Latest news with #SEALs
Entrepreneur
11-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
The One Thing Leaders Must Do, According to a Performance Psychologist
We asked a performance psychologist who trains Elite Warriors and Olympic athletes about leadership. Her insights reveal why the best leaders walk alongside their team, not in front. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. There is no doubt that special operators like SEALs and Rangers are able to function under extreme pressure. But this is no accident. It is a result of cognitive performance coaching from people like Brittany Loney. Loney is the founder and CEO of Elite Cognition and has almost 20 years of experience training high-performing operators from communities as diverse as tactical units, professional and Olympic athletes and corporate executives. Her work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, peer-reviewed academic journals, textbooks, and various other programs. Her unique perspective comes from understanding how the brain performs under extreme pressure and translating those lessons into practical leadership principles. In this interview, we asked her to apply her years of working with elite performers to the 7 Questions from Entrepreneur. Related: The 3 Decision-Making Rules You Should Steal from This SWAT Commander Q1: What's the role of a leader from your perspective? Loney: To put themselves last, and to put the mission first, the vision first, and others first. Q2: What's the one thing that every leader needs to know? Loney: To stay humble and distance their ego from the situation." Q3: What's your most important habit? Loney: To have a set of daily habits that I have identified that really help me every day. For me, movement and journaling help me gain clarity. Q4: What's the most important thing for building an effective team? Loney: To value conflict in a productive manner. Task conflict is okay, and teach people how to navigate that. It should never become social conflict. Q5: What's the biggest mistake you see leaders make? Loney: Not admitting weakness and not showing vulnerability to a team when it would be effective to do so. Q6: What's the best way to deliver bad news? Loney: Honestly and directly and then show care afterwards. Related: I Created a Meeting to Call Out My Team's Mistakes. What Happened Next Surprised Me Q7: What's something you've changed your mind about recently? Loney: It's not recent, but growing up, I always thought leaders had to take charge and lead from the front, and I think it would be to walk alongside and really learning how to do that. It took about 15 years for me to learn how to walk alongside someone as a guide versus telling them what to do. The full interview with Brittany Loney can be found here:
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
These events in DFW honor the true meaning of Memorial Day
The Brief "Carry the Load" at Reverchon Park in Dallas gets underway at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Volunteers will also meet at DFW National Cemetery at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday to place tokens on the graves of fallen heroes. DALLAS - In between gathering with family and friends this Memorial Day weekend, it is important to pause and remember what Memorial Day is all about – honoring our nation's heroes. What we know Carry the Load's Memorial Day events occur nationwide but started right here in Dallas. The tribute tangibly serves military veterans, first responders, and their families by raising money for the nonprofits that support their access to counseling, training, suicide prevention, service dogs, job placements, and scholarships for children. This year's event at Reverchon Park gets underway with an opening ceremony at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. People can visit at any time over the course of the 20-hour march to read the stories of the nation's heroes along the Katy Trail. People are also invited to walk for whatever time they would like, whether it's 20 minutes or the full 20 hours. What they're saying "My co-founder and myself served together on the SEALs teams on the West Coast out of college. And after we had gotten out and got back here to Dallas, we got into the business world. It was on the heels of losing some friends of ours out there that we had an idea around an event that could provide a meaningful Memorial Day experience and tell the stories of those men we lost," said Stephen Holley, the co-founder of Carry the Load. "No matter what you do on this weekend, whether you're heading to the lake or it's a BBQ, you need to take some time on that day and reflect on the men and women who died in service of this country." By the numbers Since Holley founded the organization in 2011, it has expanded to 48 states and raised $50 million. What we know Another one of the many events in North Texas offering people a way to reflect on Memorial Day is the Honor Project at DFW National Cemetery. Hundreds of volunteers will gather in the cemetery to visit the graves of fallen heroes, say their names, and place memorial tokens. This will be the second year for the project, which gets underway at 9:30 a.m. with a ceremony featuring Clint Bruce, a former Navy SEAL and NFL football player. What they're saying "As a surviving spouse myself, the best part is that they're going to take a picture, and they're going to text it to Travis Manion. And they're going to make sure that the family members get that picture. And so, to me, that is pretty powerful when you know that people are honoring your loved one," said Lt. Col. Mike Phillips's widow, Deanna Phillips. "Being able to honor Mike's sacrifice means everything. And if I couldn't be there, knowing that someone else would, it just is empowering and helps in the process of moving forward with your life." By the numbers While the Honor Project is new to DFW, it is in 60 national cemeteries across the nation. The Source FOX 4's Lori Brown gathered details for this story by talking to the co-founder of Carry the Load and the widow of Lt. Col. Mike Phillips, who is buried at the DFW National Cemetery. Details about Memorial Day events come from the hosting organizations.
