Ice Cold Leader

CHAPTER 3Getting the Call

DESPITE THE UPS AND DOWNS I EXPERIENCED DURING OUR eighteen-month pre-deployment workup, I was excited to deploy as the platoon commander of a sixteen-man platoon for six months as part of an Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG).

At the time of our deployment in the late 1990s, the United States was in a time of relative peace. It's always a great time to be a SEAL, but as far as work went, pickings were slim. By work, I mean the only work that matters to a Navy SEAL: combat. But we were ready to fight should we get the call. As part of the ARG, we were scheduled to travel to various countries throughout Africa and the Middle East and, should the need arise, meet the call for combat on land or sea in that battle space. The members of the platoon and I had no illusions, though. The likelihood of getting the call to fight was remote at best.

And then, unbelievably, it came. A cargo ship had been identified carrying cargo it was not supposed to be carrying while traveling to a country to which it should not have been traveling. The platoon was tasked with taking down the cargo ship. A Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure operation. VBSS! A classic Navy SEAL operation that the SEAL Teams do better than anyone in the world.

The operation was scheduled to take place forty-eight hours from tasking. This was perfect because it allowed us one day to rehearse, which is not always an available luxury. The platoon could have done the operation without a rehearsal if ...