IT’S NOT YOUR NORMAL TAD ASSIGNMENT.

CMDR. CHRIS CASSIDY’S FIRST TRIP OUT OF

THIS WORLD JUNE 13 INVOLVES A STOP AT
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. DOES
ANYONE KNOW THE PER DIEM RATE THERE?

ETHOS 1
 8 SEALS IN SPACE
Cassidy ... sits at his desk ... and stares.

2 THE DUKES 7QUIET

OF PROFFESION-
HAZARDOUS BIKES ALS
SEALs don’t typically seek
The NSW bike team is a little known secret.
The best part? They’re really good.
individual praise or acclaim.
In fact, they shun it. Being 13 THE NERDS OF NSW
appreciated for being the Even tough guys can be nerds. Read more about
best is thanks enough as the how NSW loves its video games.
media and world audience
recently discovered.
28 COURAGE ISN’T JUST
A COWARDLY DOG
It’s a virtue. It’s fundamental to good character.
16 IN THE CROSSHAIRS
With a Range Program Office now established
But, really, what is our community without courage, at the headquarters, NSW has set its sights on
physical and moral? putting the right pieces in place to ensure long-term
An essay by retired SEAL Bob Schoultz. range sustainability, a critical element to combat
raediness.

TRACKING THE PRODEV

26 OF OUR OFFICERS 22 THE MOST SUPER OF FROGS
The SuperFrog triathalon brings athletes of all ages and
NSW’s tactical training is some of the best, but
abilities to Coronado each year. Some come to win, but
according to a survey of mid-level officers, their
most just come to cross the finish line.
professional development track was missing some
rails. Not anymore.

COMMANDER > Rear Adm. Edward Winters III PRODUCTION MANAGER > MC1 (SW/AW) Andre Mitchell
FORCE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER > Cmdr. Gregory Geisen ASSOCIATE EDITOR > Ms. Mandy McCammon
DEP. PAO/EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS > Lt. Nathan Potter LAYOUT AND DESIGN > Ms. Mandy McCammon, MC2 (PJ) Michelle Kapica
DEP. PAO/INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS > Ms. Patricia O’Connor STAFF > MC2 (SW/AW) Arcenio Gonzalez, MC2 (SW) Shauntae Hinkle-Lymas,
S TA F F

EDITOR > MCCS (SW/AW) Scott Williams MC2 (SW/AW) Dominique Lasco , MC2 (SW/AW) Erika Manzano

Ethos is an authorized official production of the Naval Special Warfare Command Public Affairs Office, 2000 Trident Way, San Diego, Calif. 92155-5599.
Send electronic submissions and correspondence to editor@navsoc.socom.mil or call (619) 522-2825.
Front cover photo courtesy NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Image by Reto Stockli, enhancements by Robert Simmon. Data and technical support by MODIS.
Table of contents image, above: Cmdr. Chris Cassidy runs a simulation in a trainer at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Photo by MC2 Dominique Lasco
Back Cover: Members of NSW’s Flyin’ Frogs mountain bike team train at Mission Trails in San Diego. Photo by MC2 Dominique Lasco
 A dramatic confluence of events marks this first anniversary of
the publishing of Ethos magazine. In April, our operators flawlessly
rescued an American freighter captain held captive
at sea by Somali pirates. Scan Eagle UAV footage and
eyewitness reports quickly revealed to the world what
may ordinarily have been a clandestine operation.
Suddenly, NSW found itself in the limelight.

THE MEDIA FRENZY began in earnest but was met with stony silence
from our community. Requests for interviews with the operators were denied.
Photo ops didn’t materialize. Navy officials confirmed the operation and the
fact that Naval Special Warfare was involved and let it go at that. This type of
reaction to a showering of media love was absolutely baffling to the world, but we
understood. Glory-seeking isn’t in your ethos. You didn’t get into this business to
draw attention to yourselves or launch a reality television series.
In fact, the way this was handled only reinforced what you stand
for – quiet professionalism. The humble approach to meeting
personal and professional challenges is what distinguishes
operators from the vainglorious “specops” caricatures portrayed
in movies.
It takes physical and moral courage to do dangerous jobs
with professionalism and be satisfied. No accolades necessary.
In this issue of ETHOS, our contributing academic writer, retired
SEAL Capt. Bob Schoultz, provides an insightful analysis of the difference
between the two virtues on page 28.
At this point, it should be no surprise that in the quest for professional
excellence, one of our own is now quietly preparing for a whole new unearthly
challenge: space. NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy – Navy commander and
SEAL, no less – will depart on a mission to the International Space Station next
month. While other operators are training or performing real-world missions, he
will be on un-Earthly space walks. Check out the full story on this most rare of
events beginning on page eight.
Personal challenges are a daily task for the special warfare community,
even off-duty. Competitiveness reaches a whole new level with the feats
accomplished by the NSW bike racing team. You can check out how they take
on the competition, themselves and Mother Nature’s most formidable terrain via
two wheels and leg power on page two.
With this issue we begin our second year of publishing Ethos. We have gone
through some dramatic changes of
our own as we attempted to find
the right words and pictures to
portray this special community of
people. We strive to communicate
the commander’s intent, which is
to ‘promote the character, culture
and actions that define our Naval
Special Warfare way of life, and
examine the issues that shape our community.’ We remain open-minded to input
because this is, after all, your community magazine. There is no other publication
wholly owned by and meant for NSW, so if you have a story suggestion, criticism
or question please contact us at editor@navsoc.socom.mil or call the WARCOM
Public Affairs Office at (619) 522-2825.
- MCCS(SW/AW) Scott Williams
ETHOS 1
 We’ve uncovered a little secret.
Until recently, it was kept under
wraps by the sometimes dirty dozen
involved. Now the story -- and it’s
a good one -- is revealed. Twelve
SEALs who compete in endurance
mountain bike races -- they do it
for fun, family and even NSW
recruiting.

It’s a hot, sticky Saturday night in Temecula,

Calif., and Chief Special Warfare Operator Mike Everett
should be at home enjoying an evening with his wife.
Instead, he’s eating rock and dirt, mixed with sweat as
he navigates his full suspension mountain bike down
a rugged, dimly lit, nine-mile trail. He has managed to
avoid breaking his bike chain (unlike the unlucky soul
he passed a few miles back) and he has narrowly missed
falling on some sharp rocks and breaking a collar bone
(like the guy he saw being carted off in an ambulance).
Sounds dangerous? Well, it is.
And Everett loves every minute of it.

2 ETHOS
 Flyin’ Frog members
Curtiss (left) and Skalski
practice thier skils on a
local path.

MC2 Dominique Lasco

ETHOS 3
 As a member of the Navy SEAL Flyin’ Smith was talking about Lt. Eric Skalski,
Frogs mountain bike team, this scene is quite a SEAL attached to SEAL Team One. He
familiar to Everett, who races with the 12-man reinvigorated the team, developed a rigorous
crew. Since they began nearly four years ago, schedule and brought in younger, very
the team has been a well-kept secret at Naval competitive mountain bike racers.
Special Warfare. Made up of both enlisted and “So the good news for the old guys was that
officers, the team has taken winning titles in the team was getting faster every time one of
races as close to San Diego as Temecula and the young guys showed up,” Smith said. “The
as far away as Conyers, Ga. Those include the bad news for us old SEALs was that staying
Suzuki National 24-hour race series in Utah on that A-team got really tough!”
and Georgia and the 12 Hours of Temecula Once the Flyin’ Frogs team was formed,
race series. Smith, who was director of recruiting for the
But being a part of a winning team is only a NSW Center at the time, saw its great potential
piece of the story. as a no-cost NSW recruitment tool.
“Mountain bike racers are used to pushing
themselves to the limit in less than perfect
According to Flyin’ Frogs member Capt. conditions. Those are the type of people NSW
Duncan Smith, there was an unofficial squad is seeking, so where better to find potential
of NSW mountain bike riders that would SEAL candidates than at a down and dirty,
occasionally get together and race for fun butt-kicking mountain bike race.”
around California. They were decent technical Having a presence at races also gave
riders but inexperienced when it came to potential SEAL candidates the opportunity
organized cross country mountain bike to sit down with a BUD/S instructor, a SEAL
racing. sniper or a command master chief and get real
“It was kind of joke. We were a bunch insight into life within NSW.
of old guys just racing for fun and we were “We wanted to make sure they got to know
surprising ourselves by actually winning once a SEAL,” Smith said. “That they were able to
in a while!” said Smith, a SEAL attached to recognize that some of the things they were
Naval Special Warfare Command. “LT Skalski doing everyday in their life as an athlete gave
came on board and really professionalized them a higher likelihood of success at SEAL
(the team).” training.”

