“You can’t fail if you don’t quit”
Unification of the team makes even the most stressful missions easier to handle. As a leader gains more and more experience, they begin to filter the noise of a stressful situation out and focus on a problem in its rawest form. As the leader, it is important that you keep yourself composed under stressful situations because you set the example for the rest of your team. Our students learn early on in training that stress control is imperative to achieve amazing things in life. One story from our team back in 2016 demonstrates this best:
“One Saturday after practice in the middle of January, we took a trip to Buddy’s house for some extra training and a pancake breakfast. Once we got there, another coach pulled up with a trailer full of bags of ice. Unaware of what was to come next, Buddy commanded each of us to grab a few bags of ice and take them to his backyard. Confused, we did as we were told and found ourselves standing on the edge of his pool with over one ton of ice. We were then commanded to dump the ice into the pool and jump in to tread water in a literal ice bath for 20 minutes. Of course, not a single person wanted to do this, however, we linked arms, took a deep breath and everyone walked into the pool together.
By unifying together arm in arm, we were willing to manage our stress and conquer this task. Once we got into the pool, we realized that we were capable of anything and went on to play a water polo game for 30 minutes after treading water for 20 minutes in the ice bath. The simple decision of conquering stress had left us with pride and self-determination which drove us through the rest of the training.”
-Alumni from the 2016 program
The communication skills I developed from this program helped me become a successful entrepreneur and global ambassador.
This program has completely changed my son for the better. He has a newfound confidence that has helped him succeed since graduating and going to college.
The JNS program has provided an outlet for me to enhance my leadership qualities and work alongside some of the most pristine students and athletes in the region. When I work with my team, I strive to perform at the highest level possible because of the respect I have for the Navy Seal Trident we wear. The sense of professionalism, confidence, and punctuality that I have developed in the JNS program has influenced every aspect of my life. In school, I am given much respect from my peers and educators because of the manner I conduct myself. What I have gained by being a JNS will continue to benefit me as I continue my education and enter into the workforce.
Training with the Jr. Navy SEALs blessed my son Stephen to see in himself and accomplish those goals I as a parent always knew he had inside of him. He learned to be successful at doing challenging physical tasks which helped him develop greater mental and emotional fortitude in his journey to adulthood. We are forever grateful for the positive impact the Jr. Navy SEALs had on Stephen being able to see and tap into his rich potential and inner strength
As a parent and coach for the Junior Navy SEALs for the past few years, I have been nothing short of awestruck with regard to the changes in my daughter Emily, now a senior at Beyer. She started high school as a bright student but struggled to fit in. Almost immediately after joining the Jr SEALs, Emily referred to the group as her “brothers.” She developed a vision of her path in life – one with the military. She is more poised and confident; able to handle the stress of AP classes, girl scouts, wrestling, and civic clubs with more ease than ever before. I credit that to Mr. Wesson’s life lessons, the six pillars of the Jr Navy SEALs: stress control, communication, situational awareness, teamwork, goal setting, and etiquette. Thank you, Mr. Wesson, we are forever filled with gratitude.
I have never experienced such professionalism from young high schoolers. I would hire every one of them after college if I could.