When one thinks of the term “Rite of Passage” it’s by and large thought of as old universe traditions affecting some kind of Circumcision or trial of strength. to go a adult male. Upon researching the subject several articles and diaries covering these types of rites was found. After farther research I found that non merely is the military considered its ain civilization but within the armed forces are other civilizations. Particular Operations or Particular Forces civilization is the elect group among the armed forces they are trained to digest the most arduous fortunes. Rites of transition to fall in these groups are vigorous mentally and physically. Navy SEAL’s and Air Force Pararescuemen ( PJ’s ) have the highest fail rate during their rites of transition if successful these work forces will organize a bond closer than household
Navy SEAL’s are internationally known for their BUDs ( Basic Underwater Demolition ) preparation. This preparation lasts 6 months in Coronado. CA at the Naval Special Warfare Training Center ( Divine. 2014 ) . SEAL’s are an elect group of work forces who are pushed to the bounds and beyond recognizing along the manner they can make more than of all time thought possible. In his article “Hell Week” Waller ( 1994 ) emphasizes. “Hell Week is a sacred rite of transition for going a SEAL [ … ] that a adult male driven to the bounds [ … ] during Hell Week [ … ] Those who quit [ … ] are the 1s Navy SEALs believe would discontinue in their real-world missions. Hell Week teaches a ranger to turn off hurting and focal point on his mission. ” ( parity. 5 ) . Every trainee is assigned a “swim buddy” they are instructed and embedded from the beginning to ne’er go forth their swim brother. Leave no adult male buttocks is more than a stating for these esteemed warriors it engrained in everything they do from twenty-four hours 1 of their preparation. Hell hebdomad starts with trainees being woke up by teachers running in firing machine guns with spaces. The unit of ammunitions aren’t existent but the noise and the hot brass that is ejected are rather existent.
From there it merely gets worse the trainees are ridiculed. belittled and encouraged to discontinue. Waller ( 1994 ) explains a procedure known as “Surf torture” the trainees are in a pushup place and so bear crawl to the border of the H2O. At the border of the H2O they are halted and stood up. Locking weaponries they march into the rough cold Pacific Ocean. They are ordered to sit upon this order the trainees ( weaponries still locked ) sit together in the cold H2O. This preparation is to fix the trainees who make it through for existent universe operations. After 15 proceedingss of sitting in cold H2O the category is ordered to stand up. turn around and walk on shore. At this point one of the four Navy physicians assigned to the category checks each trainee for any mark of hypothermia. After five proceedingss out of the H2O they are so ordered back in the H2O.
Hell Week starts on midnight on Sunday dark and are deprived of slumber merely allowed 4 hours of slumber all hebdomad. They receive their first sleep rhythm at 6:30 A. M. on Tuesday forenoon falling immediately in to REM slumber. Later that flushing they will execute one of the most unsafe parts of their transition. One of the abilities a SEAL must larn as to set down his boat anyplace. including crisp stones off a seashore. That sort of geting. called stone portage. was the most unsafe of all. Smashing moving ridges would impel the boats into the stones. oppressing castanetss and really interrupting dorsums if the canoeists weren’t cautious. During the eventide is the lone clip SEALs penetrate onto a seashore.
The teachers expect hurts during this portion of preparation or development as they call it. On Thursday flushing the pupils will undergo their 3rd and concluding hygiene review. These work forces are so beat-up. bruised and exhausted at this point that personal infinite is no longer an issue. Standing naked in the barracks the work forces are tilting on one another to assist back up one another due to hurts. Students who are excessively injured to travel frontward at this point are normally held for another category and rolled frontward to Thursday. The category started with 104 trainees and by Friday merely 33 members would finish snake pit hebdomad to travel on to the following stage of preparation.
The first portion of PJ’s preparation is a “gut check” the 10-week Pararescue/Combat Control Indoctrination this class reveals early on who will discontinue when things get tough. The twenty-four hours starts at 4:30 A. M. and doesn’t halt until after sundown. They are put through a day-to-day modus operandi of circuit preparation affecting swimming. running and callisthenicss. The teachers besides give what they call “smoke sessions” which are endurance contest exercises that make recruits musculuss burn. This preparation is a warm up for the pool or the “water assurance training” . More trainees fail this portion of the transition than any other. Motivation hebdomad as the PJs call it is the Air Force’s version of SEAL Hell Week it’s a kinder gentler military now yearss. Motivation hebdomad is similar to SEAL’s Hell hebdomad as in the instructor’s abuse the trainees doing them execute with small to no slumber.