BIG WIN The Flyin’

Frogs accepts a trophy
after winning the Suzuki
National 24-hour race
series in Moab, Utah in
October 2008. Their most
MC3 Mike Leporati

recent win came April 25

at the Hurkey Creek 24
Hours of Adrenaline held
in Riverside County, Calif.

4 ETHOS
 But recruiting the starry-eyed
individual with dreams of becoming
an elite warrior was not the only goal.
Going out and winning races was the
primary objective – and that’s exactly
what they do.

Race day is always a fun and busy time.

It’s a day filled with excitement, lots of
water and carbohydrates. Teamwork,
something that SEALs are inherently
good at, and family support is the key
to the Flyin’ Frogs’ success both on the

MC2 Dominique Lasco

trail and at home. Both result in never
having to motivate your teammates to go
out for that next lap because everyone is
already motivated. The team mentality
also means that everyone pitches in to
make sure the next rider has a clean
bike, lubed chain, proper tire pressure, mountain bike racing. There’s no recovery
food, water — all he needs — before the time on race day — it’s game on and time
lap. is everything. In order to prevent injury, the
“The fun part is the family part. The guys on the team work hard to keep their
race part is the competitive side,” said bodies in tip-top shape.
Skalski. “We always like to have our “Athletic conditioning carries over from
family out there because not many of one sport to another,” team member Special
our races are in California. I’ll tell you, Warfare Operator 1st Class Brian Curtiss
it’s hard to juggle work, family, training said. “But with the mountain bike or with
and racing.” any (sport) you still have to spend a lot of
Injuries, whether it’s a few scratches time on it.”
or broken bones, are a very real aspect of However, the Flyin’ Frogs don’t really

Here’s a look at some facts and figures that get

thrown around on the Flyin’ Frogs on a regular basis.

The amount of money it costs to buy and equip a full

suspension mountain bike. Cost does not include regular
maintenance fees like cracked bike helmets and tires.

The bowls of pasta a team member would have to

eat to replace the carbohydrates lost during a 24-
hour race on a five-man team.
MC2 Dominique Lasco

The average number of calories a team member burns

while competing in a 24-hour race on a five-man team.

The average number of miles a team member

would ride on a five-man team in a 24-hour race. TAKE THE GOOD
WITH THE BAD Top:
Smith and Lastra
congratulate each other
The average number of times Lt. Eric Skalski has after a good practice.
fallen over his handlebars—to date. Bottom: Everett carries
his dismantled bike
after a blowout at a
local trail.

ETHOS 5
 here are a few things that you may worry too much about getting hurt because they practice so
much. You’re going to fall at some point –- it’s inevitable
not know about the Flyin’ Frogs. when you’re riding full-speed on a bumpy, downhill trail.
Here’s some interesting information about the “Compared to war, it’s like going to Sunday mass,” laughed
current team roster. team member Master Chief Special Warfare Operator
Luis Lastra, command master chief at Advanced Training
Command.
Each team member has his own fitness regime.
Curtiss likes to mix it up with surfing, tennis and hockey.
Skalski hired a coach to help him with his training and
nutrition. Smith just likes to get in some riding time. To
each his own, but one thing is for sure -- everyone is
prepared on race day.
Training in the core areas of strength, flexibility and
endurance is important. As Navy SEALs, training for
SOC Ted Bair: endurance comes naturally, but their mountain bike
Also known as ‘the chain training is very different from what professional cyclists,
breaker,’ because he’s like Lance Armstrong, would do.
always breaking his bike Capt. Duncan Smith: “In endurance mountain biking which is called ‘cross
chain during races. Adventure raced in country’ you’re riding a bike that’s lighter than what the
the 1990s in various downhill racers use. Instead of bombing down a ski run
SO1 Brian Curtiss: countries, including in the summer on a bike that resembles a motorcycle
The lone ‘blue shirt’ on South Africa, New without an engine, cross country riders are racing much
the team and is fluent Zealand and Nepal. greater distances over varied terrains,” Smith said. “So
in French. you’re climbing as well as going downhill.”
Varied terrains indeed.
Depending on which race they are doing, the course lap
is usually between nine and 20 miles long. The terrain is
typically littered with rocks, dirt, grass and the occasional
road kill. As riders navigate the tumultuous paths, they
must focus on technique: Look forward and once you
SOCM Luis “Lu” pick a line to ride don’t concentrate on what you don’t
Lastra: Raced in the want to hit. Focus on where you want to go. Climbing
’87-’88 Olympics trials. 1,000 feet over the course of a half mile shoulder to
He also has 9,643 shoulder with your competition can feel like biking up
skydives, and holds 2 Mount Everest. The riders use whichever techniques
world skydiving records. they have adopted to keep them from thinking about
their sore bodies and allowing their thoughts to wander.
Just like marathon running, endurance mountain biking
SOC Hans Garcia: is a mental game. Finally, they must pay attention to the
Has raced bikes since 1987. He now recruits trail’s camber and to every rock and rut or they may find
athletes to be SEALs--so it’s not just a job. Lt. Eric Skalski: Team themselves head over handlebars, which puts a costly
Captain. Said he wants dent in their personal and team’s time.
to see some new, young There’s a lot to remember. Nevertheless, when the
blood on the team. NSW Flyin’ Frogs set foot inside the SEAL/SWCC
tent, their home base on race day, it is business as usual.
Skalski is stretching and excited to race after enjoying
an IHOP pancake breakfast. Smith is making sure each
team member has enough water, gear and other essentials
to get them through the race. Everett is strolling in from
the parking area with his bicycle, taking off his SEAL-
issued shades and taking deep, cleansing breaths. Yep.
LCDR Joseph Butner: Business as usual.
Climbed one of the world’s They face other hungry competitors and occasionally
highest active volcanoes their friendly challengers, the Marine Corps Special
- Mt. Cotopaxie in Ecuador. SOC Mike Everett: Operations mountain bike team, but once they are out
Rides his Harley to every race on the trail, they’re racing against the clock, and it’s just
with his bike attached to the their thoughts and the trail ahead. As Lastra put it, “I’d
side of his motorcycle. be doing this whether it be for recruitment or just for
myself. I love it!”
- MC2 Shauntae Hinkle-Lymas

