Frogman stories, p.1
Frogman Stories, page 1
FROGMAN STORIES
FROGMAN STORIES
Life and Leadership Lessons from the SEAL Teams
RICK KAISER
Published in the United States of America and Great Britain in 2023 by
CASEMATE PUBLISHERS
1950 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083, USA
and
The Old Music Hall, 106–108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JE, UK
Copyright © 2023 Rick Kaiser
Paperback Edition: ISBN 978-1-63624-351-1
Digital Edition: ISBN 978-1-63624-352-8
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher in writing.
Printed and bound in the United Kingdom by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
Typeset in India by DiTech Publishing Services
For a complete list of Casemate titles, please contact:
CASEMATE PUBLISHERS (US)
Telephone (610) 853-9131
Fax (610) 853-9146
Email: casemate@casematepublishers.com
www.casematepublishers.com
CASEMATE PUBLISHERS (UK)
Telephone (0)1226 734350
Email: casemate-uk@casematepublishers.co.uk
www.casematepublishers.co.uk
Front cover image: Navy Frogman attaching explosives to ship. (The National Navy SEAL Museum)
Contents
Acknowledgements
The U.S. Navy SEAL Ethos
1Prologue
2Hold the Standard
3There Are Two Ways to Do Things—the Right Way and Again
4Worn but Not Worn Out
5No Matter How Bad You Have It, It Can Always Be Worse
6Keep Moving Forward
7Plan Your Dive, Dive Your Plan
8Better to Be Lucky than Good
9If You Are Going to Cheat, Don’t
10If You Can Dish It Out, You Better Be Able to Take It
11When Life Hands You Lemons, Make a Drink
12NAVY—Never Again Volunteer Yourself
13Swim Buddy
14We Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts
15When All Else Fails, Go to the Water
16Boring until It Isn’t
17Everybody Works for Somebody
18Risk and Reward
19Understand the Game before Getting on the Field
20Trust Your Gut
21Never Say Never
22Don’t Judge a SEAL by His Cover
23Think before Hitting Send
24Listen to Your People
25Make a Plan
26Learn from Mistakes and Grow
27It Never Hurts to Have Another Set of Eyes
28Love / Hate
29Stand for Something or Die for Nothing
30Never Be Afraid to Try Something New
31Doing the Right Thing Regardless of How It Looks
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
I have countless people to credit for my success and where I am today. Surrounding myself with like-minded people has helped me feed off their energy during good times and bad. The mission is everything, whether it be an actual combat mission or the mission of the National Navy SEAL Museum. Find that mission. Write it down if you must and use it to guide your path. Deviate when you have to but come back on course as soon as possible. Accept help and guidance from others, but ultimately you are the one in control of your destiny.
I can’t tell you what I would have done all those years ago if I had either quit or been injured during SEAL training. Dwelling on anything you have no control over is a distraction from the mission. Laser focus is the key; it has served me well. As I look back at my life and career, I realize many of the things that happened to me, good or bad, were out of my control. I just set myself up to be in the best position possible no matter what happened. All in all, it worked out in my favor, from my initial boss Rudy Boesch to taking the helm of the Navy SEAL Museum.
Thank You.
To my wife Barbara for your love and support at all times.
To Emily and Eric for being the best kids any father could hope for.
To Helen and Jim for teaching me what is important in life.
To Hector and Michelle for teaching me to have fun no matter what.
To the Navy SEAL Museum Team in Florida and California and the crew at NSWDG for all your selfless hard work in support of others.
The U.S. Navy SEAL Ethos
In times of war or uncertainty there is a special breed of warrior ready to answer our Nation’s call. A common man with uncommon desire to succeed. Forged by adversity, he stands alongside America’s finest special operations forces to serve his country, the American people, and protect their way of life. I am that man.
My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the heroes that have gone before, it embodies the trust of those I have sworn to protect. By wearing the Trident, I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every day.
My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own.
I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men. Uncompromising integrity is my standard. My character and honor are steadfast. My word is my bond.
We expect to lead and be led. In the absence of orders, I will take charge, lead my teammates and accomplish the mission. I lead by example in all situations.
I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.
We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates and the success of our mission depend on me—my technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete.
We train for war and fight to win. I stand ready to bring the full spectrum of combat power to bear in order to achieve my mission and the goals established by my country. The execution of my duties will be swift and violent when required yet guided by the very principles that I serve to defend.
Brave men have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared reputation that I am bound to uphold. In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and silently guides my every deed. I will not fail.
