Debbie sat and thought about it for a moment. She did not like the idea of having to go through a secret training process. After all, wasn't she supposed to be changing the world? Making it a better place for other women? If her training was super secret, how would she accomplish that goal? On the other hand, she knew that she had to accept reality as it was. If she went through Navy SEAL training she would be able to tell that to the CIA division that accepted her, even if it was secret training. The CIA knew all about secret stuff, so they would have no problem with it. It seemed a little bit backwards and backhanded to her, but maybe it would be nice to be in a secret training program. To be honest, there was a small part of her that was concerned that she might fail. That she might not measure up to a man. At least if she went through the training in secret, no one would have to know if she couldn't do it.
As if he could read her mind, Prof. Donaldson assured her that she would be put through a program of the exact same rigor that the boys went through. "It won't be toned down for women, Debbie. You don't have to worry that you are doing Navy SEAL light." Debbie nodded. It was a big challenge, but this was what she had wanted her whole life. And if it had to be secret then so be it.
"Okay, professor. I'm in!" Debbie told him with an enthusiastic smile.
"Wonderful, Debbie, just wonderful," Professor Donaldson told her, with real delight. I will make a call first thing tomorrow morning and let the Naval Academy know you will be there the day following graduation. Debbie thanked him profusely. They hugged, and Debbie reneged on her promise not to cry.
"Enjoy these tears, Debbie," Prof. Donaldson told her, unable to hold back tears of his own. "They are going to be the last tears you can shed. A Navy SEAL doesn't cry. You are going to have to toughen up."
Debbie nodded. She knew he was right, but still, it felt good right now. She loved Prof. Donaldson, and she was sure going to miss him. "You are a great girl," he told Debbie, "I am very proud of you, and I wish you the best of luck in the future."
Debbie wished that the moment could have gone on forever, but that was pure fantasy. In a blink of an eye exams were over. Debbie got perfect marks. She graduated with the honor of being the first triple degree, and she was invited to give a speech at the graduation, which she did.
After the ceremony, she returned to her dorm room, packed up her things, and got to bed early so she could make her flight to the Naval Academy the next morning. It was a whole new adventure for the young Debbie Brown, and she wanted to be well rested and ready for it.
Chapter 3, Swimming with the Navy Seals
Debbie Brown thrived in the Naval Academy. Not only did she excel way ahead of all of her peers, male or female, in the computer sciences program, but she proved to be a formidable physical opponent. Her lithe body quickly became ripped. Although Debbie weighed just shy of 110 pounds, and at least ten pounds of that weight was evenly distributed between her two ample breasts (which, by the way, she had to tape down with sports bandages during her entire time at the Naval Academy to keep them out of her way) she was all muscle. Her one taut belly now sported a well defined six pack. Her legs were all wiry muscle. When she flexed, amazing biceps popped out of her thin arms. She was a real power house alright, and she breezed through the rigorous training required of her.
She was part of a larger movement of women into the navy. The first class to boast a significant number of female cadets was the graduating class of 1980. The class that Debbie joined now boasted almost a thousand women total. But she was the only one who was permitted to undergo SEALs training, and that made her special. The SEALs originated from a secret and unconventional program that was started during World War II. Specially trained units of navy men were responsible for overseeing top secret special operations and missions against Japan. In 1986, this legacy translated into the founding of a Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in San Diego, California. The purpose of the base was to provide leadership, guidance, resources, and oversight to a new generation of specially trained maritime soldiers. The trainees were under the umbrella of the United States Special Warfare Command, and by this time they were primarily engaged in counterterrorism, special reconnaissance, and personnel recovery. In other words, they were the unconventional side of modern warfare. Among these specially trained men were the elite group of Navy SEAL teams. Totaling a little over 9,000 men, the SEALs can operate independently or as a part of the US Navy. They are able to use the Navy's ships, submarines, and overseas facilities to deploy almost anywhere in the world.
Navy SEALs are elite for a reason. They undergo a very difficult SEAL Qualification Training that almost no woman can handle. That is, until Debbie Brown set the precedent. She is truly amazing in her efforts considering that most men can't handle the training, and the drop out rate is well over 80%--typically for a class of a hundred only ten men will graduate. Those are some pretty bad odds! Debbie really set a precedent by finishing her training. Although she went through a secret program, a decade after she finished the Navy officially opened its SEAL program to women. However, since Debbie had been able to complete the training without any reduction in intensity, the Navy was very strict about the fact that they would not modify their program in any way. So far, no women have applied. Perhaps Debbie set the bar a bit too high.
All that is not to diminish Debbie's accomplishments in any way. What she went through was just plain hell. Worse than giving birth to octuplets without an epidural. It was just pure hell. Of course, Debbie would never be able to compare what she went through to giving birth, but she always imagined it had to be worse. After all, every day thousands of women give birth and they have been doing it since the beginning of time. But it was only once in a lifetime that a woman completed Navy SEAL training. One had to be harder than the other.
