Im doing well, Im still processing and digesting everything from ESE. We did and learned so much in such a short period of time that I feel like Im still recounting the whole week and playing catch up in my mind. I know a lot of my teammates are too and theyre also feeling that sense of "life isnt the same" that you warned about. Were a different breed of guys and I feel that very strongly when I tell people about the first 24 hours, Hell Night, and I see their eyes glaze over and they get real quiet. Very few people can appreciate the value of the suffering we submitted ourselves to, and even fewer would do it themselves. I have a different perspective on myself that I revel in and I feel a bond with you, Fuch, and my classmates that I treasure.
Senior Chief, I owe you a huge thank you for ESE. Even though I paid money to go through your course it was a lot more than just an ordinary course. I got my moneys worth within that first 24 hours from the adventure, change in mindset, sense of accomplishment, and most importantly the fact that I finally found a group of guys just like me. When I was sitting at the airport waiting for the shuttle to pick us up on Saturday, I was standing with the other guys and all I saw was a quiet and seemingly shy group of guys. I had your words ringing in my ears "The one thing all of these guys have in common is that they are type A aggressive go getters", and I thought you were dead wrong and that I got stuck with a class full of pussies. But when the going got tough, which was well before noon on the first day, I was proved wrong. Just like me, they are quiet, polite, and passive on the surface but emerge from their shells and show progressively more grit as the challenges got harder.
I cant express enough how impressed I was with you, Fuch, and the other instructors. You guys have an extremely sensitive eye for detail, I cant recall even one thing that you guys missed. I had tremendously high expectations for you guys and I am brutally honest with those expectations, you guys surpassed everything I was expecting, especially in terms of safety. The minute details you and Fuch caught belied your ages.
I also want to tell you what a pleasure it was to meet you guys and get to know you. You and Fuch are tremendous instructors, incredibly inspiring, and bad ass to the core. Thank you guys for being the kind of guys you are, and thank you for volunteering to do the dirty work for our country. And finally, thank you for continuing to work in your "retirement" by teaching young men how to be strong and productive with their energy & ambitions.
Sincerely, Mike Hettmann
Senior Chief!
Now that Im home from your Navy SEAL Training course, I can express what I didnt have time to do on paper
I really needed something in my life. I was dying slowly on the inside.
I was failing in confidence and unsure of my capability. I needed something
to believe in and needed to find that "fire" again.
When you named me "class leader" I was surprised as hell? "WTF??...Who
me??..WHY ME??"
You saw something inside that I could not see clearly in myself.
As "Class Leader" and leader of Boat Crew One, you and the instructors
presented me challenges with each evolution, I found strength in my
capability. In my weaknesses, I found the ability to still NOT QUIT. When I
couldnt do it myself, my boat crew and class could. "Everyone Leads,
Everyone Follows"
You taught me how to fish, to shoot, to set camp and exposed me to some of
THE BEST experiences in my life.
Always approachable, positive and willing to give a helping hand, how can
anyone not be inspired to be like you?
Now, I got that "Fire In The Gut" again. I may not be a SEAL but Ill be
DAMNED if I dont have the confidence of ONE!!!!
Yeah, you are US Navy SEAL..
Yeah, you are a Senior Chief..
Yeah, you run ESE...
But most importantly, you a good man.
THANK YOU for being an inspiration Senior Chief!
MY INSPIRATION!!!
Tell Instructor Ben and Fuch THANK YOU as well!
I LEARNED A LOT from them!
Hooyah Senior Chief!!!!!!!
