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Links:
1. "Sparta." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2015. <http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/sparta>.
2. "NAVY SEALS HISTORY." From World War 11 to Present Day. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015. <http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/navy_seals.html>.
The Art of Warriors
Both the valiant warriors of Sparta and the heroes of America, the Navy SEALs, have fought selflessly for their nations for many years, and have been mentioned in many sources as the toughest warriors the world has ever seen. The Spartan Warriors, are a group of cold blooded fighters, who are trained at a young age, and taught the ways of war for a permanent career. They fight for their nation, and more importantly, they fight for honor. The Spartan Warriors existed long before the SEALs, and much longer, though some say the idea of a small, yet powerful force originated with States like Sparta. The SEALs, or sea air and land, are a unique breed of warriors who conduct special operations in any environment, but who are trained and equipped to operate from, around and in maritime areas. The origin of the SEALs is much clearer and can date back to World War 2, when the U.S. was in need of the covert reconnaissance of landing beaches and coastal defenses. Since then, the SEALs have carried out a number of highly dangerous and difficult covert missions and have evolved into what they are today. These two noble groups have their differences, but are very similar in fact, in multiple ways. Both the Spartan Warriors and the Navy SEALs train and carry out missions in similar ways, and many connections can be made in the structure of both groups.
Both groups of warriors have very similar training techniques, though some prove to more time efficient. The Spartan Warriors are taught the ways of war at a very young age of 7 years. Their training consists of a rigorous discipline and mainly military type education, known as Agoge, lasting for twelve years. During these twelve years, the boys are drilled in physical activities to increase fitness and stamina, as well as living off the land for shelter and in some cases, clothes. These boys are tested at the age of twelve in the forest for a week, and are forced to show their skills to survive. The ones who withstood this event, in which not a few died, continued with their training, until the age of twenty when they would be sent off to fight, as warriors. The Navy SEALs are put through quite similar fitness and endurance tests, and just like the Spartan's, not everybody can become a SEAL, only the best will more on. Unlike the Spartans, the SEALs training is much shorter, but far more intense: "...The first three weeks of First Phase will prepare you for the fourth week, better known as "Hell Week." During this week, you will participate in five and one-half days of continuous training, with a maximum of four hours sleep total. This week is designed as the ultimate test of one's physical and mental motivation while in First Phase. Hell Week proves to those who make it that the human body can do ten times the amount of work the average man thinks possible. During Hell Week, you will learn the value of cool headedness, perseverance, and above all, TEAMWORK. The remaining four weeks are devoted to teaching various methods of conducting hydrographic surveys and how to create a hydrographic chart." 90% of those who went into Hell Week will not have lasted the entire week, but for those who do, a life of respect is in their future, such as it was for the Warriors of Sparta.
These forces fought in similar ways, crafty and with small numbers, not at all the kind that would charge into battle like the enemies they have defeated. Each group, however, had one, or a few battles that stood out, and defined who they are. For the Spartans this war the Battle at Thermopylae. The Battle at Thermopylae was a tactical battle between the Greeks and the Persians in the Persian war, however we tend to remember it as the 300 Spartan Warriors going head to head with a quarter of a million Persian rivals. This was a defining battle for Sparta because despite the fact that they lost, they showed tremendous courage and completely outwitted the Persian General, but due to the sheer force of the Persians, wit was just not enough. One of the SEALs most defining moment was with the birth of the SEALs in the Vietnam War. The Navy needed to determine its role within the special operations arena, so the current Chief of Naval Operations recommended the establishment of guerrilla and counter-guerrilla units. The SEALs were first deployed in South Vietnam for the purpose of training Army of the Republic of Vietnam commandos, in the same way they had been trained. Since then the CIA has been using the SEALs in multiple covert operations that have changed the way people think about war. Both Spartans and SEALs work in small numbers because they have found that it is easy to manage and allows room for strategy and tactical moves.
The Spartan Warriors and the Navy SEALs are both marvelous warriors from time periods far apart. These two groups of heroes serve and protect their nation without rest and are similar in multiple ways. Both groups have a very similar way of training which involves fitness and stamina training, and multiple tests, one of which determine if the warrior-to-be's training will continue. Also, both groups have similar strategic war tactics and are known because of how they acted in certain battles. We may start to see more similarities pop up between the two in the future because as we know, history repeats itself.
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