Editor’s notice: The next is an excerpt from “SEND ME: The True Story of a Mom at Conflict“ by Marty Skovlund Jr. & Joe Kent.
It was an overcast October day at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base, good for weapons familiarization coaching. Shannon was the one girl on this Naval Particular Warfare Direct Help Course class, and the one girl on the vary that day. However that is not what she was desirous about; she simply wished to get to the half the place she was sending rounds and burning brass.
“Level the weapon in a protected path. Meaning not at your buddy, nerds!” The SEAL offering this block of instruction had no scarcity of sarcasm, or disdain for assist personnel for that matter.
“Confirm that it is clear and protected, then return your Mk 48 to situation 4. Then open the quilt and feeding mechanism and place your dummy rounds on the feed tray. Then pull the charging deal with again utilizing an overhand grip, not underhand.”
The SEAL paused for dramatic impact earlier than repeating himself, “OVERHAND, not UNDERHAND!”
Yup, received it bud, Shannon thought. She was excited to be right here, excited to be incomes her spot within the particular warfare group, however may barely stifle her personal sarcastic inside monologue. She had labored with sufficient SEALs to identify when one was taking himself too critically or carrying an excessive amount of ego in his ruck. She figured it was the latter with this man.
“Place the security on protected, squeeze the set off, and confirm that the bolt doesn’t go ahead,” the SEAL continued together with his well-rehearsed monologue. “Push the charging deal with ahead and confirm …”
Shannon crashed onto the particular operations scene headfirst and did not decelerate as soon as getting in. After Shannon returned from her first deployment, she made a rapid pit cease in Garmisch, Germany, for language coaching — and somewhat snowboarding within the Austrian Alps — earlier than volunteering for the brand new Naval Particular Warfare Direct Help Course, which might permit her to serve in fight alongside Navy SEALs. She was the primary feminine to attend, however she would not be the final.
The course was a month lengthy and concerned timed, graded ruck marches, runs, swims, marksmanship, superior coaching in close-quarters fight, and different actions required to serve alongside Navy SEALs in fight. Ladies on the SEAL groups have been a brand new idea at that time, however Shannon set the usual and excessive expectations for different ladies coming into this system, ending third general in her class.
She was completely assigned to Naval Particular Warfare Help Exercise 2 in Norfolk, Virginia, the place she labored facet by facet with East Coast–based Navy SEALs. The SEALs have been initially hesitant, not as a result of she was a feminine however as a result of non-SEAL assist, on the whole, was a brand new idea at the moment.
As a result of she was the primary feminine to undergo the direct assist course and make it, some did not imagine she belonged there; they’d by no means heard of that taking place earlier than. The feedback ranged from snarky to pure disbelief at instances.
She’s been via direct assist?
Oh, no, she hasn’t. There isn’t any approach.
However Shannon had the paperwork to show it, and her efficiency at work at all times validated that piece of paper. It took a very long time to get the course entered into her official information as a result of individuals did not wish to cope with the ramifications of her having that qualification.
On daily basis after work, Shannon stepped off in a light New York Yankees hat, brown T-shirt, black shorts, and earbuds to go for a run. She stayed quiet and humble, understanding actions communicate louder than phrases and that she wanted to earn her spot in Naval Particular Warfare each day.
Shannon had been working her complete life and recurrently used it as a solution to present her bodily prowess. Though modern particular operators do a significantly better job at balancing cardiovascular endurance with weight coaching, the coaching philosophy was nonetheless very run-oriented within the late aughts. Anybody in SOF, from operators to assist, was judged on their capacity to maintain up; dropping out of a run was akin to quitting. In the event you could not be counted on to maintain up, how may anybody belief you to make it to focus on with out falling out and probably jeopardizing the success or failure of a mission?
A typical coaching day may begin with the East Coast SEAL groups Shannon was assigned to working on a sandy seaside in fight boots earlier than swapping these out for fins to conduct a half-mile swim within the Atlantic Ocean. After returning, those self same boots could be put again on (now soaked from the ocean) for the return leg of the journey. Everybody, SEAL or not, was anticipated to hold for what many referred to as the “Friday Humorous” or “Monster Mash” — or just the run-swim-run. One other typical run route took them from the Scorching Tuna, a Virginia Seaside restaurant widespread with Navy SEALs stationed within the space, to the beachfront.
However the First Touchdown State Park route was significantly tough, the place the robust have been separated from the weak. The primary time Shannon did this route, she rode commonplace navy Blue Chicken college buses out to the unofficial trailhead, which led into First Touchdown State Park. From there Shannon stepped off on mountain climbing trails that criss-crossed all through the park, taking runners up and down hills and stairs and crossing bridges over the marshes and thru the forest. Andrew was a fellow particular warfare sailor. (Editor’s notice: Andrew’s unit title is being omitted on the request of the Protection Division.) When Shannon first confirmed as much as the unit, he anticipated she may sustain simply sufficient to not embarrass herself, pondering she appeared like the sort that was extra fearful about breaking a nail, by no means thoughts a sweat. The First Touchdown State Park trails have been the place Andrew first noticed her in motion. He ran alongside Shannon, making an attempt to make dialog as they climbed the tree roots that shaped the steps up the hills within the park. “The climate’s nice at this time, is not it?” Andrew stated. “Good to get out into nature, proper?”