Luckily, Debbie already had all of the qualities necessary to before she even started the program. She knew how to be both a team player and a team leader. The time that she had spent teaching Wing Chun had taught her how to work hard to meet her goals, and how to listen to others, which is just as important for a leader as it is for a member of a group. If you can't listen to what other people are saying you will never be a good leader because your head will be so far up where the sun don't shine, it will only be a matter of time before you have a mutiny on your hands. She was highly intelligent and fluent in multiple languages, and although her math was not as strong as her languages, she was apply to quickly use the basic laws of physics during her dive training to calculate how the pressure was affecting her body, how to avoid getting the bends, and other important things that would keep her alive in a marine environment.
The SEALs training was long and grueling, lasting as long as her computer science degree and then some. She was approached at the end of the first week of her program by a shady looking man dressed in uniform with his cap so low on his head Debbie could not even see his eyes. She was coming out of one of her computer science labs and he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into a back hallway. She had her Wing Chun skills ready and was about to break his arm but he told her to "Halt" and she followed orders. He told Debbie that his name was Commander Gauge and he had been watching Debbie during her first week to assess her intelligence and her physical readiness. He wanted to enroll her in a top secret training program, but first she would need to pass some basic assessments. These included a battery of psychological and intelligence tests.
It took about a week to pass all these exams, and during that time Debbie was entered into a rigorous physical training regime so she could be ready for the physical part of the test. Of course she passed all the written tests just fine. Some of the higher ups were a bit surprised an outspoken lesbian was able to pass the psychological evaluation, but pass it she did, and with flying colors, so they had absolutely no reason to complain. Debbie was given a personal trainer and he had 2 weeks to get her into peak shape for the physical exam. Typically, a potential SEAL might go through up to 6 months of boot camp before they could eve
n try the physical exam, but the secret program was happy to overlook this requirement if Debbie could perform above standards. What she needed to do was swim a 500 yards in under eight minutes. Then she needed to do 100 pushups in 2 minutes, followed by a 100 sit ups in the same time (and these are full sit ups my friend, not crunches!) Then she needed to perform 20 pull ups, followed by a 1.5 mile run completed in under 8 minutes.
These standards were just a tad higher than they were for some of the males wanting to enter the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, known as BUDS for short, but if they were going to take the time to put Debbie through a private training program, she better outperform anyone going through the regular program. This was going to cost extra money. And of course Debbie did outperform. She shone like a star and made the higher ups wonder if they didn't need to be tougher on the boys they were recruiting.
Once she passed all these tests, she was ready for her private BUDS program. She spent 3 weeks running around in the woods in swimming fins—boy did she have a hard time explaining all the scratches and bruises on her face and body to her fellow class mates—and then she was enrolled in an eight month BUDS program. The training was typically only 6 months, but it was full-time. Since Debbie was going to be concurrently enrolled in her computer science courses, they needed to give her a little bit of leeway.
The first two months of the program were downright awful. Debbie could barely keep up in her classes without drinking twenty cans of red bull to keep her awake after all the strenuous activity. It was like a boot camp on steroids. She had to do obstacle courses, running in sand, four mile timed runs in heavy boots, and tons and tons of exposure to freezing cold water. The typical trainee might get four hours of sleep, but with Debbie still needing to make public appearances at her classes (thank goodness they reduced her course schedule a bit) she only got two. It definitely wasn't the most beautiful time of her life. She had dark black circles under her eyes, complete with puffy bags. She never had a second to do her hair, and at about one week in she ended up just cutting it into a short pixie cut so she wouldn't have to deal with it. Showers were a rarity—she got wet enough during her training.
Perhaps the hardest part about it was that she was going through it alone. Most men that go through BUDS have a whole team of people from which they can get support and comradery. It was just Debbie and the Lieutenant Commander in charge of her training. That meant that during so-called Hell Week, half way through the first part of the training, was particularly intense for her. There is a bell that you are allowed to ring as you almost die of hypothermia and total exhaustion during the Hell Week, but if you are on a team of men there is someone there to stop you and talk you out of it. Not in this case. And the Lieutenant Commander was more than a little skeptical of Debbie. He kept urging her to ring the bell, and a few times she almost gave in. But then she heard those lovely words… "Hell Week is secured!" and she knew she was home free. Once you got through Hell Week, the rest of the training seemed like a breeze.
