SEAL Stories

Testaments to struggle, strength and success

The warrior culture of the SEAL teams says “no matter how bad things get, we’ll figure it out.” But when you’re by yourself as a civilian it’s completely different.

Robert M.

After 13 years of active duty, I faced divorce and became a single dad. I was forced to leave my dream job four months out from opening coffee shop because it didn’t provide the security I needed as a single dad. Failure is not something SEALs are used to. It got dark real fast—the darkness comes from everything we’ve seen over the years setting in when we’re away from the teams and looking for support from people who haven’t been there, don’t understand, and never will.

SFF literally saved my life. Paul and Jonny talked me off the ledge, gave me some momentum to fight back, take care of my son and grow. SFF made me realize that I wasn’t going to make my transition work if I couldn’t balance myself from being inside out. Mental and emotional care were the pivotal points for me and my family. Coming into the ecosystem of SFF gave me a community of SEALs again. It allowed me to be open and honest and admit that I needed to work on myself. We can’t be the baddest, strongest men around if we aren’t mentally stable. It is fixable, but it has to be addressed before we can apply the same values, devotion, and work ethic we did as SEALs.

—Robert

More SEAL Stories

After 13 years of active duty, I faced divorce and became a single dad. I was forced to leave my dream job four months out from opening coffee shop because it didn’t provide the security I needed as a single dad. Failure is not something SEALs are used to. It got dark real fast—the darkness comes from everything we’ve seen over the years setting in when we’re away from the teams and looking for support from people who haven’t been there, don’t understand, and never will.

SFF literally saved my life. Paul and Jonny talked me off the ledge, gave me some momentum to fight back, take care of my son and grow. SFF made me realize that I wasn’t going to make my transition work if I couldn’t balance myself from being inside out. Mental and emotional care were the pivotal points for me and my family. Coming into the ecosystem of SFF gave me a community of SEALs again. It allowed me to be open and honest and admit that I needed to work on myself. We can’t be the baddest, strongest men around if we aren’t mentally stable. It is fixable, but it has to be addressed before we can apply the same values, devotion, and work ethic we did as SEALs.

—Robert

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More SEAL Stories

If I’ve learned anything from the brotherhood, it’s that SEALs will seize an opportunity and succeed. The problem is, if you ask a team guy what they want to do in the civilian world, most won’t know. The majority have performed phenomenally in many  areas. They’re smart and driven, but they’re always training, always deploying. By the nature of the work they aren’t exposed to a lot—no networking, mixers, or leveraging relationships to get a foot in the door.  SFF is critical because it understands the mindset of the SEAL and how to line up scholarships and opportunities to help them excel. Few have the resources to get on an educational path—their skills aren’t translated beyond service.

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