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Message: [QUOTE="Ravage, post: 25648, member: 56"] [b]Navy SEALs Issued Worldwide Safety Stand-down[/b] Put down your sniper rifle. Stop jumping from airplanes. Take off the camouflage face paint. Right now, 2,300 of our country's most elite military members are taking a day off from their dangerous work. All Navy SEALs are in the middle of a day-long safety stand-down. And it not only affects the SEALs, but their 3,000 support people too. From the young men in BUDS training to the highest specialized operators, from the personnel at their home bases here in Norfolk and Virginia Beach to those hunting the Taliban in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, everyone is taking a day to review safety. Navy SEALs are called the most flexible, highly trained commandos in the world. From frozen glaciers to the depths of the ocean, the frogmen go everywhere. In the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan, SEAL skills are proving priceless. But training here at home to perfect those skills has proved deadly this year. Three times in the last two months, a SEAL has died in training. 37-year-old Thomas Valentine died in a parachute accident, then three weeks later, 35-year-old Lance Vaccaro died in one too. Both were from Virginia Beach. Special Warfare officials say their deaths do not appear to be related. A few weeks before their deaths, a 22-year-old SEAL was shot in training in Mississippi. Officials say the stand-down has nothing to do with those deaths. "Safety's always the number on thing in your mind before you go out and do any evolution," said Lt. Steve Ruh, Deputy Public Affairs for Navy Special Warfare. "Whether it's an operational exercise or training or you're over in Iraq or Afghanistan operating in the field, safety is first." And the safety review doesn't just cover how to load bullets in your gun or how to handle grenades, the review is also covering safety off the job and at home. "Yes, when you're out there cutting your grass and you're out there in your flip flops, you've got to stop and say wait, 'Is this the appropriate footwear for me to be wearing?' Safety Sam would say, 'No it's not! Let's put on your personal protection equipment'." Silly as that may sound, the public needs to realize what a huge loss one of these men is for the country. There are only 2,300 Navy SEALs. They are the best of the best and even a bruise needs to be avoided. "If this safety stand down prevents even the slightest injury or accident from happening, it's always worth it...always," said Lt. Ruh. Special Warfare officials could not tell me when the last worldwide SEAL stand-down was ordered. Thursday's safety day was scheduled to last 24 hours and did apply to SEALs deployed to war zones, however, they may have proceeded with necessary missions after having completed some type of safety briefing. [url]http://www.wtkr.com/global/story.asp?s=8013766[/url] [/QUOTE]

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