Elonzo
REVIEWS FOR HELL NIGHT
Hell night should be called Passage to f**king manhood! Its not for the faint-hearted buts its the most fun Ive ever had sober! Chief and mom Shipley put on a great course in teamwork, common sense. And getting youre shit together, the chow rivals any 4 star restaurant! A straight from the heart, no bullshit 24-hour simulation of hell week. This course is the true meaning of buying a set of balls-Jamie Knox
Hell night was an excellent experience and if you have any curiosity about what SEALs do and what it takes to make it through BUD/s Hell night is one of the few places you can test yourself. Real SEALs come out and PT you, yell at you and motivate youre balls off. Hell night was worth ever dime and will show everybody what theyre made of deep down where it counts and we eat like kinds thanks to Dianes hard work thanks for everything Brett Kolar
Hell night was SWEEEET Everything was very well planned and organized. It was sick to be taught by some SEALs. This is just my opinion but I would have liked more PT. My knowledge of the SEAL brotherhood and lifestyle has really excited me to want to become a SEAL. Food was great (Mrs. Shipley your amazing) and the cabin was wicked I had a blast HOOYAH-James Yates
Never before have I been so privy to such an impromptu crooning session. The turning point for me during hell night was the around the world night stalk. Just what the doctor ordered Don Shipleys the real deal, cant wait to see what the rest of the week holds in store for us. Thanks Diane Food was delicious.
You can tell about the course and the evolutions all you want to someone but you cant tell them what it takes to get through it its just something you have to do for yourself to find out. Theres no better feeling than getting youre ass kicked by a few SEALs (Nick, Ben, and Luke) besides all the good stuff Mrs. Shipley would keep us straight and made us some of the best food. Id do this all over again in a heartbeat thats how good this place is ran-Dillon
Having done the SEAL Adventure Challenge, I must say that I enjoyed Extreme SEAL much more. I know that BUD/S is exponentially harder but at least I got a taste of the big show. Having DJ, Cole, and Chris there was great and adds a lot of enthusiasm. I loved not having to eat MREs because the food was great. It made it worth it to look forward to the next meal. Thank you. John Mckee
Without a doubt, Hell Night was the most physically difficult thing I have done. I found the 24-hours gives you a realistic taste of what BUD/S is about. The entire day was very instructive as no less than you SEALs all taught us throughout the day. Don Shipley is a first class man that runs a first class operation. Dan Martin
Once in a life time experience tells me where I am going to go in life. F%$kin badass shit. Amazing Instructors. Thank You. Micah Ambrose
It was just awesome. Taking a target with zodiacs, guns, and fins is just out of the movies. We actually did it. Thank you-David
This day was the best day ever it shows you what youre really made of. The instructors are some real Bad Asses! I would do it again if given the chance-Trevor
Hell night was awesome, very hard but fun at the same time, Dianes cooking is delicious everyday and the guys helping out were very motivating-Mike Bump
This was the toughest shit I have ever done in my life. This is the closest thing you will experience to BUD/s before you actually go to BUD/s. I have a SEAL contract and will be classing up soon and this shit pushed me beyond my limits mentally and physically so if you think youre bad ass get youre f**king ass down here and experience the hell! Diane cooks the best food ever- Nick Gamble
The hell night was pretty f**kin cool, there were times you think what the hell Im I doing and then you look back at the other guys and say Im not that bad and it makes you put youre mind in the happy place The whole 24 hrs was not that bad. Don and the other SEALs were great. They got in youre face when needed and made you feel it pays to be a winner. The food was really good and was the f**kin best. I will tell everyone about this thanks Don & all-
Extreme Seal Experience is the perfect program for turning that thought of everything you think you can do into action. Youll find out during hell night exactly what youre made of. It gives you a great inside look at not only what these guys have to endure but also why you must have an I dont have a shit anymore attitude Ive been training for two years for the SEALs and thought I was ready to go cause I could blow the PST out the water. I found out quickly theres much more to these guys than anyone could read /research. Come to the SEAL Experience and find out what youre truly capable of mentally/physically-Brody Mead
Hell night was one of the best and hardest nights of my life Don and Diane really took good care of us. Don was the ass-kicker and Diane made some of the best food Ive had in a while. I learned in 18 years its a remarkable thing that an 18 year old gets to mix it up with real bad Asses like Don and his crew of SEALs. My Favorite part had to be learning hand-to-hand combat and grappling. So far its been a fucking amazing experience and coming down was the best decision Ive made all year. So if you think youre though and can mix it up with the big boys then come down you pussies-Garrison
It was a pleasure and an honor to receive an ass kickin from the real deal and learn what a little bit of real pain feels like. Ben, Nick and Luke were great guys and had plenty of into to offer. Boat PT was one of the favorites of the night and should be looked forward to anxiously by future classes most anyone would agree it was an honor to play bad ass with all you guys thank you Mrs. Shipley for the great cooking! Thanks for the beating Mr. Shipley
Don, This course was one of the most amazing things I have ever done. What great insight to Hell Week. Thanks for all you do here. The food was amazing. Its better to be a short term wimp, than a long term gimp! Nick Varnado
Hell Night was amazing. I learned I could push myself and just not care about a thing and just do it. I really got a taste of what is to come and I cant wait! Sure it was hard, but it was fun, an experience, and everything in between. Instructors were amazing, do their job well, and if I had to do it all again, I would volunteer without even being asked. Hooyah.