When she completed the first two months she was allowed to enter the second phase of the training, which comprised 8 weeks of diving. Debbie actually enjoyed this part. She had never had much of a chance to swim when she was growing up in Springfield, but she found she took well to the water. While some people might absolutely despite the solitude of a long distance underwater SCUBA dive, Debbie loved it. Amidst all the craziness that was her life it was a chance to be alone in the big, dark ocean, and just think. She could decompress while she was breathing all that highly compressed air. She also got to learn combat swimming and diving techniques, which was pretty cool. By the end of it she was pretty sure she could take down a Great White shark if she had to. Luckily, that wasn't a part of the training!
The final phase was land warfare. Although Debbie was becoming increasingly tired, some of this last phase of training took place during the winter break at the Naval Academy, so for the first time she did not have to try to take classes in the middle of the most intense training experience the world ever knew. Debbie went through all sorts of weapons training, she learned how to use explosives both large and small, and she practiced her marksmanship and her ability to rappel with ropes.
When she had completed BUDS, she had a mandated parachute training, which was a breeze. After all, all she had to do was jump! The last phase was purely academic and it was easy to do alongside the last of her computer science classes. She learned how to conduct specialized research for intelligence purposes and was introduced to all sorts of tactical software. She really excelled in this last part, far ahead of any of the men who had ever undertaken this type of training. And that was it, she was done. She was a SEAL.
Except for one thing… her training program was super secret, and she could never officially be a Navy SEAL. While most men would be celebrating at a wonderful graduation, receiving a special Navy SEAL trident insignia to wear on their uniform. There would be no such thing for Debbie.
When she had completed her training she was called to a special meeting with one Admiral McCallan. He was a stern older man with a stout chest and a bald head and one of the most intimidating stares Debbie had ever received. Even her SEALs training couldn't prepare her for the courage it took to look this old fox in the eyes. He told Debbie that even though she had exceeded and surpassed every challenge set before her, and even though her ability to obtain her computer science degree and complete BUDS was something straight out of a fairytale, it just would not do any good to let the world know that there was a female Navy SEAL. "I'm sorry, Debbie, but the world can never know of what you have been through. You will never wear the trident, and you will never be officially documented as a Navy SEAL. Even if things were to change in the future, all records of the training you just went through are set to be erased within 10 months. Permanently erased from the face of the earth."
Debbie was crestfallen. What had this all been for if there were not even going to be records of all she had been through?! She felt stupid and silly and she could feel anger rising in her blood, making her red in the face. But all she could muster was "Sir, yes, Sir."
Luckily, there was some better news. "I am very sorry about all that. I can see how disappointed you are. But I can offer you something for all of your effort. I have discussed your abilities and your training verbally with some of my contacts at high levels in the CIA. They are more than happy to welcome you on board, and they are anxious to have you join their team." He paused, letting the words sink in. "That is, if that would be of interest to you?"
Debbie controlled herself from jumping up in the air in joy. Of course it was of interest to her! It was her dream, after all! She accepted right away, and went back to her room in the Naval Academy to gloat. She called up her parents, of course, and told them what happened. They couldn't believe it. They were so proud of their girl who had defied all odds. They were worried about what a life as an international spy meant, but they knew she could kick some real ass if she made it through the Navy SEAL training, undocumented though it was, so they weren't too concerned. Debbie also called up Bob and Herald, and she made sure to have Herald tell his sister Niki, who was up to no good in the French Riviera, and Prof. Donaldson. Prof. Donaldson broke into tears when he heard the news. He was so impressed. Debbie was the most accomplished student he had ever known, and that was saying a lot considering that he had taught students that went on to become future world leaders, the CEOs of multi billion dollar companies, and even other CIA agents. But truly none had shown the fortitude and strength of Debbie Brown.
After getting all the wonderful praise from her family and friends, Debbie treated herself to a nice, long nap. When she woke up, she found that the window of her dorm room had blown open and some of her stuff had gotten scattered about. She saw a small box peeking out from under a bunch of scattered papers and opened it up. It was her sailboat pendant. Debbie smiled and held it close to her heart. She decided there was on last call she needed to make. She picked up the
phone and called Helen's mom and asked if she could have Helen's current number. She didn't bother to explain why, she wasn't supposed to spread what she had gone through among civilians, and even though Helen's mom was a great woman she was a Women's Studies teacher and she could be a bit of blabbermouth. It would only be a matter of time before the whole thing was on the front page of the The Republican, the Springfield local paper. It would start a big conspiracy theory, and Debbie couldn't have that.
With Helen's new number dialed into her phone, Debbie clutched the sailboat charm and hit the call button. The phone rang four times, and Debbie was just about sure that Helen was not going to pick up. Then the ringing stopped and she heard the clearing of a throat and then a "Hello?" The voice on the other end of the received sounded worried, like she did not like to pick up the phone for numbers she didn't know. There was also an air of real tiredness in the voice, a feeling like life was not worth living anymore.
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