I am not an operator. I know that sometimes I may talk like I am, but that is residual of training with them. My original job in the military was a dangerous one. I had no idea what the job was, but it sounded “cool”. I don’t consider myself a wimp, but when I joined the military, I was married and had a child. I was very aware that I needed to be here for my family. I wanted a different job and as early as I was in my military career it was possible to change. The jobs were limited, and I opted for a less dangerous one. I thought about it for some time because once I found out what my original job entailed, I kinda wanted to do it. I would have been gone a lot for training and deployment. I wanted a big family and my priority was family. God, family, country. But in the process of my original job, I had to qualify physically and mentally for the training that accompanied that job. There was also an extensive background and security clearance that I flew through. Being a good Mormon boy I did not have some of the entanglements that others may have. I was a perfect candidate. Then I changed horses in the middle of the stream. But as I was qualified (over-qualified I was told) for the training the military in its infinite wisdom thought they would train me anyway. Use me as much as possible. Much of the training crossed over into my new, less dangerous, job. But that meant if I didn’t do well in some of the intense training, I would still have a job. So, the pressure was off, and I could actually enjoy some of this crazy training. I volunteered for training as it came up and thoroughly enjoyed what the military offered. Some of the guys I was training with were under some extreme stress to do well. Their jobs as operators depended on doing well and not washing out. I was talking with a friend that I trained with SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape school) and jump school (parachute training) and we talked about the traits that operators must have to be successful SO (special operations) troops. We came up with a list. These are traits you may have, or you could cultivate to become better in the world of defense.
Extreme Competitiveness
Operators hate to lose. At anything. In any circumstance. Ever. For some reason, all of them see almost every event in life as a competition, or something to be defeated. They approach BUD/S (Navy Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training) the same way they approach tackling the Saturday morning garage clean-out, or the friendly jog with a buddy. They might start the training/clean-up/jog thinking they will just coast through it, and do enough to get the job done, but inevitably—pretty much every time—they end at a full sprint, giving it their all, trying to be honor man, and scraping the paint off the walls because they cleaned so hard. They only know one speed: full throttle. If you are going do it, do it better than everyone else. There is no such thing as a friendly race.
Self-criticism
While operators might always seem supremely self-confident, often to the point of arrogance, they are hyper self-critical, and always thinking of ways they could and should be better. That applies to all their endeavors. They always want to be better operators, and ridicule themselves for not being as good with a particular weapon as our buddy, or as fast a swimmer, or as strong a runner. They also, though, often find themselves lacking in normal life, too. They know they could be better fathers, better husbands, better siblings, and just better people. They are never satisfied with their performance, and they are always trying to improve. Unfortunately, this usually admirable quality can also manifest itself as criticism of others, as they often wonder why those around them are not as motivated as they are to improve. Once again, what makes them better operators can oftentimes bite them in the butt in normal society.
Stress resistant
The typical individual who succeeds in BUDS/S, Army Ranger school, or the Q-Course, (Army Special Forces Qualification Course) has a high resistance to stress. In fact, a man who can make it through such a trial has an almost inhuman ability to absorb a stressful situation and carry on through it, while suppressing whatever other emotions might be trying to bubble up during the stressful conditions. This can manifest itself in an often-limited emotional range in everyday social interactions, but in combat conditions, it is ideal. They enter a mental autopilot and shut out emotions that might keep them from continuing.
Self-Reliance
Operators hate asking for help. They believe they should be able to do anything that any other man can do, given time to figure out a task. Change out a toilet? No problem. Rewire the house? Sounds tricky, but he will give it a shot. Run an Iron Man triathlon? Okay, just let him stretch first. Build a thermonuclear device? He’s sure he can find a blueprint for that online. Operators are obstinate to a fault when it comes to independence. They do not always like being told they are not doing something right, unless it is by someone, they know to be an expert. In other words, it is not OK for our wives to tell us we might not be qualified to rewire the house; but if a nuclear scientist has some input on the construction of our nuclear device, then they are willing to entertain their suggestions on a case-by-case basis.
Being Stoic
Finally, Seals learn in SEAL training to “suffer in silence.” It is a trait they try to carry with them throughout their lives. Operators just learn to deal with crap situations, and they revel in them over time, often to the point of finding humor in horrible circumstances. This gallows humor allows them to deal with seemingly insurmountable challenges, or to at least laugh at themselves when confronted with crap odds. It is their way of getting through situations that many would never want to face. They take pride in facing insurmountable odds and try to steel themselves through their stoicism. After all, if they cannot overcome a stressful situation, or handle it as well as their buddy, then he is a better operator than they are, and that is unacceptable, and they need to do a better job…the cycle goes on.
As we were discussing these “traits”, we came across some of our own strengths and weaknesses. As you self-evaluate you will be able to relate to some, or all, of these points. In our discussion we concluded that these powers don’t have to be bad but can be used for good instead of evil. In other words, these traits, it developed right, can be positive. They can make you a better warrior and defender.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
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