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The nation's best returns a SEAL

Captain Yu Kuei-lin is pictured in action during US Navy SEAL winter training at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in San Diego, California. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE

A Taiwanese Marine officer was shown off to the media yesterday for the rare feat of obtaining a US Navy SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) badge following completion of a rigorous and challenging course of training.

"We are extremely proud of Captain Yu Kuei-lin [余奎麟]," said Major General Huang Suei-sheng (黃穗生), spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense.

"There were 123 officers who participated in the course, but only 11 passed all of the exams and overcame all of the challenges to become a Navy SEAL. Yu was also the only foreigner among them," he said.

During yesterday's press conference, Huang introduced 28-year-old Yu to the press and displayed SEAL equipment, certificates, badges and photographs of Yu during his 30-week winter training at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in San Diego, California.

According to Colonel Lo Chih-kang (羅志剛), Yu's commanding officer, Yu was selected to participate in the US Navy SEAL's Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUDS) course last September because of his outstanding service record.

Captain Yu Kuei-lin displays SEAL equipment at a press conference held at the Ministry of National Defense yesterday. Yu was the only foreigner to complete the 30-week US Navy SEAL course last winter. PHOTO: CHEN HSIN-TEH, TAIPEI TIMES

"He is our best. So we decided to send our best to compete with the best of the US' naval officers and Yu did it," Lo said.

The BUDS course is the basic training mechanism for a potential SEAL.

After BUDS, sniper SEALs have to go through another four-week training course to advance their shooting skills.

Yu was a qualified amphibious marine officer before he joined the SEAL program.

But he said that "hell week" at the outset of the course really made him feel like he was living in hell.

"We had to soak ourselves in water for 10 to 30 minutes a time that was about 5oC. It was a challenge for me because I had gotten used to working in the heat in Kaohsiung. Anyway, I survived."

Captain Yu Kuei-lin, Republic of China Marine Corps

"It was 112 hours of non-stop PT [physical training] and it happened during the first week we were at the base. Many people were flunked during the first week, but I wasn't sure how many got flushed out during the first round," Yu said.

When asked why Taiwan had sent a qualified amphibious officer to go undergo the training, neither Huang nor Lo directly answered the question.

"The entire program was merely a part of our weapon procurements [program]," Lo said.

Yu is not the first Taiwanese military officer to have attended the BUDS course, but he is the first officer to have completed the program in winter.

Yu's rank as a Marine captain was also recognized at the Coronado base.

"They [the SEAL instructors] did recognize me as a captain. But because of this I had to meet tougher challenges because they had a stricter standard for officers," he said.

Yu said that the most significant part of the training he underwent was a course training him to adjust to harsh conditions that included very cold water.

"We had to soak ourselves in water for 10 to 30 minutes a time that was about 5oC. It was a challenge for me because I had gotten used to working in the heat in Kaohsiung. Anyway, I survived," Yu said.
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