know, it's like two in the morning and we're just stroke, stroke, stroke. And the guy in front of me, literally his paddle slipped out of his hand and started floating past me and I grabbed it and his arms kept moving. You know, he kept stroking. Yeah. So, I took the paddle, I just smacked him over the head with it and said, hey, dummy, here's your paddle. He's like, holy cow.

You know, it's like two in the morning and we're just stroke, stroke, stroke. And the guy in front of me, literally his paddle slipped out of his hand and started floating past me and I grabbed it and his arms kept moving. You know, he kept stroking. Yeah. So, I took the paddle, I just smacked him over the head with it and said, hey, dummy, here's your paddle. He's like, holy cow.

I didn't even know I lost that thing. A little bit, you know, longer, a little bit further along, I saw this massive wave well up in front of me and I'm like, water, water. That's what we used to say, you know, when we go through surf passage and a huge wave came up. And so, I ducked down and everyone looks at me like, what are you doing? I said, duck, water.

I didn't even know I lost that thing. A little bit, you know, longer, a little bit further along, I saw this massive wave well up in front of me and I'm like, water, water. That's what we used to say, you know, when we go through surf passage and a huge wave came up. And so, I ducked down and everyone looks at me like, what are you doing? I said, duck, water.

And then I look up and there was nothing there. I'm like, so your mind, you know, our mind, the body first goes and then the mind goes. And that's kind of the whole point here is that the mind starts to play tricks on you. And it's your cognitive mind, which is, you know, the reality is fraying. And the structures that you used to hang on to is real are starting to shift and to fray.

And then I look up and there was nothing there. I'm like, so your mind, you know, our mind, the body first goes and then the mind goes. And that's kind of the whole point here is that the mind starts to play tricks on you. And it's your cognitive mind, which is, you know, the reality is fraying. And the structures that you used to hang on to is real are starting to shift and to fray.

And so, you can't rely on that anymore. And so, that was a great lesson for me too. I was like, I can't I can't rely on the way my mind, the way I used to perceive my mind working because it's not working that way for me under stress. It's not working right under stress.

And so, you can't rely on that anymore. And so, that was a great lesson for me too. I was like, I can't I can't rely on the way my mind, the way I used to perceive my mind working because it's not working that way for me under stress. It's not working right under stress.

Yeah. I mean, that's the Holy Grail. So, in the seals, it's just through these intense experiences that you like crack open your body-mind system and reorganize it in ways that I don't even think anyone really understands. I don't even think the seals understand it. They just know it works. That's why they'll never give up Hell Week. They've had so many...

Yeah. I mean, that's the Holy Grail. So, in the seals, it's just through these intense experiences that you like crack open your body-mind system and reorganize it in ways that I don't even think anyone really understands. I don't even think the seals understand it. They just know it works. That's why they'll never give up Hell Week. They've had so many...

you know, kind of peacetime attempts to get rid of the whole week program. Cause they think it's kind of inhumane and, you know, then they can maybe too hard. And, you know, there have been people who've died in the training and stuff, but very rare actually. And they're from natural causes. Like, you know, someone dies of a heart attack or they,

you know, kind of peacetime attempts to get rid of the whole week program. Cause they think it's kind of inhumane and, you know, then they can maybe too hard. And, you know, there have been people who've died in the training and stuff, but very rare actually. And they're from natural causes. Like, you know, someone dies of a heart attack or they,

They have an accident and they drown, but no one's died from exhaustion that I'm aware of in Hell Week. So anyways, what I'm saying is the SEALs just, that the training is just brilliant and it's evolved over, you know, 60 years to really prepare SEALs for the most rigorous challenges, missions, and environments in the world.