CHAPTER 1
Prologue
Not all leaders are born. As in my case, years of being raised correctly and then a lifetime in the U.S. Navy have honed my abilities and taught me how to lead. No one can go to where they want to be without conflict along the way. Whether it be personal relationships or actual fighting on the battlefield, everyone has scars which hopefully remind us of how we got here in the first place. It is how you use those scars that make you an effective leader. Leading is not a popularity contest. If you hope to make friends and influence others, forget it. You may as well stay in bed, no need to make it. No one who makes the hard calls is loved by all. That is a falsity from other books and war movies.
I have thought about writing this book for some time now. I am not sure why this is the time but, as in all things in life, if you don’t try, nothing is going to change. I have been fortunate to be led by some of the greatest warriors on the planet. I have also been unfortunate to be led by some of the worst examples of incompetence known to man. Gratefully, I have had far more great leaders than not. My only advice is to hang on and survive during the bad times. If you are expecting a tell-all book about Navy SEALs, forget it. Give the book away to someone else. This is simply my attempt to portray the Teams like they really are through humor and a few choice tidbits of knowledge earned the hard way. I’m sure not all will see the humor in my stories, but that is okay. Like I am known to say around the workplace, they can kiss my ass. Get a sense of humor and stop taking yourself so seriously. Put down the phone. Sign off of Myspace (joke) and do something productive.
I was born and raised in a small town named Oak Creek, Wisconsin, on the south side of Milwaukee. My parents, Elmer and Laverne Kaiser, raised me along with two brothers and two sisters in a small three-bedroom, one-bath home. I didn’t think about it that much at the time, but it is amazing how seven people lived and got along with one bathroom. My mother was a saint. She managed to run our household, lead five children and a husband, on the very modest salary my father earned as a local firefighter. She is the one who taught me from the start that you don’t have to be the loudest person in the room to accomplish your goals. Subtlety is an art learned over time. Picking your battles is another. Not all issues are worth falling on your sword. I have witnessed many leaders create chaos over every issue only to have the truly important problems glossed over or ignored altogether. My mother was soft spoken but got her point across through love and understanding. Letting her down was one of my greatest fears growing up, not because I would re
ceive a beating—just the thought of disappointing her would crush my soul. A person who is that good is loved and respected by all who know them. I know I could never be that person, nor do I want to be. However, her teachings throughout my life have served me well. In fact, every time I have lost my temper or acted out of anger, I have regretted my actions because, in the end, I lost credibility and made poor choices. Taking a deep breath, waiting 24 hours, and talking to others will always serve you better than yelling or brute force. Remember, I said “try” to do the right thing.
Unfortunately, while growing up I suffered from BSU disease—Big, Slow and Uncoordinated. Fortunately, this ended up helping me immensely in the long run. I tried to be a jock but never quite had the skills to succeed at a high level in any sports. My brothers had better luck, but it was my two sisters who were the real athletes in my family (sorry, Mike and Bob) and well known in the state of Wisconsin on the volleyball and basketball courts. Me on the other hand, not so much. I tried out for the basketball team in my freshman year of high school because it was what all my friends were doing. When I look back on it now, I think I was cut after exiting the locker room on the way to the court. Never one to quit, I decided to try out for the swim team. At that time, I knew how to doggie paddle and not drown; that was about it. Why I wanted to join the swim team is still a mystery to me. The coach decided to give me a chance and put me in the diving well away from the team, so I could learn how to swim properly with some guidance. I know that sort of thing doesn’t happen anymore when trying out for high school sports, but it worked out for me. Not only was I winning races by the time I was a senior, but the swimming skills and confidence I learned in the water have served me well from Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training to the present. Never quit.
I had always had a fascination with the ocean as a kid due to the show The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteaur. I liked the water and swimming, which my high school swimming career had solidified in my mind. At the time I believed the U.S. Navy’s submarine service was the right choice for me. That changed after my first trip to the Navy recruiter’s office in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Lo and behold on his desk was a marketing pamphlet for Navy SEALs titled “The men with green faces.” I picked it up and started looking at the pictures. I thought to myself, “This is badass, this is what I want to do.” SEAL = SEA, AIR, LAND. Dive, jump, shoot, my dream come true. I was clueless. I asked the recruiter if I could take the pamphlet home. He didn’t care because if it got him another number for his quota, he was all for it. He didn’t know what a SEAL was either.
After contemplating the pamphlet for 48 hours, I decided I was going to pull the trigger and sign up to be a Navy SEAL. The recruiter was happy until he realized I had to pass the Navy’s initial entrance exam at a higher level than the average sailor, and there was a physical screening test involved. I was a good student and didn’t have any problem with the written test. The physical testing would be a bit different. I knew I could pass the standard. I made an appointment with my mother (I was 17 at the time) to visit Great Lakes Recruit Training Command and take the test with a real Navy SEAL running it. We drove down to Chicago on a Friday evening in the middle of winter in the Midwest. It was cold and snowing. The first portion of the test was inside at the pool along with the pull-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups. The run, however, was outside on the track next to the pool. A little whining here; the track was covered with snow, the temperature was easily below zero with wind chill, and I was wet with sweat and pool water. My first Navy SEAL test. I made the run under time and passed the physical screening test. The SEAL never came outside. That should have told me something.