6 ETHOS
No stardom, no glitz.
JUST HONOR
FOR SEALs
I half-expected them to appear on “The Today Show.” Or maybe toss out
the first pitch at that new Yankee Stadium. Or show up in grainy video
on TMZ.com, grabbing a latte at Starbucks.
I’m conditioned that way. In this age of SEALs seek no attention for genuinely valiant This recent SEAL action was unusual
instant celebrity, I figured the three Navy SEAL deeds. because it took place so publicly. Pirates boarded
snipers who took out three pirates off the coast “What’s the purpose?” Rocha said. “How a cargo ship and took Phillips hostage, drawing
of Somalia last week would get the full star does that help you do your job?” international media coverage.
treatment. Who are these people? Who can so easily The pirates held Phillips for five days
Lady GaGa gets it. David Beckham gets it. shrug off the spotlight, which, today, only burns onboard the ship’s lifeboat. The Navy destroyer
Even a sweet Scottish spinster who can belt out brighter if there’s actual heroism involved? USS Bainbridge was sent to help. The SEALs
Broadway tunes is getting it. Check out Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, parachuted from a helicopter and climbed
Not these guys. We won’t even learn their the U.S. Airways pilot who made that emergency onboard the Navy ship.
names. They remain anonymous because they landing on the Hudson River, sparing all 150 From the back of the ship, they took aim
and the Navy want it that way. The SEALs are passengers. He was a media darling for weeks at the pirates in that bobbing lifeboat, only their
true heroes, of course, but they’re the old- after his incredible landing. He was on “60 heads and shoulders exposed. When ordered
fashioned kind. They do the amazing and then Minutes.” He was invited to President Barack to shoot, the snipers simultaneously fired. Three
slip back into the scenery, leaving us to wonder Obama’s inauguration. He and other crew shots. Three kills.
who they were. members received a standing ovation before the The world was riveted.
They’re different. Way, way different. And Super Bowl. “Normally, our operations are secret,”
that’s refreshing. Who wouldn’t want a piece of that? Geisen said. And, of course, dangerous.
“It’s not about accolades, medals or Well, SEALs wouldn’t. More than 240 special operations warriors
recognition,” said Nicholas Rocha, a former SEAL “They’re silent warriors,” said Cmdr. Greg from units across all branches of the military have
and co-founder of the United Warrior Survivor Geisen, a spokesman for the Coronado-based died since Sept. 11, 2001.
Foundation in Coronado, Calif., which helps Naval Special Warfare Command. It was the loss of a fellow SEAL in the
spouses of special operations forces killed in the Geisen was swamped with requests from mountains of Afghanistan that inspired Rocha to
line of duty. “It’s about that person to your left, that the media wanting to talk to the SEALs who start his support group in 2002.
person to your right.” saved the life of the cargo ship captain, Richard Many widows need more assistance than
SEALs go into it knowing they won’t be Phillips. Some were surprised no interviews what the government provides, so the foundation
needing any Hollywood agent, no matter what would be given. gives college scholarships and other support to
they pull off. SEALs don’t do media interviews because those women. Many put their ambitions on hold
It’s ironic. Many in today’s they don’t like to be singled out. They are when following their husbands’ military careers.
world seek (and get) publicity members of a team, and their team is first and About the only local spot that publicly honors
for the most ridiculous foremost, Geisen said. Publicity also could SEALs is McP’s Irish Pub in Coronado. Pictures
reasons. They go on endanger them or their families if their identities of Vietnam-era SEALs hang on the walls of the
reality shows to date a were revealed. place, which is owned by a former SEAL, Greg
fading rock star. The SEALs have a creed that says, in part: McPartlin.
They have “I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor I asked the bartender, who wouldn’t give me
eight babies. seek recognition for my actions.” his name, if SEALs ever boast at the bar about
They live up to it, even now, when what they do.
multimillion-dollar athletes can make national No, he said.
news for whining that they don’t get the ball Even after a few beers?
enough. No.
If they ever say anything about what they
do, he said, it’s “only under their breaths, to each
other.”
8 ETHOS
 Integrated
EVA/RMS Virtual
Reality Simulator
Facility in Room
2116, Building 9,
at Johnson Space Center in Houston
is not the picture of what one might
imagine a high-tech NASA laboratory
should look like.
The lab looks like a cross between
the rehearsal space for a high school
garage band and the audio/visual
department of the local Best Buy.
More than forty computer monitors
and flat screen televisions of varying
sizes grow out of the walls at every
angle, spilling down onto two cluttered
desks sitting parallel to each other in
the middle of the room; surrounding them
is a wild overgrowth of chords and wires
that seem to have sprung up organically,
like Morning Glory left unchecked – the
type of vines that would gargle weed
killer and laugh. On the walls not
otherwise inhabited by monitors, a
collage of autographed photos, former
mission patches and movie posters
advertising the likes of Space Cowboys
and IMAX Space Station 3-D narrated by
Tom Cruise ensure that no space is left
bare.
Between the desks, the unstoppable
computer chords have seemingly ensnared
two hapless victims at the front of the
room: Doctors Tom Marshburn and Dave Wolf,
who sit with their backs to each other
in swiveling office chairs. Marshburn
ETHOS 9
 and Wolf, both astronaut mission specialists for
Space Transportation System 127 (STS-127) aboard the
shuttle Endeavor, scheduled to launch from Kennedy
Space Center June 13, are clad in virtual reality
“suits” consisting of a bulky shoulder harness,
motion-sensitive gloves and oversized insect-like
goggles suspended from the ceiling by a series of
ropes and pulleys that give both of the astronauts the look of patients in traction.
Yellow and black CAUTION tape crisscrosses the entrance to their physical domain,
while the remaining crew members of STS-127 man the desktop screens which broadcast
their virtual progress.
“Hold it just like that, Dave; hang on a minute …” a crewmember in a light blue, button-
down Oxford shirt consults a manual as he scrutinizes the action on his screen.
“Like what?” Wolf asks.
“Like that.The way that you need to install it,” he responds.
Wolf, turning slightly in his chair, is using both hands to maneuver a crude figure-
eight-shaped handle fashioned of little more than PVC pipe and duct tape.
“That is representing the SGANT handrail,” explains Anthony Lou in a hushed voice.
A University of Texas at Austin Aerospace
Engineering graduate with a black Mohawk
and glasses, the young flight controller
and mission designer says his specialty is
robotics. “The Space-to-Ground Antenna,”
he elaborates. “Basically, that [handle]
gives him a physical ‘something’ to hold on
to so it matches the model. Without this
training, they wouldn’t be prepared for the
flight.”

he model that Lou refers to is the computer-generated

scenario that is playing out on the majority of the forty-
plus screens in the room. A large, centrally located 42-
inch plasma television shows Wolf’s avatar in NASA’s Above: Members of
the STS 127 crew
famous white spaceman regalia, hanging upside down
practice a space walk
by his feet from a large mechanical arm over the in the integrated EVA/
International Space Station miles above the planet RMS Virtual Reality
Earth. What his virtual doppelganger is wrestling with in his hands Simulator Facility.
resembles a giant satellite dish attached to a large, unwieldy metal Left: Cmdr. Cassidy
box. With handles. (center) monitors the
progress of the space
“But this is how I don’t want to hold it,” Wolf says. walk using the virtual
The screen shows that there is not enough room in Wolf’s virtual reality image on a
world to properly attach the SGANT to the exterior of the space station. computer.
After several minutes of calm negotiation and creative brainstorming
amongst the STS-127 crewmembers, a suitable solution does, in the
end, prevail and the crewman in the blue button-down consults his veteran and the Lead Flight Director for STS-127. “It’s that whole
manual once again to press on. focused Navy SEAL thing.”
“Alright … Can you lock the SGANT, please? And we would do
Alpha-4, clockwise two against sixty-three foot pounds, eleven turns, he goals in my career really just seemed to
Dave. Thank you. And you can give Julie the ‘go’ whenever we’re sort of happen,” says Cmdr. Christopher
ready.” Cassidy, mission specialist for STS-127
“Okay, Chris, ready for your call,” responds Wolf. and the second Navy SEAL in NASA’s
Chris, who sits beneath an autographed photo of Miss Tulsa 2000, is history to become an astronaut. “You
what the other astronauts call a “first-time flyer” – meaning STS-127 know, good coincidence, timing and luck
will be his first space mission – though by all indications, the average kind of play a lot into it.”
observer wouldn’t know it. He guides the two astronauts through their So, as Cassidy would tell it, by sheer stroke of luck he graduated
multiple tasks with meticulous confidence throughout the hours-long from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree
exercise, a computer-generated virtual spacewalk that takes place in mathematics in 1993. From there, he continued on to Basic
during Extravehicular Activity Two (EVA-2). Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in Coronado, Calif.,
“He’s doing really well. I’m always impressed with Chris’s utter where he happened to graduate at the same time Class 192 needed
calm. Nothing fazes him,” says Holly Ridings, a 10-year NASA someone to be their Honor Graduate.

10 ETHOS
 Then, after receiving his first assignment to SEAL Delivery
Vehicle Team Two (SDVT-2) in Little Creek, Va., Cassidy happened
to find himself on the telephone with Capt. William “Shep”
Shepherd, who, in what may have been the most statistically
improbable coincidence in history, happened to be the first Navy
SEAL in NASA’s history to become an astronaut.
“This ensign called me one day back in the ‘90s when he was
getting ready to get out of BUD/S … and he said part of his interest
was to, maybe, be positioned in his SEAL career so that being
an astronaut was an option available to him,” says Shepherd,
now the Head Science Advisor of U.S. Special Operations
Command (USSOCOM), laughing as he recalls that first phone
conversation with Cassidy. “Chris is kind of an anomaly! He’s a
pretty exceptional guy and I think he is somewhat modest about
his own capabilities.”
After his first tour with SDVT-2, Cassidy spent 10 years as
a member of Navy SEAL Teams, including executive officer
and operations officer of Special Boat Team 20 in Norfolk,
Va.; Platoon Commander at SEAL Team Three in Coronado;
and Platoon Commander after returning to SDVT-2. In the
course of four, six-month deployments to Afghanistan and the
Mediterranean theaters, Cassidy was awarded the Bronze Star
with combat ‘V’ and Presidential Unit Citation for missions
with the Army 10th Mountain Division on the Afghan/
Pakistan border; he was made an honorary member of the 10th
Mountain Division by its soldiers, a rare honor given to few;
and in 2004, he received a second Bronze Star.
“But, really,” says Cassidy, “the seed of my desire to be an
astronaut was sewn at the SDV Team and in conversations with
our community, the symbol… has alw The nickname for
Capt. Shepherd about, you know, what life as an astronaut is
Frogmen. I think it’s interesting that ays bee n the frog, the
like. And it excited me to think about putting on a spacesuit
legacy because if you look at everything we stil l have some of that
and going outside and doing the work the [astronauts] do.”
Following in Shepherd’s footsteps, Cassidy applied to the and the SEAL community, above all else abo ut spec ial war fare
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), eventually I think that it’s ver y distinct that the , we’ re ada ptable. And
getting his Masters Degree in ocean engineering in 2000. frog, because the frog, at the end of the symbol of all of this is the
Shortly thereafter, with support from his command, he – Shep day, is prett y adaptable.”
applied for NASA’s space program through the Bureau of
Naval Personnel (BUPERS).
“They have a board where they screen everybody who’s
applied ... And then, from that board, they’ll send the
selected names down to the NASA Astronaut Selection
Office, which, in turn, has received the packages from each
military service and from civilians directly. And then they
file through all those applications and pick the folks that
they want to bring down for an interview,” says Cassidy.

