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ranchandcoast.com 52 APRIL 2024 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE "It won't be at night, and it won't be after four days with no sleep," says retired Captain Duncan Smith, a 32-year veteran of the SEALs and executive director of the foundation. "But our hope is that it will give people a sense of what it takes to become a SEAL and to work together as a team where current, wind, and ocean all get a vote." On average, only a quarter of SEAL candidates make it through Hell Week. It is an extraordinary achievement and comes with the realization that you are not only capable of far more than you ever thought possible, but that you will never quit or let a teammate down. ere are roughly 3,100 SEALs in the U.S. Navy — 2,500 enlisted personnel and 600 officers. e SEAL name is derived from the words "sea," "air," and "land," and what all SEALs have in common is they each trained in San Diego. Now a national organization, the SEAL Family Foundation is headquartered in Coronado, where it was founded in 2008. In the mid-2000s, the SEALs were working to grow their ranks quickly in response to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. For this to happen, two things were necessary: the SEALs had to attract new recruits, but, just as important, they had to retain the SEALs already in the service. Most SEALs are single when they join. Ten years later, they are at the very peak of their special operator abilities, but by then they also have families. "e typical SEAL is 31 years old, has a college degree, two kids, and a mortgage," says Smith. By that point they are in high demand in the private sector, and serving in the SEALs is not only dangerous and stressful for the SEAL, it is equally stressful for their family. e wars in the Middle East have relied heavily on the SEALs, and as far back as 2008, it became clear to some that it was not only SEALs who needed support, but their families as well. "It was very grassroots at the beginning," says Dayna Klock, the foundation's development director. Craig Irving, a local businessman, was given a tour of the Naval Amphibious Base, a training facility on the north end of the Silver Strand that includes a section dedicated entirely to the SEALs that was then brand-new. Following that visit, Irving began to hold fundraisers at his home in Point Loma, where he hosted local business people and others. It is from those beginnings that the SEAL Family Foundation grew, and now supports Navy Special Operators and their families on a local, national, and global scale. "Taking Care of eir Families While ey Protect Ours" is the foundation's motto, and as such the foundation focuses on three pillars: active duty Naval Special Warfare (NSW) personnel, their families, and the Gold Star NSW families who have lost loved ones. Since its founding, the organization has contributed more than $11 million of direct support through a variety of innovative programs. Divorce and suicide are major issues for SEAL families, and a spouse's return can be an especially trying time. e foundation's ird Location Decompression and Family Integration Retreat programs provide a secure environment to share personal experiences and an opportunity to meet with licensed counselors. Its Sisterhood program helps develop bonds among NSW spouses, and its Family Readiness Group supports families before and during deployment. In addition, the foundation serves as a crucial safety net for NSW families through its Direct Emergency Response program, which provides immediate access to resources when necessary. is is the inaugural year of the Around the World event, and the premier category features teams of six or seven people paddling inflatable boats just like the SEALs do. For kayakers and others, in addition to the full course circling Coronado, there will be a shorter three-mile course beginning at Tidelands Park on the bay. sealfamilyfoundation.org Focus military << SEAL Family Foundation Business Manager Jana Gober, Executive Director Duncan Smith, Program Director Laura Ozeck, and Development Director Dayna Klock