Can You Become One?

85.

Leveraging the situation to add maximum chaos and stimulate improvisational response, I ordered them back in the water for a five minute tread-water drill with no hands and following that with the infamous brick drill. The brick drill, we substitute kettlebells for bricks, it a fairly simple hand/eye/lung exercise where we place ten pound bells in the deep end of the pool. Each participant must find the correct color, which is verbalized as they dive to retrieve it and carry it to the shallow-end deck without allowing it to make contact (again) with the water. To make things interesting I allowed two minutes for the completion of the task. 

Davis was the last to go giving us a brief opportunity to exchange notes and commentaries as I watch the key inflection points of the drill. I especially keep an eye on Satriano. 

“You would have done the same thing,” he shares, also watching his partner in the water. 

I nod with a neutral manner, head on the diagonal, as if to say, ‘maybe so, maybe not.’

Before he has a chance to respond it is his turn for the brick drill and a shout of ‘blue’ directs his liquid vector. 

Satriano successfully completes the drill and joins the team on the deck as they watch Davis make it look like child’s play. Gathered on the cold, broom-finished concrete I approach them to an obvious conversational ritordando. 

“Outstanding work,” I begin, “let's be clear on one thing. We are a team, in this, through this and after this our number one objective is the success of the team and its mission. I don’t need to remind you of what happens when our weak link is exposed. I shouldn’t have to echo the reasons why Cap, Neumann and Bryant are not with us today. In each of their unique circumstances there came a moment, a split-second of eternity that turned the exercise south in an operational game-changer. Situational awareness distracted, intentional or otherwise, for this long,” I snap my finger with emphatic volume, “is enough time for the success of a mission to turn to absolute disaster. I will remind you of this: We are an elite squad of warriors dedicated to excellence in the execution of our assignments. Each of you, as was just exemplified, has their individual strengths and weakness’, unique skill sets of vital combinations of talents and abilities. Yet it will always be in the sum of our parts that we are judged. Our success will always be measured by the weakest among us. This is natural selection with our first mission that of survival. As teammates you have a responsibility to your partner and then to your team. If one of us loses — or fails to execute the required action — we all lose and we all fail.” 

I can see as well as feel, the sudden and dramatic change of physic energy. As much as it pains me to be the purveyor of bad news, it is a responsibility that I accept, because I know the barter. Give me hard work, solid practice and continual improvement towards mission success any day of the week. You can have everything else, including Sundays. 

I lay out the schedule for the remainder of the day; Breakfast in one hour, steel cut oats with honey and almost slices, one hard boiled-egg and a bowl of fresh fruit with as much water as desired and coffee. A classroom session on communications and surveillance at thirteen hundred hours, free time till seventeen and a boots and utes march starting at the North end of the parking lot at nineteen hundred hours. 

I dismiss the group.

“Davis and Satriano, please remain.” The group leaves as the two approach. 

“I’m not a good swimmer,” Maria says in a sincere tone, head low. 

“The issue is not what you currently are, but what you might become,” I offer, trying to assuage and inspire in one sentence. I look at Davis and then back to Satriano.

“Can you become one?”