t this point, he had little clue as to what

kind of questions the NASA panel would
ask in his upcoming interview, but it was
clear that one question would have to
be answered before any other could be approached,
“Why would a Navy SEAL go to space?” “There are several reasons why [Naval] Special Warfare people –
“I’m asked that question a lot,” Cassidy says with SEALs, and SWCCs (Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman) – are
a knowing smile. “The misconception is that to be an astronaut, you really suitable to do this,” says Shepherd. “One is that we understand
have to have been a pilot or have time as a pilot of some type of what a team is. Most of the experience in the SEAL community is
aircraft, and that’s just not true … the [fact] is anybody can apply to about being a team. It starts with BUD/S… The concept of ‘team’ is
be an astronaut! There are very basic requirements, you know? A really what defines us as a community. And that this would translate
bachelor’s degree in some technical field… maybe a few other ones to a space mission is pretty obvious.”
pertaining to eyesight and height and weight and that sort of thing. But, Cassidy would soon find out, however, that NASA’s selection office
when you come right down to it, pretty much anybody can apply.” had a few preconceived notions of what skill sets a Navy SEAL had
“We have veterinarians, medical doctors, military folks from all to offer, thanks in no small part to his predecessor, the man NASA
sorts of backgrounds – helicopter aviators; P-3 pilots; myself as a veterans know as “Shep.”
SEAL; Navy divers – so, we have a broad array of folks,” he adds. “He’s notorious around here for his interview to become an

ETHOS 11
 Clockwise from left: Cmdr. Cassidy is lowered
into the Neutral Buoyancy Lab at the beginning of
a training session; Cassidy lays down to put on his
space suit prior to training; Cassidy struggles as he is
pulled into the top portion of his suit; Instructors and
safety professionals monitor the three astronauts as
they train underwater.

202-feet long by 102-feet wide, holds 6.2 million gallons of water

astronaut,” says Cassidy. “The legend … the NASA lore, I should and can accommodate a nearly complete mockup of the International
say … [is that] they asked him, ‘What special skills do you have?’… Space Station (ISS) for training purposes.
And his infamous answer is, ‘I know how to kill somebody with a As the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” echoes around the
knife.’ So, when I got here, that was the very first thing that everybody cavernous space, blasting from the above-ground and the underwater
always asked me! ‘Can you kill somebody with a knife, too?’ I just speakers, Cassidy, Marshburn and Wolf, a seasoned EVA veteran with
kind of laughed it off and let them live the lie …” more than 158 days in space, don their “school uniforms.” The get-
Whatever questions were asked, Cassidy’s answers seem to have up includes full spacesuits (an air-and-water-tight, lighter training
sufficed. He was accepted into NASA’s Astronaut Candidacy Program suit that, sans astronaut, weighs only 175-pounds vice the 285-pound
in 2004, beginning a two-year training program that would help decide flight suit that they will wear during their STS-127 missions); the
whether or not another SEAL would indeed go to outer space. tools and extra equipment required for their spacewalk, and various
“The first two years … are what we call your ‘Astronaut Candidate’ counterweights for stability and buoyancy. Each astronaut in full
period, where you’re an AsCan (pronounced ‘ass-can’) and, ironically gear weighs upwards of 550-pounds.
enough, the motivation to complete that training is so you don’t have “Moving this suit around, what he’s going to be doing today, just
to be called an ‘ass-can’ anymore,” he explains, laughing. “During for him to raise his arms to do something, he’s fighting all this weight
that time, I would equate it largely to being in grad school or a college and pressure,” says Knight, referring to the more than 4 pounds per
program where you have intense classes and coursework and then you square inch of pressurization in addition to the suit weight that the
follow that up with time in the simulator. In the analogy to studies, astronauts have to endure during spacewalks.
you can think of a simulator like a lab; you know, you take the lessons “We’re in an area now where people are living continuously away
that you had in the classroom and then go in the lab and do those from the Earth. They’re off the planet,” says Shepherd, explaining
experiments.” the importance of EVA to the space program. “We’ve never had this
And in the school of NASA, Cassidy, it would seem, has been an in our space program. But, we’ve had people in space, on space
honor roll student. station continuously now for eight years. And it could be for a lot
longer than eight years in the future. The point is, this is a step in
ne lab that he and his fellow astronauts
spend extensive time in is the Neutral
Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL)
at Johnson Space Center. The
NBL houses one of the largest
swimming pools in the world at

12 ETHOS
taking humans beyond the Earth to other places in the solar system and
elsewhere. And the things that you have to do to do that? You have to

-Master of G force skills

-Not throwing up in the
have big vehicles; these vehicles are too big to be built on the ground and

-Breath holding skills

-Knife fighting skills
launched in one piece. They’ve got to be put up by big boosters; they’ve
got to be assembled in Earth’s orbit. You need EVAs to do this. So, what
Chris is doing … he’s showing the capability of the space agencies that

T-38 skills
are working together now to be able to build and operate big vehicles
in space. And if we can’t do EVA successfully … we can’t pursue this
objective of having humans travel elsewhere in the solar system and do
these expeditions, these explorations.”
For this reason, NBL EVA training exercises can last up to 6 hours at a
time and are incredibly taxing on the astronauts’ body, says Knight.
“When these guys come out, they’re dead on their feet,” he says,
adding later, however, that, “Chris hops out like it was nothing.”
Cassidy shrugs off such praise, quick to give credit where he feels
Cassidy
credit is due.
smiles in the
“I was really blessed with great mentors and folks who kind of guided hangar bay at
me when I was [at] the SEAL Teams … There are so many opportunities the T-38 Talons
that exist in the Navy … the biggest thing is: Do your job and do your job at Ellington
well. And, if you do that, the doors are going to open, open wide for you Field.
to all kinds of other opportunities.”

n June 13, 2009, the Space Shuttle Endeavor is scheduled to take Mission
Commander Mark “Roman” Polansky; Marine Corps Lt. “So, I come home, at the end of the day, my son
Col. Douglas Hurley; Canadian Space Agency (CSA) was all excited – he was five at the time – and met
astronaut Julie Payette; Tom Marshburn and Dave Wolf me at the door and said, ‘Dad! Dad! Did you go
to space. to the moon today?’ And I said, ‘No, son, I didn’t.
Cassidy will also be on that flight, and he’s looking But check with me on Thursday, you know? Maybe
forward to everything such a mission has to offer. I’ll knock that out by then.’”
“On the mission, the bulk of my work will be involved For his three children – now nine, 11 and 14 years
with spacewalks. Our mission has five of them. I should old – Cassidy will be bringing personal mementos
mention that most space shuttle missions are 11-, 12-, 13-days long. Ours for each of them on his mission to space, a courtesy
is a little bit longer [at 16 days]. And we have an extra spacewalk than that NASA extends to all of their astronauts. He
most missions … The space station has the ability to transfer power from will also be bringing coins and patches from his
its solar arrays to our space shuttle and that allows us to stay up there a commands past, as well as mementos from the
little bit longer than other missions.” National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce,
The 16-day mission will have three tasks, according to Cassidy: An Fla., with the intention of presenting the items to
ISS crewmember swap (Army Colonel Tim Kopra going up; Japanese each respective organization upon his return to
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata coming Earth.
down); changing out the cache of batteries which store energy from ISS’s Excited about the mission, Cassidy adds that
solar arrays; and installing mechanical components (such as the virtually while his future may be as boundless as the stars,
troublesome SGANT) to the Japanese portion of the space station. he remains grounded in the proud Naval tradition
Outside of concentrating on the demands of the mission, though, which helped shaped him today.
Cassidy has found that there are some things for which even a Navy “I’m really humbled and honored to represent the
SEAL may not be entirely prepared. SEAL Teams and the Navy here at NASA and on
“I’m very, very comfortable with the technical things that I will have my space mission. I realize every day that it could
to do on the mission,” says Cassidy. “What we don’t really train on that be anybody … so, it’s just really, really humbling to
much is all of the human things that you need to do every day. And it’s be here and be the fortunate one to be selected and I
a lot like a camping trip, you know? If you’re a kid going on your first feel fortunate every day. That said, I’m excited and
big camping expedition, there’s a little bit of unknown about, you know, motivated to take my Trident to space and execute
going to the bathroom; brushing your teeth; where you’re going to sleep; the perfect plan perfectly. And that’s what I plan to
how you’re going to sleep … all those things! And I think, among us do and do proud by Naval Special Warfare.”
- MC2 Terrence Siren
astronauts, we kind of all talk about those sorts of more personal things - photos by MC2 Dominique Lasco
like, you know, ‘Okay, no kidding. All joking aside, how do you go to
the bathroom in space?’”
There have also been some unexpected challenges to Cassidy’s home
life, he says, like living up to some unexpectedly high expectations.
Smiling, he recalls his first day of work five years ago:
14 ETHOS
 Images courtesy of Sony Computer Entertainment

