Frogman Perspective
My Journey of Becoming a Navy SEAL
The Beginning
Over the past 12 years I have been serving in the United States Navy and 11 of those years I was serving as a United States Navy SEAL. I want to give you a quick history of who I am and what I did in the Teams to bring relevancy to this no bullshit guide to prepare you for the rigors of not only preparing for BUD/s but for when you actually arrive there.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I began to really think about what I wanted out of life. I knew I wanted to join the military and the Navy was the only branch I wanted to be a part of. At first, I was battling as to what I wanted to do in the Navy, I entertained the idea of possibly going to the Naval Academy and then move onto becoming a fighter pilot. That idea soon faded, I just didn’t have the grades or the passion to go for that specific career in the Navy. What ate away at me was I knew I wanted to be apart of something special, something that would set me apart from the rest and challenge me in ways I couldn’t even imagine. My father at the time was all about the Naval Academy idea but once that faded, he was determined to not let me just settle for anything, he wanted me to be elite, not just average.
One day my father brought home a pamphlet on Navy SEALs. As soon as he handed it to me, I was blown away. Up until this point I have heard of them but that was as far as it went for me. When I started to read that pamphlet I was hooked, I knew that this job and career was for me. The SEAL mission set, the team camaraderie, the mindset, and the motivation to accomplish the impossible, these are the things that were inline of what I wanted in life. My life was changed from that day on. I began to conduct a lot of research about the SEALs, I bought books, documentaries, BUD/s Class 234 videos. I educated myself on what exactly SEALs did and what the job would be like. Once I set the goal to become a SEAL, BUD/s was just something I needed to go through to do the job, it wasn’t the end all be all for me.
I began my training and preparation for BUD/s my sophomore year of high school. I completely revolved my life around my training. My life consisted of school, sports, and training for BUD/s. My family was a huge supporter of me pursuing my goals to become a SEAL. My father even went as far as paying for a membership at 24-hour fitness that had a pool I could use 24/7 and paid for my scuba certifications because he knew I needed to be proficient in the water. My training consisted of 6 days a week with one rest day, typically on Sunday. I would run Monday through Friday. Starting the week off with a short distance such as 3 miles and finishing the week with a long 6-mile run. I would then swim 4 days a week. Two of those day would be swimming for time typically between 30-60 minutes straight focusing only on sidestroke. The other three days I would do hypoxic pyramid sprint work focusing on freestyle stroke. This drastically increased my cardiovascular and lung capacity. In addition to running and swimming I conducted calisthenics training 6 days a week. Exercises I focused on were push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, dips, flutter kicks, leg levers, v-ups, and arm haulers. This is by no means an all-inclusive list, but I just wanted to give you an idea of the exercises I did. Once a week I would add in a ruck run and an open water ocean swim with fins and a mask. Also, If you’re training for BUD/s buy your self a pair of Bates Lite boots and pants and get used to running in that and running in soft sand.
The Decision to Enlist
I enlisted into the Navy the summer of my senior year into a program called DEP. This allowed me to pick a date immediately following graduation that I could leave for boot camp. For my rate I chose Hospital Corpsman (HM). In 2006 you had to choose a SEAL source rating in case you ended up quitting or getting dropped from training you had a skill to fall back on, now a days it’s different and you enter the Navy under a SEAL contract if you qualify and you get put in a undesignated rate status. This should be motivation for you not to ever QUIT, because if you do, you are now at the mercy and “needs of the Navy” trust me she will do what she pleases with you. July 2006 I’m off to boot camp, then onto Corpsman school which was located across the street from boot camp. Corpsman school ended up being 11 weeks long, self-paced program. I enjoyed medicine so I found this training easy and It paid off later in my career. While I was attending Corpsman training, I got involved with the dive motivator program. This program changed me physically and mentally. Before boot camp I was training hard, while attending boot camp I lost a lot, due to the nature of the schedule, in today’s Navy things are different. You will be assigned to an all Special Warfare division that is comprised of candidates that have Special Warfare contracts. Post boot camp you will then attend an 8-week SEAL preparation training before you head off to BUD/s
In the dive motivator program, I trained alongside other guys who were going into Special Warfare programs after they finished Corps. school, or some were just waiting on their orders to pop so they could leave. Everyday was a grind and a competition. We always pushed each other everyday no matter what. Everyday we had to train before class even started, so we would be up at 4 a.m running, swimming, and doing PT. After classes we hit it again, this type of training really set me up for success not only physically but most importantly mentally. July of 2007, I arrived at BUD/s and I checked into the quarter deck, wearing my dress whites and to be honest I was scared shitless. I was 18 years old when I arrived to BUD/s, I didn’t have any life experience or knew really what I was getting myself into but I was determined more than ever, and the moment I walked onto that quarterdeck that fire got even stronger.
Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL Training
I classed up with BUD/s class 266 summer of 2007 and I had no idea what was to come. BUD/s didn’t come easy for me, I did well in majority of the evolution’s, but my weakness was running. Looking back on my training prior to BUD/s I wish I spent more time running. I ended up getting rolled to BUD/s class 267 post pool competency do to failing 4-mile timed runs. I ended up classing up with class 267 healthier than ever. Hell-week really messed my body up in class 266 it took me a long time to recover. But once I was in class 267 my body was right and the rest of 2nd phase went well. I had experience with diving prior to joining the navy, I got certified as a rescue diver in high school. I truly believe this really gave me the confidence I needed to be comfortable and success throughout 2nd phase. 3rd phase was where the fun started in BUD/s. It was the time you began learning to shoot small arms, small unit tactics, and demolition. This was the introduction to the job of being a Navy SEAL and I loved it. I graduated BUD/s February 15, 2008 at the age of 19 years old. It was a surreal moment and feeling for me, all the hard work and dedication finally came to fruition for me. Immediately following BUD/s I was off to SEAL Qualification Training (SQT). Over the course of the next four months is where SQT instructors really taught us how to be United States Navy SEAL. We honed our skills in all aspects from skydiving, marksmanship, combat diving, land warfare, and maritime operations. SQT is why you busted your ass in BUD/s for previous 6 months.
I graduated SQT and became a SEAL on 22 August 2008. This was the greatest day of my life. This Is why I have been busting my ass over the past 2 years to become to include all of my classmates. It’s hard to describe the feeling in words because it’s unlike anything else and few have experienced it. What I want you to take away from it is, its fucking worth it. Following SQT I was told I would be attending the Special Operations Combat Medical School (SOCM) in Fort Bragg, NC do to my medical background. This was a Joint service school where all special operations unit medics attend. This course was six months long and the most academic intensive training schools I attended throughout my military career and one of the most rewarding. After completing that school, I received orders to SEAL Team Four, where I was assigned to 1 Troop Alpha Platoon. I was a new guy, so my mindset was keep my mouth shut and ears open, remember that if you end up completing training and get assigned to your first SEAL Team. Here is the thing, everyone at the Team has done what you have done and then some, so you are a nobody when you check in, soak it all in.
My First Team
While I served at SEAL Team Four from May 2009 to May 2013 I successfully complete two training workups and two combat deployments to Afghanistan. I was fortunate enough to join the Teams at a good time and had the opportunity to go to combat. I had many great experiences overseas and some sketchy ones. But what I did learn is the importance of your teammate next to you, that is what it’s about, having his back, making sure you are always mentally and physically sharp. These are things that were instilled in me while I was in BUD/s and SQT and it was all coming to life for me on my first deployment overseas. I will tell you one thing, I had harder nights overseas that I ever did in BUD/s. The old saying “it only gets harder” is a real thing. Following my tour with SEAL Team four I received orders to become a Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Instructor at Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command. This was a position I was striving to get prior to getting home from my second deployment to Afghanistan, and when I got the position I was stoked. I checked into BUD/s May 2013 and I was assigned to First Phase, this is exactly where I wanted to be. I wanted to be there at the beginning for the future Frogman. First phase is the selection phase, the most physically and mentally demanding phase of training. Here I was able to identify who really wanted to become a SEAL because a lot of people are just talk, there is a reason why it’s over an 80% drop out rate. Over the course of the two years I was there, one thing that stood out to me was the reasons individuals quit training. I concluded that each person that dropped on request (DOR) didn’t have a clear and solid “why” they wanted to become a SEAL. Often individuals were there for the wrong reasons, the only driving factor was so they could prove to themselves they could even go to BUD/s, complete hell week, or just complete BUD/s training itself. These reasons in of themselves are weak and provide no foundations and true motivation or desire to wanting to become a SEAL and most importantly do the JOB of a Navy SEAL. Identify your “Why” because I truly believe that it needs to be so solid that nothing can prevent you from becoming a Navy SEAL.
March 2015 my time was up as an Instructor and I received orders to SEAL Team Four again, going into the position of Leading Petty Officer of a Platoon. This was one of those rewarding career milestones that SEALs look forward to accomplishing in their careers. I was stationed at SEAL Team Four from March 2015 to March 2017 and in that time, I successfully led a SEAL Platoon through a training cycle and a deployment to Colombia. After returning from Colombia I received orders to Naval Special Warfare Training Detachment Two, where I was the Leading Chief Petty Officer of Special Operations Urban Combat Training Division. In this division I was responsible for 8 other SEAL Instructors and a three-week course of instruction that covered a diverse skill set that included: Close quarters combat, urban warfare, leadership development, and small unit tactics. I served a two-year billet at this command and during the final year of my commitment was when I made the decision to separate from the military. This was probably one of the hardest decisions of my career.
Making the Difficult Decision
I Separated from the Military on 14 April 2019, with the goal to move back home to California and find a way to give back and help others. One thing I learned during my time as a BUD/s Instructor and running a training division is that I had a passion for teaching and mentoring others. After a month from moving back to California, I started Kennedy Defensive Shooting, the mission behind this company is to develop thinking shooters and provide quality firearms training and education to individuals who seek to better themselves personally and professionally. Now I’m developing a mentor program for people who seek further guidance and direction on their pursuit of becoming a SEAL. This mentor program is also tailored for those who just want to join the navy and need help understanding the life or the process of enlisting. Honestly, I didn’t move to California with the intentions of starting a company. The idea and passion hit me in the face one day and I fell in love with it. Where I am in life right now, this falls in line with what my goals are, and that is to give back and pass on the knowledge I learned over the past 12 years as a SEAL.
I challenge you to sit back and reflect on your goals. Really make sure your “why” is clear regardless if you want to become a SEAL or not. This will help guide you on your path to success and give you the motivation you need to accomplish any goal you set for yourself.
I really hoped you enjoyed this. Please give me feedback and let me know what you think. Ask questions and if you want me to go into greater detail on a topic let me know.
Keep crushing.
Teams
- Travis Kennedy