By Petty Officer 1st Class Sean Weir.
Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) operators complete demanding tactical training throughout their careers, but before becoming a SWCC operator they must first pass a 72-hour crucible during the fifth week of the SWCC Basic Crewman Selection (BCS) course called the “Tour.”
“On Time, On Target, Never Quit” is the SWCC motto, a valuable maxim the men and women learn at Basic Crewman Selection, take to heart when they embark on the Tour during Basic Crewman Training, and they take with them throughout their careers.
“The Tour is 72 hours of physically and mentally demanding training evolutions designed to replicate harsh environments that SWCC operators may encounter in their carrier as a Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen.”
Chief Warrant Officer Four Joshua Hummel, SWCC School Officer in Charge
During 23 hours of running and five miles swimming, the candidates complete grueling team building activities that develop unity, teamwork, character and humility. Pushed by a team of experienced SWCC instructors under demanding environmental conditions, candidates learn to work as a boat team and also to help the person next to them during life threatening situations.
“The hardest part for a student is changing their mentality and habits. Anyone can show up to SWCC school for a day. It takes someone with self-discipline and mental perseverance to do it every day. From day one until they graduate the students have to realize becoming an elite operator isn’t something you do one day a week or two weeks a month, it’s something you do every day, it’s a lifestyle.”
Chief Warrant Officer Four Joshua Hummel, SWCC School Officer in Charge
SWCC operators work closely with Navy SEALs by providing clandestine insertion capabilities in coastal areas while operating specialized craft used to deliver operators and provide heavy weapons and other critical support. They conduct special reconnaissance, patrol, as well as Visit, Board, Search and Seizure on suspected maritime craft. The Tour is the end of the initial training and where candidates get selected to become SWCC operators, and proceeds the 14-week long Crewman Qualification Training which is just a portion of the six-month A-school.
BCS is administered by Basic Training Command, a component of Navy Special Warfare (NSW) Center, in Coronado, CA. NSW Center provides initial and advanced training to the Sailors who make-up the Navy’s SEAL and Special Boat Teams. For more information on SWCC and how to become part of it, visit www.SEALSWCC.com.
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Photo: A Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) candidate from Basic Crewman Selection (BCS) Class 111 prepares for an evolution during “The Tour” at Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Center in Coronado, Calif., June 1, 2020. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Sean Furey)
Article: This story was originally published on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service on August 5, 2020. DVIDS is a web-based resource providing defense media products that is in the public domain.