A squelched voice calls over

the headset telling you of
contact in the second window.
Carefully, you peer around
backdrops and building nuisances. Adding details such as more doors,
the corner, set your reticule
cracks in concrete, shadows and color contributes to setting the scene. Now,
on the target and slowly a player can walk into an apocalyptically bombed-out city or elaborately
squeeze the trigger. detailed market street with the sounds of people talking and mosques calling
people to prayer.
Your team converges on the building in one fell swoop, bullying the “Having [the games] tied to actual missions in the real-world enhances
door. A quiet beep echoes in your headset, “Mission Accomplished.” You and the feel and desire to play,” said Peters. “There is an appeal to feel like an
buddies high-five each other and put your controllers down to watch the next operator on the day or night mission, but at the same time, you want to be
scene. able to test your own mettle.”
This scene, played out by military personnel from all the services with Infinity Ward, the design team from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare,
games such as such as SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs: Confrontation; Rainbow went a step further to achieve the realism it desired by visiting Logistic
Six; and the Call of Duty series, has definitely become part of Naval Special Support Unit One’s armory in October. They took photographs and notes
Warfare Sailors’ culture. Playing first-person shooters allows them to fully of the more than 35 different weapon systems used by the operators for the
immerse into a mission. They perform as a team to achieve an objective, designers’ upcoming game Modern Warfare Two.
reinforcing the skill sets needed in Naval Special Warfare. “When we designed these weapons … from pictures we found on the
“There are some fundamental aspects that apply to both game and web, we got a certain look,” said Mark Rubin, producer at Infinity Ward. “But
real-world,” said Chief Gunner’s Mate (EXW/SW) Nicholas Peters, Logistics when we visited the Marines and Special Warfare and took photos of the
Support Unit One’s Weapons Leading Chief Petty Officer. “Shoot. Move. actual weapons, we had to … redo all the textures because we realized we
Communicate. If you fail to do all these, then you will get killed.” weren’t making an authentic representation of the weapon systems. It was
The graphics aid in the enjoyment of the games, but more importantly, a huge help for us to be able to do that so that people in the service could
said Peters, is the accuracy and plausibility. have something [in the game] to actually recognize.”
“Folks [who play these games] want [and expect] an emphasis on The design team also spent time with other weapons systems and on
realism. Others are fantasy-based, [e.g. Microsoft’s Halo]. According to ranges, firing off weapons, recording their sounds then recreating them in
Peters, SOCOM is the first game that accurately depicts Arabic script and their studios. This sounds like all play and no work, but according to Infinity
voices intelligibly. “It adds to that overall fun factor for me, since I can read Ward, the realism and details aren’t easy to recreate. One tank in Modern
and write Arabic.” Warfare took more than two months of almost nonstop work to create.
These game scenarios and characters aren’t just fiction. The “Infinity Ward works on one product at a time,” said Rubin. “Everything
developers have gone to great lengths to create realistic scenarios. In takes a really long time. And, unfortunately, as we advance in technology, it
some instances, they’ve met with operators, learned about the kinds of takes even longer.”
missions SOF personnel undertake and incorporated personalities, They spent more than two years from start to finish on Call of Duty
places, and environmental details into the games. Four: Modern Warfare, but its hard work paid off for them in the form of
According to SOCOM designers, to recreate the compliments and respect from their military fans.
characters more realistically they hired professional “We are actually huge fans of the military and we enjoy and respect
actors to move like Navy SEALs, recapturing what the military does. Earning the respect of the people who actually do
the movements then sending it to artists this for a living and making an authentic experience that they enjoy is a
to add finer details. Additionally, huge win for us. It’s one thing to get a teenage kid to enjoy the game, but
software engineers are pushing their … getting someone who does the stuff in the game for real to enjoy it … is
respective platforms to squeeze as really gratifying.”
much raw processing power out to - MCC Jeremy Wood & MC2 Dominique Lasco
generate some of the most detailed
 THE NSW RANGE PROGRAM
A VISION TO ENABLE COMBAT READINESS

-OR-
HOW SEALS
take out targets
from so far away

16 ETHOS
 April 11, the United States was three days into
a standoff with four Somalian pirates off the coast
of Kenya. They were unable to overtake the motor
vessel Maersk Alabama - the 21-man crew didn’t
allow that - but the pirates took the ship’s captain,
Richard Phillips, hostage on a small life boat.
The U.S. crew then tried negotiating a trade for
a captured member of the pirates’ crew but to no
avail.
Then there were the three shots heard round
the world. They brought NSW screaming into the
limelight, but for the three men who took those
shots, it was a pretty regular day.
Under the cover of darkness.
On a moving ship. Out at sea.
Aiming at a moving target - make those three moving targets -
on a boat, with a hostage. The Contemporary Operating Environment (COE) can
No room for error. change rapidly in days, if not hours. TRADETs constantly
Waiting for the perfect moment. review live fire training scenarios to provide dynamic live fire
You know, your typical day at the office-type scenario. for both individual and collective training requirements based
Calls from NBC, CBS, ABC came pouring in to WARCOM. on Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), but without a
Letters to the Editors of papers around the country praised the range, those scenarios are not worth the paper on which they’re
SEALs’ bravery, skill and professionalism. Everyone wanted to written.
know. “How are these men so adept, so exacting in their shots?”
They were told of the Navy’s intense, second-to none training
regimen for its most elite warriors. The months of dedication, the
preparation, how the Training Detachment works tirelessly creating
scenarios to prepare these men for anything that may come their
way. How advanced schools like sniper training make world-class Historically, each of the Naval Special Warfare Groups has
marksmen and observers in just 12 grueling weeks. been responsible for training conducted on the more than 89
But there’s a group of unsung heroes missing from all these ranges throughout the US.
amazing training stories. “NSW is training at a faster rate than ever before, on a
He can’t speak up or say his name. He goes largely unnoticed – myriad of ranges,” said SEAL Capt. Rick May, force range
only until he’s not there anymore. officer. “We have sniper ranges, close-quarters combat, fire
And he and his buddies are in danger of going away every day. and maneuver ranges, shoot houses, as well as underwater,
He is the range these men train on. riverine and ground mobility ranges. We are training teams on
There is simply no substitute for live training in preparation for both coasts simultaneously and are having to compete for safe,
combat. Ranges that are adaptable, flexible, and provide a venue to quality ranges with not only our sister services, but with other
employ assigned weapons and equipment are necessary for combat government agencies.”
readiness. While there have been environmental restrictions and urban

ETHOS 17
 MC3 Bo Flannigan
encroachment issues for decades, eight years of
high operational tempo, wartime deployments
and evolving training requirements based on
combat experiences have definitely changed the
landscape.
The ranges issues needed to be solved, but
up until that point, there was no one group of
people dedicated to range MILCON planning
and successfully securing POM funding enough
to solve some of the community-wide range
issues. It became increasingly obvious that
without a dedicated range manager, staff and
range master plan, we would run the risk of not
being able to sustain and modernize our ranges,
but we could also run the risk of losing ranges
we currently use.
“There comes a point when you can’t just
‘make it work’ and ‘ORM’ it anymore,” May
said.
That point came in 2007 – NSW established
a Range Management Program Office at the
HQ, bringing responsibility for training ranges
and resolution of long term issues under the
Operations Department N3/5.
NSW now has an official Range Program,
with a vision to enable realistic, live-fire training
beginning with the effective execution of three