Spencer Foslien. I will not fail!
It was a great honor to meet Don, DJ, Chris and Cole and get smashed by them. I learned my weaknesses and will overcome them thanks to their teachings. Thank you.
David Peterson
Hell Night, a sobering reality of BUD/S to Hell Week for those of all ages and physical endurance. Although it is only a fraction of what really goes on in Hell Week, the suck factor of this only feels more rewarding in the end. Great teamwork building.
Justin Coscia.
Its f**kin f**ked up but extremely sweet. I like how you made us do teamwork and gave us multiply tries to do it to become a Team. I dont have much to say because it was unbelievable. O, by the way, Don, youre a better looking, better SEAL than DJ. Hes a dick. Jay Olson
Overall, this was the best 24-hours of my life. When I came I thought I wanted to be a SEAL. Now I know I want to be a SEAL. And thanks to this course I know what I need to work on to KICK ASS in BUD/S. Bryan Uncur
Overall this was the hardest thing I have ever put my body through. It taught me to push myself beyond my normal comfort level. Thank you so much. John Winkler.
Hell Night was an amazing experience. It was great to talk with DJ, Cole and Chris and get their perspective as well as experience some of the training for myself. It was an incredible and challenging experience- Hooyah!!! The best thing was learning the truth about SEALs and what it was all about. The food was excellent. Mike Digiovanna.
The course was great. I enjoyed Hell Night just like everyone. The water was freezing and the PT was tough but nobody quit and everyone pulled through. My favorite part was Hell Night and having a cold hose in my face. During the cold one can only laugh at the events that occur. We were taught that teamwork is key and in order to accomplish the impossible, teamwork is necessary. The toughest part of Hell Night was the Op. We were cold and wet and we had to wait and hour and 30 in minutes in order to assault the target. We really stuck together in the cold and stopped caring about everything except completing the mission. Over all it was awesome. I got to talk to SEALs, shoot guns, pt, jump from a plane, learn survival skills, tracking and patrolling. I will never forget my experience here at extreme SEAL- Emmanuel Cortes
Don, I had a great a great time! Thanks
Things that made it great (positive)
-Dillon Try to bring someone like him to every course shows how blessed we are and not to take life for granted and to live it while we can
-Ben Great guy, very approachable and attitude toward us was great. Got on us when we needed it and helped when we needed him
Team Guys Talking about their experience, good ones and bad ones let us know that if they didnt quit we cant either. It was great Don, thanks for helping me with the sky dive. I didnt want to disappoint you and youre confidence gave me confidence.
Negative- cant think of anything- Great Job! Thanks Danny A. Quinlan
The course was great. I enjoyed Hell Night just like everyone. The water was freezing and the PT was tough but nobody quit and everyone pulled through. My favorite part was Hell Night and having a cold hose in my face. During the cold one can only laugh at the events that occur. We were taught that teamwork is key and in order to accomplish the impossible, teamwork is necessary. The toughest part of Hell Night was the Op. We were cold and wet and we had to wait and hour and 30 in minutes in order to assault the target. We really stuck together in the cold and stopped caring about everything except completing the mission. It was awesome. I got to talk to SEALs, shoot guns, pt, jump from a plane, learn survival skills, tracking and patrolling. I will never forget my experience here at extreme SEAL- Emmanuel Cortes