Forbes
21-05-2025
- General
- Forbes
The Courage We Lack: A SEAL's Story Of Silence, Belonging, And Tragedy
Intense white water spray against a black background. Perfect for compositing. In 1995, a team of five Navy SEALs embarked on a high-risk mission in Venezuela to test a relatively unproven capability at the time—navigating extreme rapids in inflatable boats. The theory was that rivers could serve as highways through rugged jungle terrain inaccessible by road. If SEALs could be parachuted into such environments in rafts, they could carry out missions that would otherwise be impossible. Their entry point: the base of the Guri Dam. To this day, the Guri Dam releases more water per second than Niagara Falls at full flood. At the dam's base, water is forced into a narrow chute—about 100 yards wide and over 700 feet deep—creating violent Class 5 rapids, some of the most dangerous in the world. Four of the SEALs were experienced combat veterans. The fifth—Alex—was fresh out of training. Yet Alex brought years of experience as a professional whitewater rafting guide and had the deepest understanding of the dangers of such violent rapids. As the team deliberated the best approach for their mission, Alex had significant concerns. Yet, as the rookie recruit, he was acutely aware that new SEALs were expected to prove themselves before offering input. He didn't want to seem disrespectful of his rank—or worse, be seen as lacking the courage it takes to be a true SEAL. And so, he said nothing, rationalizing that if these highly trained warriors felt it was safe to proceed, who was he to question otherwise? As he later told me, 'In that moment, I was more afraid of not being accepted than of the rapids themselves.' Alex's decision that day shows that even the bravest among us—those willing to risk their lives in the world's most dangerous places—aren't immune to fear. But the fear that held him back wasn't of dying. It was the fear of losing face. Of looking weak. Of not belonging. Of being judged unworthy by those whose approval he sought. Fear of social judgment wears many faces. Rarely does it appear as overt anxiety or panic. More often, it shows up in subtler forms: perfectionism, posturing, control, or compulsive busyness. On the flip side, it can show up as excessive humility, people-pleasing, or quiet compliance disguised as being a 'team player'. The irony is that when we are stuck in impression management - our fear of looking bad keeping us from speaking up or taking action - we surrender the very strengths we're trying to prove. Having worked with many exceptionally talented leaders—some of whom fit the mold of 'insecure overachievers'—I've seen how fear often hides behind intellectualized emotions and a relentless need to prove oneself. Research published in Psychological Science found that status anxiety can significantly inhibit people from speaking up—especially in hierarchical environments—keeping them stuck in a cycle of insecurity alleviation. And the cost of silence in such moments can be far greater than the risk of voicing concern. Yet that 'timidity tax' is rarely obvious at the time. In our efforts to secure status with others, we must be careful not to betray ourselves. When Alex's team launched their rafts into the river, they were immediately overwhelmed by the sheer force of the water. Their raft capsized, plunging them into a violent, raging current just upstream from its most perilous stretch. Armed only with life jackets and survival instincts, they fought for their lives to avoid being dragged under the wild and unforgiving rapids. At the bottom of the rapids, Alex and three of the other SEALs pulled themselves out of the river—shaken, exhausted, but alive. Realizing their teammate Jason was missing, they began searching for him, eventually calling in a helicopter to assist. It would be three harrowing days before his body was found—20 miles downstream. Alex was the last person to see Jason alive. And the first to see him dead. Alex's story runs through The Courage Gap as a sobering reminder that courage isn't just about laying our lives on the line (which most of us will never be asked to do). More often, it's about laying our pride, reputation, and status on the line—risking a bruised ego or disapproval in the eyes of those we're trying to impress. As I wrote in The Courage Gap: While Alex has since gone on to lead in other arenas, it's the courage he's shown far from war zones that I've found most inspiring: the courage to reflect deeply, to confront the self-protective story he told himself after the tragedy, and to admit hard truths. The courage to make peace with his fallibility and embrace vulnerability as his deepest source of strength. In a powerful and raw conversation on my Live Brave podcast, Alex and I unpacked how our unfaced fears—particularly the fear of judgment and rejection—often cost us far more than we realize. While most of us won't ever stand on the edge of roaring rapids, we've all stood at decision points—moments where the easier choice is silence, delay, or retreat, and the braver one is to speak up or step forward without a map or a guarantee. Fear widens the gap between what we know, deep down, we should do—and what we actually do. It takes courage to close it. And here lies the paradox of courage: The idea that fear holds us back isn't new. But we underestimate its reach or its cost. One study found that 76% of people at work avoid conflict while a survey by CrucialLearning found that nearly 75% of employees regularly withhold concerns—even when doing so could prevent major problems. It's why some of