PH2 Eric Logsdon

things:
1. Range modernization,
2. Range operations, and
3. Range safety
Capt. May was brought on to the staff as the Assistant Chief of
Staff (ACOS) for the Range Program. His job is to develop policy, For NAVSPECWARCOM, the community of practice began
assist in outlining procedures, and to specifically focus on the to take on great importance as the Fiscal Year 2010-2015
resourcing of ranges to provide realistic live fire training toward budget allocated by USSOCOM authorized $70 million dollars
combat readiness. And, although he is a SEAL, he is still only is of MILCON for new range projects and $61 million dollars in
one man. According to May, in order to accomplish the vision of O&M to maintain current range infrastructure. But the answer to
his position, a team effort across the claimancy is and will continue how to use that money changes significantly depending on whom
to be required. you ask.
So voicemail suggestions anyone? “There are so many people with a piece of the ‘range pie,’ and
their own idea of what is most important,” said May. “There are
the engineers, TRADETS, the environmental and safety officers,
budget officers, the range department, all who have their own
ideas of how to make the best of what we have. We have to find
ways to work together and find common ground.”
Range modernization is the effective funding, planning, design, Although this coordination is invisible to many, building a
construction, and instrumentation of live fire training ranges. range capability for SEALs/SWCCs to achieve combat readiness
Range projects built with Military Construction (MILCON) and lies with the synergy between everyone involved to define the
the upgrade of existing ranges using Operating and Maintenance requirements, capabilities, and battle-space of SEAL Training
(O&M) funding require a total team effort among the key players. Ranges for the NSW community. It is vital for the prosecution of
To that end, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) an effective program.
has now also established a range team under the J7 Training Venues for communicating were put in place to foster
Directorate. that synergy. The first being the NAVSPECWARCOM Range
So what does that mean for us? Program Management Review held semi-annually. The second

18 ETHOS
 (Counter clockwise from Top Left)
A SEAL SQT candidate scans the
perimeter as part of cold weather
training in Kodiak, Alaska; Mem-
bers of a SEAL Team use simula-
tion rounds for training in Close
Quarter Combat (CQC), preparing
for real world missions; SEAL SQT
candidates practice land naviga-
tion as part of cold weather train-
ing in Kodiak, Alaska.
is the annual Range Workshop.
“The workshop is held to provide
education and training for the
community in all facets (training,
construction, instrumentation,
environmental, safety) of execution,”
explained May.
The program also includes the range
project planning process, entailing the
Planning Charrette, Design Reviews
and range inspection for issuance of a
Record of Compliance.
Cultural differences, inherent in any
complex endeavor of this size (terms,
definitions, acronyms), are overcome
by two simple principles. The first
principle is of ownership: this is our
program and we will make a concerted
effort to make it successful. The second
principle is impact: that what we do on
a day-to-day basis in the planning and
execution of the Range Program has
far reaching implications for insuring
SEALs/SWCCs have the realistic
training ranges to effectively train to
fight and win on the battlefield.
So, back to that money.
“We can’t ‘rest on our laurels’
following the initial successes of the
FY2010-1015 Budget,” May said.
“Several key questions relating to the path we will pursue in
future budget proposals still remain unanswered.”
Questions like:

There are
Do we see Stennis as just a venue for SWCC type training or
a potential Combat Training Center that could serve not only
NSWG-4, but NSWG-1/2/3 as well? Where do we wish to
concentrate resources for Tactical Mobility Training; Niland or
the engineers, Fallon? Are we pursuing a viable “home station” training strategy
or are we still pursuing a piecemeal type of live-fire training
TRADETS, the because we have been guilty of a “stove-piped” training approach
which scatters resources? Do we possess the willingness to
environmentalists, “think out of the box” and establish processes and/or venues
which link the training community with the engineers, budget,
budget officers, environmental and safety staffs to lay out our requirements and
acquire the resources we need? Do we have a common vision for
the range department, live-fire training; if not, why not?
all who have their own ideas Most importantly, do we have the right number, type and
of how to make the best locations for live fire ranges that adequately support the capacity
of what we have. of our future force?
To strive for a vision of supporting combat readiness, we need
We have had to find ways
to work together and to be willing to ask these hard questions, even if we disagree on
find common ground. the answers. And even if we have all the answers, new ranges – or

ETHOS 19
 Program was initiated in 2007, but what May is trying to do is to
improve on what’s already there, making sure every single person
is properly trained and retrained on practices and procedures.
“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel or make every group
train exactly the same,” May stressed. “But on that same note, we
do need oversight in order to avoid duplicating efforts and improve
readiness. The programs we have instituted for range safety and
operations follow closely to what the Army has.”
Maintenance and sustainment become critical to supporting
readiness as pre-deployment and BUD/S training have specific
time allocated to achieve readiness. Projecting or predicting the
type of maintenance necessary is as much an art as a science, but
procedures have been established to review O&M funding during
the semi-annual Program Management Review (PMR) to ensure
proper allocation of resources for these necessary repairs.

even keeping the ones we have - don’t simply appear overnight.

“It takes roughly nine years to build a range, and three just to complete
the EIS (Environmental Impact Study),” explained May. “Laying the SEAL/SWCC live fire training is not without risk.
groundwork now is vital to saving the program.” NAVSPECWARCOM Instruction 3500.2A was implemented to
incorporate a robust Operational Risk Management process for
mitigation of that risk. Although it has been said that “Rules were
made for intelligent people to use as guidelines,” there can be no
equivocation with range safety.
Range Operations enable the manpower resources, infrastructure The first step in moving toward successful range safety is
maintenance and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to be in place for to define success. Accordingly, COMNAVSPECWARCOM
the purpose of running live-fire training on a day-to-day basis. Of special Instruction 3591.1B was written to define Range Safety Procedures
importance are the SOPs put in place by each Naval Special Warfare and requirements for the Range Officer in Charge (ROIC) and
Group. These SOPs define the roles, responsibilities, and procedures Range Safety Officer (RSO). NAVSPECWARCOM Center,
by which live fire training is conducted as ranges vary by type (indoor/ Groups and Training Detachments collectively run periodic
outdoor), topography (desert/vegetative), and scenarios to be taught instructional venues to insure compliance at the operational level.
(urban operations/tactical mobility). In other efforts to further enhance education, N31 has coordinated
There was already standing doctrine in place before the official Range to have seats made available for the Inter-Service Range Safety
Certification Course held once each
month. The five day course is taught by
From Left: Special Boat Team qualified Range Safety personnel from the
22 demonstrates waterborne U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army. The
operations of their new curriculum covers the methods to review
Special Operations Craft,
Riverine (SOC-R); SEALs
practice Over The Beach
(OTB) training; SEALs on
patrol during a training
exercise.
PH1 Jim Hampshire

20 ETHOS
surface danger zones, weapon danger zones, and demolition
safety among many other relevant topics. Thus far, nine
NAVSPECWARCOM personnel have graduated. Also,
nine personnel from NAVSPECWARCOM N31 and across
the claimancy participated in the SOCOM Shoot House
Workshop held at Ft. Bragg, N.C. to review existing policies
As with any program of record, challenges exist.
and procedures applicable to Close Quarters Combat (CQC) It is incumbent upon our community to recognize
Training Ranges. Results of this and other range safety efforts those challenges and work toward solutions.
will be topics of discussion at the NAVSPECWARCOM
Range Program Management Review. Here is where we need your help:
Ultimately, safety lies in every range users hands, May
reminds.
“Anybody who is on an evolution on a range can stop it
just by saying so,” states May. “We all know that we must
accept some risk when using a live-fire range, but that does Support the NAVSPECWARCOM Range Program Workshop
not take away from the fact that we must do everything we
(by active participation) to be held at the Indianapolis
can to mitigate this risk.”
In the past year, there has been a renewed focus placed on Convention Center, Indianapolis, Ind.; 6-10 July 2009.
range safety and ensuring that all range safety officers, and
range officers-in-charge get frequent refresher courses in
order to keep as current as they can. NSW has also partnered
with the Army and Marine Corps and received nine quotas
last year to send SEALs to an advanced Range Safety As required, enroll personnel into the Inter-Service Range
Course. Safety Certification Course; N31 has disseminated the
“That course will help improve our corporate knowledge schedule/locations.
and enhance readiness in the teams through more advanced
training,” May explained.

Support the primary venue for program coordination

So what will we take away from the Somali pirate incident? twice yearly involving NAVSPECWARCOM Staff (Engineer,
Many will remember that the SEALs are the best warriors – Environmental, Budget, and N3/5), NAVFAC, and NSW Group
and best trained warriors – in the world. Some will sleep Range Staff.
better knowing that they’re out there protecting us.
More will gain a little insight into what we do.
Others will take away that with a team of engineers,
environmentalists, community relations specialists, safety
Definition of minimum essential requirements for the design
officers and inspectors, program managers, $70 million
dollars, a few thousand acres of land and nine years, NSW and fielding of ranges can be improved. Development of a
could have a second-to-none range complex. separate doctrinal document to define these requirements
- Mandy McCammon needs to be discussed at the venues identified previously
in this article.

Does the number, type, and locations of NAVSPECWARCOM

existing and future range projects accommodate current/
projected doctrine, force modernization, force structure, and
weapons’ gunnery strategy? How can we better refine that
process?

Range Operations – SOCOM Manpower Study will involve

a range personnel aspect requiring analysis at Group level
Range Departments. Details will be disseminated by N31.

