Class-29: The Making of U.S. Navy SEALs

by John Carl Roat

"Throughout training I kept having the thought,
WELL, ALL THEY CAN DO IS KILL ME.
It seemed to help."        

SEALs are the world's toughest soldiers. Working in squads and platoons that make up SEAL teams, they are trained in everything from underwater demolition to high-altitude parachute drops. Now John Carl Roat, graduate of Class-29, one of the earliest SEAL training classes, has written the only book devoted to the training of that exclusive warrior force. With unflinching honesty, Roat describes the brutal six-month program that took young men well beyond the endurance limits even of gifted athletes and created warriors who could proudly take their places in the teams. It was a program so demanding that by the end of Hell Week, the third week of the course, the original class of one hundred and thirty-four physically fit young men had been sliced to sixty-two.

After retelling his own class's experience, Roat visits today's SEAL program and reveals how the program has changed over the last thirty-five years to include more classroom training and better and more sophisticated equipment-- without at all lowering the physical demands. SEAL training is still the best, and the toughest, training in the world.

Genres: Military Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir, History

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 29, 2000

Reviews

[Gloria Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many legendary heroic figures, known for their brilliance in combat. Ninjas, samurai, comic figures such as Superman, Green Berets, the Marines, SWAT teams, and considered the elite of the elite forces--the U.S. Navy SEALS.

A mystic surrounds the SEALS. Who are these men? What distinguishes them from others in the military?

Ex-SEAL Roat gives us a panoramic view of the program, its history and what it's like now in his book that describes his own training. I couldn't find any date in the book, so I assume his class took place in the 1950s. Or thereabouts. Then, the candidates were issued worn out equipment because of insufficient funds. The training was so stressful, mentally and physically, that most dropped out before completing the program. Constant running and exercising, little rest or sleep, the men learned to function as a team. Success followed those who gave a fellow classmate a hand up or even something as simple as a wink. These little encouragements pulled some from the brink of quitting. And the instructors encouraged the men to quit. Trainees had no obligation to hang on until graduation.

Who were these trainees? Navy men--from enlisted to officers, from all walks of life, from the jokers to the stoics. All carried within them a passion that forbade them to quit.

Roat includes pictures of his teammates and instructors. Though the photos vary from clear to fuzzy, I'm glad they are all included, even those the size of postage stamps. Roat acquaints us with each classmate and instructor, including anecdotes, so we see something of their personalities or skills. Consequently the book is highly readable.

And he satisfies our curiosity about the program today. Today the SEALS are well funded. The classes are expanded and more numerous, the safety measures are more exact, while the training is just as intense, the dropout rate just as high. The reader might see the instructors as sadistic, but Roat would disagree. They are fair and have the men's best interests at heart, pushing them to the breaking point without putting them in the hospital. It's amazing what the trainees can take. It's what the instructors took when they were trainees.

So if you are curious about how the SEALS came to be, you will enjoy reading about Class-29.

[Kaleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Carl Roat, a formal Navy Seal, shows you a realistic description of the most mentally and physically demanding training ever. John Carl Roat gives you a sneak peek into the training of a Navy Seal. In this novel, it describes the toughest obstacles and challenges you must go through to be a Navy Seal. John Carl Roat takes you into the mind of someone going through this program in order to become one of the toughest warriors in the world.

BUD/S (basic underwater demolition/SEAL) is a six-month training course held at Naval Special Warfare Training Center in Coronado, California. BUD/S is a three-phase program. The first phase is the toughest. It is 8 weeks of tough conditioning that will push your limits, and during it there will be a brutal segment called “Hell Week”. During “Hell Week” usually about ⅔ of the class drops out. Once this phase is completed you must move on to the second phase, which is 8 weeks of diving or underwater tactics. Then the third phase is 9 weeks of land warfare. After this, it is the end of BUD/S training but that's not all, After BUDS is completed, they must go through 3 weeks of Basic Parachute Training and, a final 8 weeks of focused SEAL Qualification Training. Marking the end of Seal Training.

What I liked about this book is it took you through the journey of the training needed in order to be a Navy Seal. For example, It showed me what they did in their free time, what the instructors were like, and the challenges they had to overcome. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Navy Seals and would like to know about the training they undergo; Overall, I would rate this book a 5/5.

[D. Meador · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start, but ended up good and very informative.

[Craig Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a good read if you're interested in the behind the scenes look at the creation of a Seal. I'm more interested in what they do after! I couldn't get through the book because I was constantly yearning for action.