Constantly proving them mentally and physically. Similar to Seal developing these aviators besides get ridiculed and are tested physically and emotionally. They go a measure further and integrate the EMT class in to everything a class that would be hard on a normal footing is made harder while go oning physical preparation and retrieving dive preparation. and survival preparation. These work forces in their 2 old ages of preparation become adept sharpshooters. mountain climbers. certified Emergency Medical Technicians ( EMT ) among a list of things. The indoctrination class is merely the beginning of developing. Two months of running. swimming and callisthenicss designed to weed out the physically and mentally unprepared pupils. During this class they focus on pool work swimming with weight belts. H2O steping. brother take a breathing “sharing an O tank” . and drown proofing. This class is designed to give pupils assurance in H2O to fix for Scuba school.
The following part of preparation for the grapevine is the U. S. Army Special Operations Underwater School. This is where the trainees earn they “bubble” badge. Steping H2O with 16-pound weight belts or with your pess bound and custodies tied behind your dorsum. Teachers besides tie knots in the trainee’s regulator hoses pull their aqualung masks off underwater and hassle the trainees. To go through this part of preparation PJs must execute a 3. 000-meter submerged pilotage swim.
The 3rd part of their preparation is the U. S. Navy Underwater Egress Training which is merely a 1 twenty-four hours class. They are trained to get away aircraft that are droping they are strapped to the dunker dropped in icy H2O and instantly flipped upside down. The trainees must unbuckle themselves and swim out.
After their twenty-four hours of what most likely feels like a holiday to the PJs they are off to U. S. Army Airborne School this is where the ‘para” in pararescue starts they learn to leap out of aircraft. They perform make five parachute leaps and earn their leap wings.
Following is the U. S. Air Force Survival School where they learn to hedge and get away the enemy or resist if captured. They will pass a hebdomad populating off the land with minimum equipment and supplies. After survival school is five hebdomads at U. S. Army Military Freefall Parachutist School this class is a more in depth parachute class than the airborne school. Students learn how to freefall from high heights utilizing mini O bottles. Besides how to set up parachutes. acknowledge hypoxia. mass issues. dark operations and execute 30 freefall leaps.
Particular Operations Combat Medic Course is 22 hebdomads where PJs larn first assistance. injury. medical specialty. triage. emptying. and minor field surgery every bit good as airway direction. This is where the pupils earn their EMT enfranchisement.
The concluding class is the Pararescue Recovery Specialist Course for 20 hebdomads trainees combine all of their preparation they have received. While besides having advanced medical preparation. larn tactical motion. arms managing. air operations. mountain mounting. and aircrew recovery processs. They have to pass a hebdomad in the Pecos Mountains implementing all they have learned for a concluding test.
While SEAL’s are used in little groups to execute undertakings anyplace from taking out high-profile marks to making reconnaissance missions and supplying intelligence. U. S. Air Force PJs have one basic mission to salvage lives these work forces go through old ages of preparation to go combat life rescuers. In his article “Superman School” McKenna ( 2000 ) provinces “Unlike other particular operators. who search and destroy. PJs “search and salvage. ” Think of them as SEALs with stethoscopes. They’re utmost exigency medical technicians. a sort of cross between Schweitzer and Schwarzenegger. ” ( parity. 9 ) . Like most Particular Forces units adult females are non allowed.
The biennial “Rite of Passage” ritual known as the “pipeline” an approximative 90 per centum dropout rate. While most other services believe U. S. Air Force aviators are the weak small brother of the military. PJs trump this stereotype in every manner while most other subdivisions won’t admit it PJs are the best trained particular Opss forces in the U. S. Weir ( 2013 ) put it best “Just another twenty-four hours at the office for the PJs who work under the low slogan “That Others May Live. ” They’re a particular strain. trained paramedics. who are besides extremely skilled warriors. able to contend their manner in and out to deliver a hurt soldier under any conditions” .
As I have mentioned the Particular Forces civilization is a different mentality and among that civilization are subcultures that have their ain criterions and regulations. Each 1s rite of transition is similar but in kernel they are all wholly different. While SEALs are trained warriors and lifelessly bravos while PJs are a extremely respected. little. speedy combat deliverance unit with the slogan “So others may live” . Both of these groups have been through the best preparation the universe has to offer. Becoming an elect Particular Forces member is non easy. these civilizations each have their ain rite of transition that these work forces endure and will non bury conveying them closer to each other organizing a bond that is closer than household.
Mentions:Divine. M. ( 2014. January 1 ) . BUD/S ( Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL ) Training | Navy SEALs. Navy SEALs. Retrieved June 30. 2014. from hypertext transfer protocol: //navyseals. com/nsw/bud-s-basic-underwater-demolition-seal-training/ McKenna. P. ( 2000 ) . Superman School. Airman. 44 ( 2 ) . 2.
Waller. D. C. ( 1994 ) . Hell Week. Newsweek. 123 ( 2 ) . 28.WEIR. B. ( 2013 ) . RESCUE WARRIORS. Nightline ( ABC ) . 1.