US Navy SEAL training BUDs; has a very unique item that is part of the heritage and legacy of this arduous training compound. A life size statue of the creature from the 1954 Horror movie "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" armed with a web belt, dive knife and Hanging around its neck is a placard that says "So you wanna be a Frogman".
One of the traditions that goes deep with US Navy SEAL training is the class gift. Upon graduating the school house, the graduating class gives a gift to BUDs. Over the decades the gifts have ranged from knives, life size Poseidon Tridents, paddles, sculptures, statues and plaques. Most gifts have disappeared over the long years but one gift that was bestowed has not only stood the test of time but is a permanent fixture upon entering BUDs. The creature-stands right outside the back entrance to the quarterdeck…. (Quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship's colors were kept. But in this situation… it’s the back door.)
The life size creature was a gift from the intrepid lads of class 63. How they got the statue is buried in urban legend and folk lore. One of the legends about the creature and how it was procured was a stealthy night operation from a few students of class 63 and the creature was liberated from studio B in Hollywood. That’s just one of the stories but none the less, the creature has endured the test of time as he stood over the grinder (Grinder- Legendary hallowed ground at BUD/S, concrete slab in the middle of the compound that students do extremely painful calisthenics for long periods of time. Out of the 90 percent failure rate, most quit on the grinder.) The creature has spent over 45 years watching each new class full of eager young men reaching for their dream of becoming US Navy SEALs, judging, sneering, analyzing and waiting to see who has what it takes to graduate and become a Navy SEAL.
The Creature is one of most iconic fixtures at BUD/S that once a new student arrives, it’s one of the first things they look at but also makes the hair stand up on the back of their necks. The students know they are ready to begin the hardest training the military has to offer and the creature will be there at the end if they graduate. In the unlikely chance that a student does graduate, it’s a rite of passage to get your picture taken with him. Every student that has graduated has their picture taken with him, along with family, friends, proud parents to include the grandparents. The creature is a legend at BUD/S but also the creature has watched legends develop and slowly saw generations of warriors give their lives too soon but that’s the job. Thats the why the sign round the neck says ‘Do you wanna be a Frogman” it says that because your life can be given at any time and that’s the reputation of Navy SEALs.