As former ETSU baseball player John Weddle read and watched news accounts about the attempted capture of the Maersk Alabama and the subsequent standoff between pirates and the U.S. armed forces, he was proud to see that the U.S. Navy SEALs were the military unit that ultimately brought an end to the situation.
The reason for his piqued interest was simple – Weddle is on a mission to join their ranks.
It was three simultaneous shots from the rifles of highly trained SEAL snipers that brought down three pirates who were holding Richard Phillips, the Maersk Alabama captain, hostage on a small lifeboat that was held adrift by the USS Bainbridge.
Those special operations soldiers that carried out this mission went through rigorous training to become members of the SEAL unit, and Weddle has made it through the highly competitive selection process and is now preparing himself for Navy Basic Training.
“It made me realize that this stuff happens more often than I realize for the Navy SEALs and that only some things are put into the public light,” Weddle said.
With only four weeks left until his deployment to Navy Basic, Weddle is feeling more eager than ever after watching these soldiers in action.
In the past five months, he has been training vigorously to be in the best physical and mental state upon entry in the Navy SEAL School so that he can be ready for any given task.
Training both his mind and body is nothing new for Weddle. He had always pushed himself in the classroom and on the baseball field at ETSU to better himself.
Throughout his career at ETSU, Weddle never let his dream of joining the Navy SEALs disappear and it was his experience as a collegiate athlete that would assure his decision to enlist.
“My experience with athletics at ETSU pushed me in the direction of the Navy because of the values like discipline and being part of a small unit team,” Weddle said.
ETSU Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Lee Morrow commended Weddle for his work ethic ever since he attended ETSU and still admires his strength and discipline.
After hearing about the attempted capture of Maersk Alabama, Weddle immediately came to Morrow’s mind.
“He’s always working hard and is extremely intense in his training,” Morrow said. “He is a very special person and I know he is going to do great as a Navy SEAL one day.”
Weddle leaves for Navy Basic training in Great Lakes, Ill., on May 28. He will spend nine weeks in basic training followed by Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Prep for 8-12 weeks and BUD/S training for seven months in Coronado, Calif.
The seven-month course of instruction will consist of three phases.
The conditioning phase includes intense running, swimming and calisthenics followed by the dive phase that teaches diving physics and techniques. The land warfare phase will educate SEAL candidates in basic weaponry, demolition and small unit tactics.
SEAL Qualification Training will follow the BUD/S training that will award Weddle with a Navy SEAL trident to officially recognize him as a SEAL.

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