The fact I was 17 at the time and I wanted to join the Navy caused a bit of an uproar at the Kaiser household. Because I was 17, it meant one of my parents had to sign the paperwork for me to enlist. Neither Mom nor Dad was in a big hurry to sign the papers. I guess they had fresh memories of Vietnam on their minds that I wasn’t tracking at all. What high school kid was? Eventually, one of them signed the paperwork. I am grateful to them both for the trust they put in me.
CHAPTER 2
Hold the Standard
I graduated Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL Training (BUD/S) at the age of 18 as part of Class 109 in the summer of 1980. Soon thereafter, I reported for duty at SEAL Team TWO (ST-2) in Little Creek, Virginia. Command Master Chief (CMC) Rudy Boesch was the senior enlisted man on board and trusted advisor to the Commanding Officer. Rudy was in charge of managing a team of nearly one hundred Navy SEALs and other support personnel. He had already been in the U.S. Navy for over thirty years when I arrived at ST-2. In fact, Rudy had been a Master Chief—the highest enlisted rank in the Navy—for longer than I had been alive.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Navy Frogmen did not exist. The term “Frogman” refers to all units past and present of Naval Special Warfare—Naval Combat Demolition Units (NCDU); Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT); Scouts and Raiders (S&R); OSS Maritime Swimmers (Office of Strategic Services, precursor to the CIA); and present-day U.S. Navy SEAL Teams—but did not come into being until the Korean War. I am sure all our predecessors are proud to use the name. The Navy needed tough men skilled in all types of warfare to carry out some of the most difficult and dangerous missions of World War II. Their primary mission: reconnoiter enemy held beaches and destroy obstacles, man-made and natural, that would slow down landing craft during amphibious landings. In 1942, there were no tactics, techniques, or procedures to accomplish this mission. The Frogmen had to develop the skills necessary on their own with the limited experience of a few leaders such as Lt. Draper Kauffman, who was, at the time, one of the few explosives experts in the Navy. Explosives are the tool of choice for all Navy SEALs. One of my many mottos growing up through the Teams was “When in doubt, overload”; if you’re not sure whether the explosives you’ve brought will do the job, add more.
One of the men who volunteered for this hazardous duty and completed S&R training during World War II was Rudy Boesch. Imagine joining the Navy during the war, volunteering for S&R training, getting on a train in Norfolk, Virginia, and traveling to Fort Pierce, Florida (the birthplace of Naval Special Warfare), only to immediately start “Hell Week” upon arrival. There was no time for hand holding. They had to be trained to fight both the Germans and the Japanese as fast as possible. Within 12 months, the original Frogmen had to adapt to, and overcome, a type of warfare that had not existed before that time. Scouts and Raiders were assigned missions similar to what Navy SEALs do today. Attack from the sea, recon enemy held territory, and take-out critical infrastructure such as bridges and railroad tracks. Unconventional warfare.
As with all wars, the United States has a tendency to downsize immediately following the conflict. World War II was no exception and the entire unit of Scouts and Raiders was disbanded. Rudy then volunteered for the famed UDTs who fought in the Pacific on what was an island-hopping strategy on the way to Japan. Rudy remained a UDT member through the Korean War and many other unnamed or unacknowledged conflicts until 1962 when President John F. Kennedy signed the official paperwork which created the first two SEAL Teams—SEAL Team ONE based in Coronado, California, and SEAL Team TWO based in Little Creek, Virginia. Rudy was a plank owner (original member) of the legendary Team TWO. The SEAL Teams—or Sea, Air, Land Teams—were created to fight in the deltas and rivers of Vietnam. As with his forefathers of the NCDUs, UDTs, and S&R, there was no playbook for the Navy SEALs. They had to create it and they were successful. Like their predecessors from World War II, many of the tactics and techniques the original SEALs created were still being used in the caves of Afghanistan to the deserts of Iraq.
Junior enlisted men such as I don’t spend a lot of time with the CMC unless there is a specific reason (usually discipline). Luckily, I kept my nose relatively clean and avoided Rudy’s gaze. When I had the chance to finally meet the man, I was understandably nervous. Here was a World War II, Korea, and Vietnam SEAL who had been there and done that for decades. What could he possibly want with me? I walked into his office, stood at attention, and waited for the secrets of being a SEAL. What he said instead was, “Kaiser, keep your uniform squared away and your hair cut. Come see me in six months and I will decide if you get your Trident or not.”
