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I recently had the pleasure of attending a presentation at the Nixon Library<\/strong> in Yorba Linda, given by Ray “Cash” Care<\/strong>, a former Navy Seal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t have the writing ability to adequately express my admiration and gratitude to Navy Seals. Of course, I don\u2019t have the writing ability to do a lot of things, but when it comes to Navy Seals \u2013 they have my full attention and utmost respect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s start with the name. It comes from SE A L – SEa, A<\/strong>ir, L<\/strong>and as they are trained to fight in all three of these major environments. But if you thought the name came because they are like the unique marine mammals, well, that could be true too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seals, the marine mammals, can drive to extreme depths (nearly 8,000 feet), they can track prey with ultra-sensitive whiskers which allow them to hunt at night, and some can hold their breath for two hours!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The name is fitting for arguably the toughest combat team in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So let\u2019s talk about the Navy Seals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First of all, becoming a Navy SEAL is very tough. Here\u2019s the basic training:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is called BUDS<\/strong> (B<\/strong>asic U<\/strong>nderwater D<\/strong>emolition\/SE A L<\/strong>) and it has three phases:<\/p>\n\n\n The dropout rate for BUDS is around 80-85%<\/strong>! <\/p>\n\n\n\n When our speaker, Ray was asked what the toughest part of the training was for him, he said that, oddly enough, he was not a very good swimmer, but he had to hold his breath and swim underwater for 75 yards!<\/p>\n\n\n\n He spent eight years as a Navy Seal and then twelve years in the CIA<\/strong>. He said he got to visit every \u2018hell hole\u2019<\/strong> in the world during those years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like most of the Navy Seals I\u2019ve met, he is not a big, bruiser of a man; he\u2019s 5\u20197\u201d and weighs about 165 pounds<\/strong>. What you don\u2019t see when you look at him is his willpower, his burning desire to succeed at whatever he does, his never give up attitude and his ability to consistently perform at a high level.<\/p>\n\n\n Ray now does motivational speaking. His presentation at the Nixon Library was just prior to the 25th<\/sup> anniversary <\/strong>of 9\/11<\/strong>. And he talked about that for a bit, but interestingly enough, the focus of the presentation was on 9\/12<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, 9\/12<\/strong>. He said that that was a time when he saw the nation most united as the embodiment of the resilient American spirit where people put aside differences, flew their flags, and stood united. He contrasted that with today\u2019s societal divisions that we see growing worse every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll leave you with a couple of Navy SEAL sayings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The only easy day was yesterday,”<\/em><\/strong> representing a mindset of continuous growth and rising standards<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c<\/strong>Get comfortable being uncomfortable,\u201d<\/em><\/strong> meaning<\/em> growth happens outside your comfort zone<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bob Sparrow I recently had the pleasure of attending a presentation at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, given by Ray “Cash” Care, a former Navy Seal. I don\u2019t have the writing ability to adequately express my … read more![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Bell.jpeg\")
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