If you any ANY questions about ranges, Capt. May has

PH2 Eric Logsdon

made his phone and e-mail available. He can be reached

at 437-3230, or at ranges@navsoc.socom.mil.
 Every athlete has a story.
Some stories are about catching the game winning pass,
or shooting that critical free throw in the championship
game. Other stories are more unique and personal. For
those athletes, it’s not about winning or losing,
it’s about crossing the finish line.
22 ETHOS
 Photo illustration by MC2 Dominique Lasco

Take for instance the To ease the transition from no triathlon training to existence, more than 600 people participated
SUPERFROG and SUPERSEAL triathlon the full Ironman, Martin cut the distances from each in SUPERSEAL in March, bringing the total
races. event in half, then observed how his teammates number of competitors in both evens to more
The SUPERFROG Triathlon is a ½ distance could perform better in the preparatory triathlon. than 900.
Ironman competition open to both military and This experiment worked, and has since gained the Athletes can compete in either race
civilian athletes. Since its 1978 inception, it has respect and participation of Olympic runners and individually or as a relay team, and all proceeds
been considered one of the toughest races in triathlon champs around the world. Competitors like from SUPERSEAL go directly to benefit the
the nation, and in recent years, it has gained Olympic gold and silver medalist Larsen Jenson race sponsor, the Naval Special Warfare
international attention. The race consists of a and Ironman winner Chris McDonald now travel to Foundation.
1.2-mile ocean swim with a 200-yard beach San Diego in March just for this triathlon. Though “We wanted to see how (else) SUPERFROG
run; a 13.1-mile soft sand run; and a 56-mile the race has also caught the attention of local was going to benefit somebody,” Martin
bike ride over pavement. This grueling triathlon and national sponsors, organizers now limit the explained. “As a result of Operations Enduring
was developed by former Navy SEALs, one SUPERFROG race to 300 participants per year, so Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, a lot of my SEAL
of whom is Phillip “Moki” Martin, now the that more prize money and gifts can be awarded to friends were going overseas and, of course,
SUPERFROG race director. top race performers. some of them didn’t make it back. About four
“Even though the SEALs and Frogs back A recent addition to the SUPERFROG or five years ago, I thought SUPERFROG
then were very well trained, they weren’t competition is an Olympic triathlon called could contribute proceeds to the Naval Special
trained to do triathlons,” said Martin. “They SUPERSEAL, designed for those who aren’t as Warfare Foundation, one of whose goal is to
were trained to do their jobs.” ambitious as those participating in Superfrog. help the wives and children of SEALs killed in
SUPERFROG was designed to help prepare The Superseal course consists of a 10-kilometer the line of duty. You could say SUPERFROG
SEALs for the Ironman triathlon in Hawaii run; a 1.5-kilometer swim and a 40-kilometer and SUPERSEAL help the Foundation help our
and, according to Martin, encourage the sport bike ride, and is open to more competitors than families get over the finish line when their NSW
of triathlons in a community whose physical SUPERFROG. Unlike SUPERFROG, SUPERSEAL family member can’t.”
training standards were multi-faceted and its has no limit on the number of people who can Dave Schmeck and his family have their own
competitive spirit high. enter the competition. In only its second year of finish line story. They recently participated in
ETHOS 23
 MC2 Dominique Lasco

MC2 Dominique Lasco

Athletes race to the water to begin the swim portion of the
31st Annual SUPERFROG Triathlon at Silver Strand State Beach; A competitor races
along the Silver Strand highway during the bike portion of the race.

the SUPERSEAL race, their first triathlon as a family. As soon as his brother- According to Dave Scmeck, he also didn’t really understand the impact he
in-law tagged him from his bike, signaling him to begin the 10-kilometer run had on the people he was supporting when he first began competing.
portion of the triathlon, Schmeck’s mind and body took over. His heart beat “Within the first three to five months after (Basic Underwater Demolition/
with excitement, anxiousness and anticipation as he felt the urge to fight SEAL) training, I was at a team and they were asking me to help support a
pump through his veins. These feelings come natural to him, he explained, guy,” Dave explained. “I had no idea what it (SUPERFROG) was, but as a
when he knows that he’s helping a brother in arms. These are the same new guy in the SEAL teams I felt pretty obligated to help out. So I was a part
feelings he experienced during his 20 years of service as a Navy SEAL. of a support team, and that was my introduction to it.”
Those feelings are some of the reasons why he, his 16-year-old daughter One must understand that only certain kinds of people participate in the
Selina and his brother-in-law Daryl Lasky competed in the SUPERSEAL races. In order to complete the race, you have to meet the following criteria:
triathlon. These feelings are a strong part of the Schmeck family’s story, and you must be driven and you have to be as stubborn as a mule.
other people’s too. “We’ve literally had to drag people off the course when the course was
Although helping others gives competitors like the Schmecks a great supposed to be closed,” said Eric Rehberg, assistant race coordinator
sense of accomplishment, many racers enter SUPERFROG or SUPERSEAL and a former competitor. “For some, it’s not about the time. It’s about
just for fun. In fact, there are some people who participate in the triathlons accomplishing something.”
not realizing who they are helping or what the organization is. The Schmeck family completely agrees. Each one of them said that it was
“Well, helping families of fallen warriors can only be a good thing. Initially, the competition and the fun they were having that kept them motivated to
I didn’t even know I was doing that,” said Selina, who competed in the finish their event in the triathlon.
swimming portion on her family’s relay team effort. “You know, you want to win, now,” explained Lasky lightheartedly. “Dave’s
Selina says that her competitive spirit had her coming back to do her a SEAL and you know, I have to do well. Otherwise I’m going to be looked
second Superseal race. down on.”
MC2 Dominique Lasco

24 ETHOS
 MC2 Dominique Lasco
Overall winner Chris McDonald approaches the end line; then

MC2 Dominique Lasco

puts up his hands in victory as he crosses the finish line.

Training for SUPERFROG and SUPERSEAL can be tough, especially “It’s kind of nice to have a bench mark,” Dave said. “You can work out
while you’re on a relay team. Lasky, a San Diego truck driver and a everyday and keep yourself in shape, but that gets old. At least in my mind,
volunteer driver for wounded warriors, is new to triathlons and often finds it’s mundane.”
that he has a limited amount of time to train. But he still manages to find time Even so, all of their training led them up to March 29, when it counted
to hit up a spinning class and lift some weights at least three times a week. the most. Selina and Lasky shouted at the top of their lungs, encouraging
Selina is a member of her high school swim team and does most of her Dave to run faster and fight until the end, while they jumped up and down
practicing with her coach and other team members. Dave, however, gets in and cheered him on. Dave ran harder toward the finish line, while beads
most of his practice time with his co-worker Jack Nash, who is a retired Navy of sweat poured down his face and arms. At which point, Dave said his
SEAL and who also participated in SUPERSEAL as part of a relay team. mind and body took over. He found himself being once again filled with
When it comes to how the Schmeck team practices, everyone has their excitement, anticipation and anxiousness. He was anxious about not letting
own methods, but for the most part, everyone just stays focused. There his family and his fellow NSW commandos down. And he was anxious that
are no mp3 players and no other electronic items with them while they are this finish line story wouldn’t be as grand as the last one.
practicing (with the exception of an occasional heart rate monitor or a stop - MC2 Shauntae Hinkle-Lymas
watch). It’s just themselves and their thoughts.
“I’m just out there learning,” Lasky said. “Trying to get myself timed. So,
I’m just thinking about what I’m doing more than anything else.”
Dave agreed that staying focused is important, but it’s not the most
important element during athletic training.

ETHOS 25
 The days of tactical leaders being glued to their front sight are
over. Today’s leaders must be taught how to create strategy,
employ combined forces and solve complex problems.

ow has NSW traditionally must be done in any profession and NSW is

passed on knowledge, skills no exception — our talented and perceptive
and institutional values to its lieutenants expect it.
officers after they graduate The community responded by developing
from BUD/S? the SEAL Officer Education Continuum in
If you answered On- 2008, followed closely by a SEAL and SWCC
the-Job Training (OJT), Enlisted Education Continuum.
you agree with 88 percent So how did NSW create the officer
of SEAL officers responding to a 2007 education continuum? The basis for it
survey on SEAL education and professional started with the work of two SEAL officers
development. who wrote The Missing Link: PME in the
Does this mean NSW was missing the SEAL Officer Corps (Cmdr. Matt Stevens)
boat on Professional Military Education and Structuring NSW Junior Officer PME
(PME)? In comparison to our service (Lt. Cmdr. Tom Donovan). Historically, all
counterparts, SEAL officers received little services have developed PME to support
formal PME between Junior Officer Training leadership decision-making processes on
Corps (JOTC) and attending a war college, three different levels – tactical (03s and
while the other military officers spent more below), operational (04s-05s) and strategic
than two years in professional development (06s and above). Both men agree that
courses to address training requirements at today’s operational environment mandates
the basic, intermediate, advance and senior that educated company (01s-03s) and
levels. field grade officers (04s and above) think
The salty frogman might respond, “We strategically, implement operationally and
don’t have time” or “Hard knocks and OJT execute flawlessly at the tactical level, all
work just fine.” This view isn’t shared by before that first cup of coffee! In other
many of today’s SEAL officers engaged in the words, these capabilities must be second
Global War on Terrorism. Six of the last seven nature early on. The days of tactical leaders
squadron commanders being glued to the front sight are over. The

01.....
noted a lack of PME continuum has to be relevant and has to teach
during their debriefings, our battlefield leaders those skills inherent in
alluding to the idea that SOCOM’s core leadership competencies —
we must “both shoot how to develop partnerships, create strategy,

06
and behave” our way employ combined forces and solve complex
to victory. They asked problems.
NSW to create a tiered Beyond meeting the professional
education program to development needs of our force, NSW’s effort
better prepare and build to create a four-tiered program will also serve
its future leaders. This to meet the intent of the Goldwater-Nichols
 NSW decided to bring some of
the nation’s top subject matter
experts to lead course seminars.
Below is a little more info on
some of them.

