| 1990 movie entitled Navy Seals, the actor Charlie | | | | Seals, the qualifying physical examinations alone would |
| Sheen played the role of Lieutenant Dale Hawkins, a | | | | be enough to drag down and demoralize even a fairly |
| young and aggressive Navy special forces operator | | | | strong man. The physical screening tests involve a |
| assigned to a team of highly-trained commandos that | | | | 500-yard swim in under 12 minutes; 42 push-ups in |
| were given a mission to track down and "grab" a | | | | under two minutes; 50 sit-ups in under two minutes; six |
| known terrorist. During their mission to neutralize the | | | | pull-ups; and a 1.5-mile run in combat boots ---- just for |
| terrorist, Hawkins was assigned to guard a door below | | | | starters. After passing the initial physical fitness tests, |
| the room where their target was fast asleep. Itching to | | | | the recruit must undergo the 25-week Basic |
| get into action, Hawkins left his post and accidentally | | | | Underwater Demolition Training that includes learning |
| encountered one of the terrorist leader's guards. His | | | | advance scuba diving techniques, underwater |
| unauthorized action prompted a heavy firefight | | | | explosives and ordnance training, combat swimming. |
| between his Navy Seal team and the armed | | | | Navy Seal recruits will also have to undergo additional |
| bodyguards of the terrorist leader. When the smoke | | | | land warfare training, navigation, weapons |
| cleared, one of his team mates lay dead in a pool of | | | | familiarization, individual and unit combat maneuvers, |
| blood. The post-mission evaluation clearly pointed out | | | | combat skydiving, and a long list of other training |
| that Hawkins made a mistake that cost the life of one | | | | courses designed to make them lean, mean "killing |
| Navy commando. What was supposed to be a silent, | | | | machines." |
| uneventful special operation turned into a running | | | | Stress management is also a very important |
| gunbattle that was not part of the original mission plan. | | | | component of Navy Seal training. Every Seal who |
| After that incident, the movie portrayed the character | | | | was awardent his Trident already knows four of the |
| of Lieutenant Hawkins as a man plagued by guilt about | | | | most dreadful letters in the U.S. Navy. Those letters |
| the loss of his team mate. Stress and anxiety slowly | | | | are S-E-R-E, which stands for Survival, Evasion, |
| eroded the confidence of Hawkins, making him | | | | Resistance, and Escape training. The infamous SERE |
| temporarily unable to function as a professional soldier. | | | | training involves the deployment of recruits to an island |
| Paralyzed by his own guilt, his inability to focus only | | | | to accomplish a mission. To make their training mission |
| further jeopardized the lives of his team mates, not to | | | | more realistic, other veteran Seals and special forces |
| mention his own. | | | | operators are unleashed to hunt them down. If they |
| Beyond the reels, stress and anxiety do affect soldier | | | | are caught, the recruits are subjected to physical and |
| in the real world. Even the most battle-experienced | | | | mental torture. These activities are done to simulate as |
| special forces operators will admit that every single | | | | closely as possible the anxieties, dangers, and |
| mission has filled them with fear and anxiety. It is said | | | | hardships of real war. At SERE training, the recruits |
| that even soldier are afraid of war because they are | | | | are taught how to maintain emotional and |
| the first ones to suffer because of it. | | | | psychological control in middle of interrogation and |
| For that reason, the training of elite special operations | | | | physical testing. |
| units like the U.S. Navy Seals involves a lot of physical | | | | Aside from the rigorouse selection and training |
| as well as psychological components. If Navy Seals | | | | process, the Naval Special Warfare community is still |
| ever hope to survive and win in actual combat, their | | | | pursuing research and developing new training on |
| training must be so hard and intense that managing | | | | stress management. This time, the focus is on Seal |
| stress and anxiety becomes as much a skill as | | | | veterans and other operators who have actually been |
| handling an M4A1 Special Operations Peculiar | | | | deployed on missions. Like the character portrayed by |
| Modification (SOPMOD) carbine. | | | | Charlie Sheen, there are still hardened warriors who |
| While the training provided for regular infantry is still | | | | can efficiently neutralize an enemy without blinking an |
| considered hard, anxiety panic attacks have been | | | | eye. However, the experience of losing a colleague in |
| recorded among soldier who underwent the standard | | | | the heat of battle is something that remains a very |
| Army boot camp that is conducted with relatively less | | | | emotional and disturbing experience for any Navy Seal |
| psychological training components. As for the Navy | | | | or professional soldier. |