The Navy SEALs - Just the Inspiration I Needed.

I was given the opportunity over my Christmas break to do a lot of “fun” reading…in other words reading that wasn’t assigned or deemed necessary for my schoolwork. I read multiple books that were enlightening, others sad, and some inspirational. I love to read, always have, so when an opportunity like this presents itself I’m all over it. There were three books that I read this break that opened my eyes the most, were heavy on my heart, and that left me with an incredible thirst to continue my journey towards my chosen career path.

For those of you who don’t know I am currently working on my masters. A masters in Cell & Molecular Biology. I know what you are thinking….and believe me, I have thought the very same things before. I began this masters with the aspirations of becoming an accomplished Exercise Physiologist, while those dreams are still there, they have been tweaked a bit, for lack of better phrasing. With my work as a personal trainer and conditioning with the MSU Men’s Soccer Team I knew pretty quickly that training and performance was my passion. Helping a player get better at his/her sport or get back to their sport is so fulfilling for me. So I have decided to go to Physical Therapy school after my masters and work towards my DPT. I’ll finally be Dr. Martin. Ha.

Over the break I read two books that will forever leave a mark on my soul; Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell and American Sniper by Chris Kyle. Two amazing books about the life inside being a US Navy SEAL. I understand war and the need for it, even though I hate hearing on the news that we have lost another one of our own. These books take you into the field with these soldiers and it is almost as if you are experiencing the action firsthand, that is how phenomenal the writing is. I cried through almost the entirety of both books, and I am not normally a crier…ever. There was something about their stories and their unselfish desire to protect and uphold the values of our country, a country that is not always behind them, but at the end of the day will welcome them home with open arms. These men are the true definition of what an American hero is, although I know from reading that they prefer to be known as the silent heroes, but I just had to give my little shout-out.

I come from a Navy family. My Grandpa served in WWII at Pearl Harbor, father at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and my uncle at the Naval Academy and all of his various expeditions. I do not however know what it is like to have a family member deployed…I will know that pretty soon as my cousin who is an Army Ranger will be leaving for Afghanistan in the upcoming months. I cannot imagine the immense pain that both parties must go through, so that I may freely sit here and express my right to freedom of speech while lying in bed and typing this blog, or working on my homework that is due for tomorrow.

Lone Survivor is a gut wrenching story about Operation Red Wing with four Navy Seals and a targeted Taliban leader. I’m sure most people have seen the movie, which I think does a FANTASTIC job at telling the story of that fateful day, but the book is something else entirely. The description that Marcus Luttrell goes into about his brothers and the hospitality of the Pashtun community is truly eye-opening. If you haven’t read it I HIGHLY recommend it. You can visit the website here. The movie is unlike any war movie I have ever seen before. Maybe it was because I read the book first, but it was amazing. The movie gave even more life to the book and put you into the middle of the battlefield where you saw and experienced the pain that these SEALs endured. You were able to see the acts of selflessness of these men in fighting to protect the red, white, and blue. My favorite line from the movie was by Matthew Axelson’s character, “you can die for your country, but I’m going to live for mine.” He fought to the death in honor of America. Mike Murphy and his last attempt to call for help, climbing to the top of a cliff to gain more reception to make that last phone call, the one that put him directly into harm’s way so that he could save his brothers, it makes me tear up as I write this. Danny Dietz, what a man of true grit. He had lost his hand, been shot in the leg, the back, and the head….was being dragged and still shooting at the Taliban. He would’ve kept fighting has a bullet to the throat not taken his life. The last guy of the squad, Marcus Luttrell. The lone survivor of the group, who lives on to share his story of that day. How they had to fall down a mountain three times trying to make it to better ground. THREE TIMES. He goes on to share his experience about being captured and then having members of the Pashtun community take him in as one of their own, fighting to the death to keep him alive because of a standard that their community upholds. I don’t know how ANYONE could read this book and NOT come away unchanged. This book is on my heart as I think about my activities in my daily life. I think about this book when I am training. NEVER again will I complain that a training session is too tiring or that my body is giving out because well, that's just crap, it is my mind that is quitting. If those SEALs can survive for that long after taking gunshot after gunshot to the body and having no food or water, you better believe I can make it through a workout for heaven’s sake.

"Been around the world twice. Talked to everyone once. I've seen two whales f*ck, been to three world fairs. I even know a man in Thailand with a wooden cock. I've pushed more peter, more sweeter, and more completer than any other peter-pusher around. I'm a hard-bodied, hairy-chested, rootin', tootin', shootin', parachutin', demolition double tap crimpin' frogman. There ain't nothing I can't do. No sky too high, no sea too rough, no muff too tough. Learned a lot of lessons in my life. Never shoot a large caliber man with a small caliber bullet. Drove a lot of trucks. 2by's, 4by's, 6by's and those big motherf*ckers that bend and go 'shhh shhh' when you step on the brakes. Anything in life worth doing is worth overdoing. Moderation is for cowards. I'm a lover, I'm a fighter, I'm a UDT SEAL Diver. I'll wine, dine, intertwine, and then sneak out the back door when the refueling is done. If you're feeling froggy then you better jump because this Frogman has been there, done that, and is going back for more."

- Shane Patton (in Lone Survivor) 

I guess I had never given it much thought as to what our Special Operations guys do over there. All I really know is what I see on the news or hear over the radio, which doesn’t give our soldiers the credit that they so deserve. I have often been moved when I see a veteran walking somewhere in their uniform. I want to go up and hug them, about let alone kiss them out of gratitude and everything that they have done for this beautiful country of mine. I usually can’t get the guts to go up and say it though, for fear of…well I don’t really know.

My brother is super interested in the SEALs and what they have to offer and what it means to be a SEAL, so I have all kinds of books at my disposal. After reading Lone Survivor, I moved onto Chris Kyle’s book American Sniper. This book is about America’s most decorated sniper and the different missions and problems he faced throughout his four tours in Afghanistan. This website gives you a tiny glimpse into the person he was. He made it through those four tours, for the most part unscathed, to unfortunately be killed on his home soil. God must have needed a good soldier by his side. 

The stories that Chris Kyle tells seem to be something only one would see in a movie, let alone have to live through. His book took you right into the field of battle, as did Lone Survivor, except his was a culmination of stories instead of one event. It was in his book that I found my calling. He describes when he he finally had to undergo dual knee surgeries after being caught under a wall that exploded from an RPG. He describes his rehab experience with a Physical Therapist who was a Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach, explaining the pain and frustration that he went through with this PT who was there with him every step of the way. Along with helping Chris Kyle to be the fittest he has ever been, allowing him to step back into battle without missing a beat.

As soon as I read that portion of the book, I knew that that is what I wanted to do with my life. Help injured soldiers return to their passion, the battlefield. I love athletics and training players, but there is something that spoke to me after reading these two books. The desire to give back to those who have so valiantly put their life on the line for this country time and time again. That is something that takes a truly special human being, and if rehabbing someone that has done that is my contribution to the beautiful USA, then I would be honored.

So Physical Therapy school is next on the list of my educational endeavours. I have no idea where yet, but I am so excited to get there. 

To the men and women of the armed forced who serve our country, I thank you. If it weren't for you, there wouldn't be a place to call the Beautiful U.S. of A.