Hope To Recruit New SEALs

The US Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs, started off their schedule last week by promoting the first SEAL Fitness Challenge of 2008. Sponsored by Naval Special Warfare, the Challenge will tour colleges around the country to promote fitness and to encourage potential candidates to enlist and become a SEAL.

During the Challenge, entrants must finish a 500-yard swim under 12 and a half minutes, do a minimum 42 push-ups in two minutes, a minimum 50 sit-ups in two minutes, a minimum of eight pull-ups, and finish with a one-and-a-half mile run in under 11 and a half minutes (we're tired just from typing that all out -- Ed.)

The Leap Frogs are an aerial demonstration team, which combines visual aerial acrobatic displays with colored smoke and dramatic examples of parachute control and precision..

"We want to use the publics' interest in the Leap Frogs to strengthen interest in the SEAL Fitness Challenge," said Chief Mass Communication Specialist Robert Feinberg, public affairs officer for the Leap Frogs.

"The Leap Frogs will focus a lot of their time on the SEAL Fitness Challenge this year," said Feinberg. "We will be promoting them all over the country on almost every show we do."

The SEAL community requires a growth of 500 personnel by 2012. To help recruit possible candidates, SEALs that grew up where the Challenges are to take place are lending a hand. "This has all the key ingredients to be our biggest Fitness Challenge yet," said SEAL Fitness Challenge Event Coordinator, Lt. Richard Hecht.

Because of the success of prior Challenges, the Los Angeles event has been expanded from one day to two, February 9-10. The Los Angeles event will be held at the University of California Los Angeles.

The Naval Special Warfare community is a maritime component of US Special Operations Command and the Navy's special operations force. The community is composed of over 6,700 personnel, including 2,300 SEALs, 600 Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC), along with military support personnel, reserve components, and civilian staff.

SEALs and SWCC focus on missions involving unconventional warfare, direct action, combating terrorism, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, information warfare, security assistance, counter-drug operations, personnel recovery and hydrographic reconnaissance.

(Aero-News salutes Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Matthew Syberg, Naval Special Warfare Public Affairs)

FMI: www.navy.mil