What is hell week in U.S. Navy SEAL training?
The Hell Week test is part of the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) class
which involves basic underwater demolition
survival and other combat tactics
It is known as one of the most arduous trials in the military
testing the physical and mental strength of SEAL candidates
Three weeks into the first phase of training, “Hell Week”
is an exhaustive test of someone’s commitment to becoming a Navy SEAL
According to Navy SEALs website
the Hell Week is held early on – in the 3rd week of First Phase
before the Navy makes an expensive investment in SEAL operational training
Hell Week consists of 5 1/2 days of cold
wet, brutally difficult operational training on fewer than four hours of sleep
Hell Week tests physical endurance
mental toughness, pain and cold tolerance, teamwork, attitude,
and ability to perform work under high physical and mental stress
and sleep deprivation
Above all, it tests determination and desire
On average, only 25% of SEAL candidates make it through Hell Week
the toughest training in the U.S. Military
It is often the greatest achievement of their lives
and with it comes the realization
that they can do 20X more than they ever thought possible
It is a defining moment that they reach back to when in combat
They know that they will never, ever quit, or let a teammate down
Trainees are constantly in motion
running, swimming, paddling, carrying boats on their heads
doing log PT, sit-ups, push-ups, rolling in the sand, slogging through mud
paddling boats and doing surf passage
Being still can be just as challenging
when they are standing interminably in formation
soaking wet on the beach, or up to their waist in the water
with the cold ocean wind cutting through them
Mud covers uniforms, hands, faces – everything but the eyes
The sand chafes raw skin and the salt water makes cuts burn
Students perform evolutions that require them to think
lead, make sound decisions
and functionally operate when they are extremely sleep-deprived
approaching hypothermia, and even hallucinating
While trainees get plenty to eat
some are so fatigued that they fall asleep in their food
Others fall asleep while paddling boats
and have to be pulled out of the water by teammates
Teamwork and camaraderie are essential as trainees alternately
help and encourage each other, to hang in there and not quit
Safety is always adhered to
Medical personnel are on hand during all evolutions
to take care of emergencies and monitor the exhausted trainees
Throughout Hell Week, Instructors with bull-horns entice trainees to quit
mimicking the inner voice that tells them to give in to their physical pain
The Instructors make it easy, even honorable
for students to come out of the cold
simply ring the bell that signals defeat
and enjoy doughnuts and coffee in front of their suffering former classmates
Over the years, research has been done to determine
a common trait in those individuals who make it through Hell Week
without definitive answer
They are not necessarily the largest or strongest men
nor the fastest swimmers
but those with burning desire to be SEALs
BUD/S Instructors have observed
only one true predictor of which candidates will ultimately succeed
it’s those who want it the most
we can see it in their EYES!
The majority of the students who make it through Hell Week
go on to graduate BUD/S and become SEALs
Having survived that severe trial, they feel literally unstoppable
that they can do anything
They have earned a place as one of the elite Navy SEALs the United States
sends to do the “impossible” during times of war