“Yeah, good climate at this time for positive,” Shannon stated, well mannered however unenthused.
“How do you want SA-2 thus far?” Andrew stated, utilizing the short-hand for his or her unit. He was respiration laborious and a bit stunned that Shannon did not appear significantly fazed by the tough terrain. He wasn’t the quickest within the unit, however he usually completed unit runs within the prime quarter.
“To date, so good,” Shannon stated. Her replies did not go away a lot room for a dialog to bloom. They continued with the small speak for some time longer. Shannon was making an attempt to be well mannered however grew anxious that she could be perceived as extra inquisitive about speaking than working.
“I am sorry,” Shannon stated. “However I will go forward and begin working now as a result of I am making an attempt to set a tempo for the following time I run this path.”
Andrew was surprised. She wasn’t even respiration laborious. The subsequent time he noticed her, she had already completed her cool-down and was casually stretched as the opposite runners rolled in.
Slowly, Shannon gained the respect and belief of the SEALs in her new unit. She was a real skilled who wasn’t afraid to step into any problem. Her type-A character and data of trade-craft received her observed in a constructive approach. It was an uphill battle, however she was making progress. Ultimately she was chosen to attend a particular operations coaching course in Louisiana with just a few others from her new unit.
Their class coincided with Mardi Gras, however they weren’t allowed to enter New Orleans till after the festivities had already wound down — which additionally occurred to be every week earlier than they have been scheduled to graduate. At that time, they have been able to blow off steam and have just a few drinks.
They every began off with two Lengthy Island iced teas at about 11 a.m. They proceeded to barhop from one location to the following, hitting every little thing from seedy hole-in-the-wall joints to swanky homosexual bars, doing their greatest to remedy themselves of sobriety within the course of.
The bayou barhopping continued properly into the night, and so they ultimately ended up at Marie Laveau’s Home of Voodoo on Bourbon Avenue, drunk because the sailors they have been. Inside, there have been shrines of each selection adorned with skulls, beads, and quite a lot of voodoo dolls. Indicators of various sizes have been posted all over the place, stating the apparent “nothing on the voodoo altar is on the market” or the extra threatening “don’t contact the voodoo altar or cops will probably be referred to as.” It was very clear the institution didn’t need guests to the touch the voodoo altar — particularly the drunk ones.
However Shannon thought-about the indicators extra like a suggestion than a tough rule. She picked up a small determine sitting on the altar, and earlier than she may ask how a lot it value, the workers began hysterically yelling at her. Shannon was startled and knocked over the complete altar, breaking a number of of the fragile voodoo collectible figurines.
“Oh shit,” Shannon stated.
“You’ll all be cursed for 9 generations!” one livid museum staffer yelled.
“Final bar!” Shannon’s pal Birddog yelled, giving the sign that it was time to get out of there earlier than police have been referred to as. The small group of drunk particular operations sailors instantly executed their E&E — “escape and evasion” — plan. They rapidly melted into the New Orleans crowds, by no means to be seen once more by the mystics who allegedly cursed them.
Shannon and her teammates laughed the entire approach again to base and made it via their final week of coaching with out incident.
“Would not or not it’s loopy if this aircraft goes Ultimate Vacation spot-type and crashes and all of us die?” Birddog stated on their flight again to Virginia Seaside. On this approach, Shannon’s voodoo curse had adopted her.
“If we begin to crash, the very last thing I will do is punch you within the face,” one other stated, taking a look at Shannon.
“Yeah, appears truthful,” Shannon replied, blushing ever so barely. Thankfully, they made it residence safely.
With the coaching course in Louisiana behind her, Shannon and her unit have been about to depart for his or her subsequent deployment to Iraq. As was customary, she and some buddies from work went out to a neighborhood bar in Virginia Seaside frequented by frogmen for just a few final drinks. AJ was a SEAL crew chief out together with his spouse, and so they have been sitting at a desk close to Shannon’s. His spouse is Latina, and he or she overheard one other girl within the bar, who was clearly not Latina, talking Spanish completely.
“Who’s that?” his spouse requested.
“That is Shannon. She’s new,” AJ stated, clearly impressed that she had caught his spouse’s consideration. Shannon had efficiently assimilated into her new unit and made a constructive impression, even among the many SEALs. Now it was time to return to conflict.
Excerpted from “SEND ME: The True Story of a Mom at Conflict” by Marty Skovlund Jr. & Joe Kent, revealed Might 7 by William Morrow. Copyright © 2024 by Joe Kent and Marty Skovlund Jr. Reprinted courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers.