the biggest problems individuals and organizations face stem not with what was said—but with what wasn't – due to fear of how it would impact their status. As history shows, when fear governs decisions, it generally leads to worse outcomes over time. So what's the solution? It starts with us. Just as we are our greatest source of risk—through what we ignore or deny—we are also our greatest resource in overcoming it. That begins with being honest about where fear is pulling the strings and recommitting to the values we want to live and lead by. Every day. The root of our biggest problems isn't that we don't know what to do. It's that we don't do what we know. The only way to close this courage gap—the space between knowing and doing—is to become more committed to what we want to gain for ourselves and others than to what we fear we might lose in the process, including our place in the pack. Until we are, fear of looking bad will restrict our freedom to act—and limit the good we might otherwise do. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is risk being misunderstood. The more we practice courage—a learnable skill—the greater our capacity to take the emotional risks that bold leadership and meaningful lives require. Every time we refuse to betray our values to keep false peace or win approval and risk judgment to show up as the person (and leader) we most aspire to become, we reinforce our agency and loosen the shackles that hold us captive to others' opinions. At a time when the pace of change is relentless and external threats—GenAI, nuclear escalation, climate change—feel increasingly existential, the greatest danger to our future isn't 'out there.' It's within us—in our underdeveloped courage to confront these challenges head on and to risk what feels secure today for what could build a more secure tomorrow. As Alex's story reminds us, when fear of judgment guides our decisions, we don't just undermine our integrity—we gamble with the outcomes for others. History doesn't just turn on events; it turns on the courage—or timidity—of people facing them. So wherever you find yourself playing it safe today, ask yourself: What would I do if I wasn't afraid of being judged?And what might it cost if I don't? Not every act of courage will change the world. But any single act of courage might shift the trajectory of your life —or that of others. Perhaps more important, it will spare you the regret of wondering, 'But what if I'd tried?' Alex knows that pain. Let his story be your call to courage.
Newsweek
20-05-2025
- Newsweek
Navy SEALs Face Discipline Over Racist Memes Targeting Black Sailor
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Two members of Navy SEAL Team 4 are facing disciplinary action after a military investigation revealed they had circulated racist memes targeting a Black sailor in their platoon. The memes, which were shared in a group chat, included images depicting the sailor as a monkey and as a chained slave aboard a slave ship, according to visuals reviewed by The Associated Press. "This was a very shocking case of explicit and repeated racist memes directed at our client in a platoon-wide text thread," said the sailor's attorney, Timothy Parlatore. The Pentagon is seen in this aerial view in Washington, Jan. 26, 2020. The Pentagon is seen in this aerial view in Washington, Jan. 26, 2020. Associated Press The two enlisted SEALs responsible for creating and spreading the images will face non-judicial punishment and receive punitive letters in their files—sanctions that can end careers or lead to demotions and pay loss. Several of their platoon and team leaders are also being disciplined for leadership failures, as they did not adequately respond to the targeted sailor's repeated concerns. Administrative actions, including letters of reprimand, could impact whether these leaders remain in the SEALs. According to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the racist behavior began in 2022 and continued for years. The targeted sailor reported the abuse this year but had already lost his SEAL qualifications and Trident last year. He alleged that the revocation was the result of persistent racist treatment. However, following the investigation by Naval Special Warfare Group 2—which oversees SEAL Team 4—his SEAL qualifications are now being reinstated. Officials concluded that the decision to strip him of his Trident was flawed. Naval Special Warfare Command issued a statement confirming it had investigated "serious allegations of unprofessional conduct within one of our commands," and emphasized that "accountability actions are ongoing." The statement added, "We are dedicated to fostering a climate of dignity and respect, and after conducting a thorough and fair investigation, we will hold anyone found responsible of misconduct accountable." Parlatore commended Rear Adm. Jamie Sands, head of Naval Special Warfare, and his team for taking swift corrective action. "They moved quickly to investigate, reverse the negative repercussions that our client received, and move to hold people accountable," he said. This latest incident underscores persistent racial issues within elite commando forces, which remain significantly less diverse than the broader U.S. military. Efforts to build more inclusive units could face new hurdles, however, as the Trump administration and the Pentagon move to dismantle diversity and inclusion initiatives (DEI) across the military, potentially exacerbating the challenges faced by minority service members in these predominantly white units. This article contains reporting by The Associated Press.
