Page 7 of Aussie
“Ava! Did you see that? That was so cool!” Christian said. The smile on his face grew by the second.
“I did,” she told him.
Suddenly, Christian realized Aussie was standing there, and he gave Ava a look as if asking who he was.
Ava smiled. “Christian, this is Aussie. Aussie, this is Christian.”
Aussie held his hand out. “It’s nice to meet you, Christian. You looked pretty good out there with my team.”
Christian shook his hand, and Aussie was impressed with the kid’s grip. It was a strong and confident handshake.
“It’s nice to meet you too. You’re a SEAL too?” he asked, and Aussie grinned.
“I am.”
“That’s so cool,” Christian said.
“Ava here tells me that you’re interested in becoming one yourself,” Aussie said, directing his attention to Christian.
The boy nodded enthusiastically. “I am. I spoke with the recruiter about it, and he gave me some tips on things that I should focus on and concentrate on. I’m scheduled to take the ASVAB test in the third week of January.”
Aussie raised an eyebrow, impressed. Lucas wasn’t lying when he said the kid was prepared. “Being a SEAL is a big goal. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication,” Aussie told him.
Christian shrugged, but there was a fire in his eyes. “I'm ready for it. Like I told the recruiter, I know it’s tough both mentally and physically, but I’m doing everything that I can to prepare myself for it. Do you have any pointers that you can give me? You know things that I might be missing or not doing to prepare?”
Aussie smiled, loving the kid's dedication and willingness to reach his dream.
“Well, you’re on the right track already. Going through BUD/s is more mental than it is physical. I’ve seen some of the strongest men quit because they mentally could not withstand the grueling training that recruits are put through. You see, BUD/s is designed to push recruits beyond their physical limits.”
“Was it hard for you?” Christian asked.
Aussie laughed. “Yeah. It was one of the hardest things I think I ever did.”
“Was there a time that you wanted to quit? You know, ring the bell?”
“There were numerous times,” Aussie admitted, and he wasn’t ashamed to say it because if anybody who has gone through BUD/s and said that quitting never crossed their mind, he knew they were lying.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what was it that prevented you from ringing out?”
“Pride. I knew I wanted to be a SEAL when I was around your age, and when I got selected into BUD/s, I promised myself that I wasn’t going to ring out no matter how badly I wanted to. Anytime I started thinking about quitting, I would think back to a phrase that my mentor, a Master Chief and former SEAL, had told me. And would repeat that phrase over and over in my head until quitting was a thing of the past.”
“What was the phrase?”
Aussie grinned. “Don’t ring the damn bell. That was the phrase I would repeat.”
Christian grinned. “Thanks for sharing that with me. If I get in, I’ll have to remember that.”
Aussie smiled. “You do that.”
“Is there any type of program that could help prepare kids who are Christian’s age? I know there is JROTC in high schools, but Christian is focused on core classes,” Ava asked.
Aussie felt a surge of respect for both of them—Christian for his resilience and Ava for her dedication to helping him.
Aussie looked at Christian. “If you’re serious about this, you should look into the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets.”
“Sea Cadets? What is that?” Ava asked, tilting her head.
“It’s a youth leadership program for kids interested in the military. The Navy sponsors it,” Aussie explained. “One of my buddies has a kid in the program. They get to learn about discipline, teamwork, and leadership. It’s a great way to see if military life is really for you before you make the full commitment.”