Research Interests
Political violence; Islamic
fundamentalism;
Political economy;
Middle East

Biography
Glenn E. Robinson is an Associate
Act of 1986 and its objective to improve joint universities in Jerusalem and Denmark. One Professor in the Department of Defense
officer management within the Department active duty SEAL, Cmdr. Jeff Eggers, was Analysis at the Naval Postgraduate
of Defense. As we know, the Army, Marines chosen to lead a seminar based on his selection School. Dr. Robinson has written widely
and Air Force already have a four-tiered by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to on the Middle East. He has published
education system. Unfortunately, according be a member of his strategic planning group three books to date. His articles have
to Donovan, NSW had no such program to on the GWOT. appeared in numerous journals, including
ensure a SEAL officer is systematically and The second step in filling the formal the International Journal of Middle East
professionally prepared. education gap was for NSW to create the Studies, The Middle East Journal, Middle
“Creating a systematic and structured advanced block at the O-4 level. For this East Policy, Journal of Palestine Studies,
officer PME system is one of the most block, NSW chose the six-week Joint Special Current History, The Washington Quarterly,
important initiatives NSW leadership can Operations Warfare certification program and Survival. In addition to his scholarly
undertake,” Stevens said. developed by the Joint Special Operations endeavors, Dr. Robinson has worked
The first step in filling the gaps in our University. This course consists of three, two- extensively with the U.S. Agency for
PME officer continuum was to develop an week blocks of instruction: International Development, helping
both to design and to implement
intermediate level course, now known at the
development projects in the Middle
SEAL Lieutenant Career Course (SLCC).
East.
While we reviewed the intermediate courses
of our sister services which average 13 weeks
long, we realized that our operational tempo,
intense work-up cycle and shortage of SEAL
lieutenants precluded us from dedicating In the unconventional or indirect
lengthy courses to formal PME. Feedback approach of working “by, with,
from participants who attended the first four- and through” indigenous
forces has remained
week SLCC course also validated our thought
consistent throughout OEF-P.17
process. Additional feedback suggested four
Led by Brigadier General Donald
weeks was not enough, but five would be Is NSW now on target? While we believe
Wurster and colonel David Fridovich,
optimal. the short and focused courses at the O-3 OEF-P planners created their guiding
One change we made in the SLCC and O-4 level, combined with “old-school strategy using principles that can be found in
curriculum that helped us reduce the course OJT” such as frequent deployments on the Gordon McCormick’s strategic COIN model,
length was to bring in renowned subject cutting edge of the GWOT and aggressive called the Diamond Model. This model can
matter experts from throughout the United leadership cultivated in the teams, will more help planners develop an effective holistic
States to lead seminars vice having O-3/4 than adequately prepare NSW officers for approach to cut off organizations like
podium instructors. For example, Dr. Gordon more senior leadership positions throughout Abu Sayyaf
McCormick presents a seminar on his “Mystic Department of Defense, we will not be and Jemaah
Diamond” model, a useful tool for SLCC content to rest on our laurels. The NSW Islamiyya from
graduates to rapidly analyze and counter Center PME Department will actively solicit their bases
insurgent activities. Dr. Glenn Robinson feedback from leadership as well as the front- of popular
from the Naval Postgraduate School leads line lieutenants to rapidly modify course support and
a seminar on Jihad Information Operations. content, focus and length to meet the needs to isolate,
He has written or co-authored five books on of the force. capture, or kill
the Middle East, and contributed to more than - Brad Voigt and Lt. Cmdr. Joseph Butner their members
Voigt is the officer for professional development and and leaders.
25 major journals such as Foreign Affairs,
Butner is the director, professional military education, for
Middle East Policy, and International Journal The Center for SEAL and SWCC.
of Middle East Studies. He has also lectured
extensively from Berkeley and Harvard to
 But that is physical courage; moral courage
is somewhat different. If the virtue of physical
courage is facing and overcoming fear of injury
or death in a manner that is reasonable and not
foolhardy, then the virtue of ‘moral’ courage is
facing and overcoming fear of disapproval from
peers, society or authorities to express an opinion
or take a stand for a “higher value.” As in the
case of physical courage, discretion and good
judgment are required to distinguish virtuous
moral courage from excessive righteousness
or moral cowardice. It takes good judgment
to determine how, when and for what values
we should be willing to risk our social and
professional status.
Why does moral courage seem to be less
common than physical courage? Because it
demands that we be willing to put at risk the
social and professional status we have worked
hard throughout our lives to achieve. Physical
courage is heroic, and rewarded with laurels
and social approval. Moral courage is seldom
rewarded by our peers and institutions. The
By Bob Schoultz moral courage required to express a dissenting
opinion may be respected, but it is seldom
COURAGE is one of the four cardinal virtues (wisdom, courage, welcome, and the whistle blower usually becomes
temperance and justice) that philosophers for millennia have seen as a pariah. Keeping one’s mouth shut, grumbling
fundamental to good character and the “good life.” Aristotle defined the and complaining with the crowd, and merely
virtue of courage as the mean, or appropriate action between its deficiency, going along to get along is safe and the norm.
cowardice and its excess, foolhardiness. For Aristotle, virtuous courage requires that we Most people are truly uncertain and conflicted
exercise good judgment to overcome fear in order to do what needs to be done, in the right about whether and for what they might be willing
manner, in the right way, in the right context. To understand this concept of virtuous courage, to put their social and professional status at risk.
I’ll give you an example: If on a dare, you were to jump out of an airplane without a reserve, Being willing to stand up and tell ‘truth to power,’
or free fall to 1200 feet before activating your main canopy, these actions would not represent as effectively and even respectfully as good
the virtue of courage. They would be foolish and foolhardy. If, however such actions were judgment requires, is the shorthand for virtuous
required in a situation with no better or more reasonable alternative to complete an important moral courage in an institutional setting.
mission, it would be cowardice for a trained jumper to refuse to take such actions. Virtuous Both physical and moral courage involve
courage is context dependent and requires experience and good judgment in its application. overcoming fear to take appropriate action.
In the SOF community, there is a very high expectation of physical courage. Those who While we clearly need physical courage in the
make it through our demanding basic training pipeline are subjected to continual training to SOF community, we also need to cultivate moral
develop the habit of physical courage, and to ingrain in them the good judgment required courage. Not only must we ourselves habituate
to a ensure a consistently virtuous response to danger, and to guard against cowardice or the impulse to make the difficult moral choice,
foolhardiness. By and large, our officers and non-commissioned officers have the experience we must also learn to recognize that impulse
and judgment to distinguish between courage and foolhardiness and between cowardice and in others and make special room for those
prudent good judgment In my 30 years in the teams, I seldom saw what could be referred individuals among us with values for which they
to as cowardice, occasionally saw foolhardiness (almost always in young SEALs still trying are willing to take a stand against the prevailing
to prove themselves), and became accustomed to a very high standard of physical courage, orthodoxy. Having a “moral backbone” requires
tempered by experience and good judgment. that we have beliefs and values that go beyond
keeping our careers on track or maintaining
solidarity with our friends and peers. Moral
courage as a virtue requires that we be willing
to assume risk to stand up for these beliefs and
values, with good judgment, when and where it
matters.

Bob Schoultz retired from the Navy in 2005

after 30 years in Naval Special Warfare.

28 ETHOS
END
SHEET

A Special Warfare Combatant-

craft Crewman assigned to
Special Boat Team 20 pulls his
rip cord to deploy his parachute
during a freefall jump from an
Air Force C-130 above Key
West, Fla., March 3.

ETHOS 29