India.com
19-05-2025
- India.com
Osama Bin Laden's family dead or alive? Where are his children and wives now? A Look at their lives post Operation Neptune Spear
New Delhi: 'Osama bin Laden—also known as Usama bin Laden—is a name synonymous with crime, bloodshed, and mass murder, who used bombings and other means to advance his extremist goals. The founder of the world's most bloodthirsty terror group, Al Qaeda, Osama planned a series of attacks in multiple countries that killed thousands of men, women, and children, often ordinary citizens just going about their daily lives. Osama, the mastermind of the horrific 9/11 attacks, was killed by US Navy SEALs on May 1, 2011, during a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The death of the terrorist leader may have marked the end of a grim chapter in the history of the extremist group he led, but it also raised haunting questions: What became of the women and children who were with him in his final hours? Where are the wives who witnessed his last moments, and what fate awaits the family now burdened with exile, secrecy, and an enduring legacy of infamy? According to the reports, three of Osama bin Laden's wives, Amal Ahmed al-Sadah (Amal Abdulfattah), Khairiah Sabar, and Siham Sabar, were present in the Abbottabad compound with him on the night of May 1, 2011 when he was killed. During the raid, Osama's youngest wife and a Yemeni national, Amal Abdulfattah, was shot and wounded by US forces. The young woman had insisted on staying by her husband's side, even when Osama commanded the family to go downstairs. Her son, Hussein, sat next to her as his father was gunned down in front of them. Osama's other two wives, Khairiah Sabar and Siham Sabar, along with their 11 children, were detained by Pakistani authorities. All of them were held under house arrest in a 'sub-jail'. It was nearly a year later, in April 2012, that the whole family was deported to Saudi Arabia. Osama Bin Laden and his Children: Osama bin Laden reportedly fathered between 20 to 26 children from his four wives. His first wife, Najwa Ghanem, whom he married in 1974, bore several of his children Abdallah bin Laden, Omar bin Laden, Saad bin Laden, and Mohammed bin Laden are from his first wife. Others were born to his subsequent wives. Hamzah bin Laden was seen as the heir who would take over al-Qaeda's leadership after Osama. According to reports, Hamzah was with his mother, Khairiah, when she joined Osama in Pakistan shortly before the Abbottabad raid. He was able to escape that night and would later rise through the ranks of al-Qaeda. Hamzah was later killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation, reportedly between 2017 and 2019. Osama Bin Laden was born in 1957 in Saudi Arabia and was the son of a wealthy Saudi businessman. Following the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979, bin Laden began providing financial and logistical support to the Islamic fighters battling the Soviets. After Soviet forces were defeated and withdrew from Afghanistan in 1988, bin Laden founded an organization called al Qaeda, or 'the Base,' to continue the cause of jihad (holy war) through violence and aggression. Al Qaeda soon began raising money, setting up training camps, and providing military and intelligence instruction in such areas as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sudan. Under bin Laden's direction, al Qaeda started launching attacks and bombings in various nations to further its violent aims. After centering his operations in Sudan in the early 1990s, bin Laden began formulating plans to attack the West with an evolving, deadly new brand of jihad. Bin Laden and other members of al Qaeda also began issuing fatwas—rulings on Islamic law—indicating that attacks on the U.S. and its citizens were both proper and necessary. Bin Laden later openly declared war on the United States.
