Forging a Legacy
SPECWAR Celebrates Centennial SWCC Graduation
19 October 2018
Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command (NSWBTC) recently hailed 10 of its newest warfighters during the graduation ceremony of Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) Class 100.
More than 250 SWCCs, SEALs, family members and friends gathered to witness the graduation in July, which marked a milestone in naval special warfare (NSW) history.
“The graduation of SWCC Class 100 is truly a momentous occasion that lends credence to the continued professionalization and advancement of America's elite special operations maritime mobility fighting force,” said SWCC Chief Warrant Officer 4 Hank Taylor. “These graduates have been forged through the fire that is SWCC training and have demonstrated the tenacity, grit, skill and moral courage required to successfully execute our nation's most sensitive missions.”
The ceremony, at which each graduate received the coveted SWCC basic warfare device, marked the culmination of 37 weeks of rigorous physical and mental training.
“It's not enough just to be the fastest and strongest. These graduates had to embody the NSW attributes such as moral courage, integrity, humility and creativity,” said Master Chief Special Boat Operator Joaquin Martinez, SWCC training senior enlisted advisor. “Once branded as a NSW special boat operator, each of them will take away what was driven into them during training - that they are vital members of something bigger than themselves.”
The new warriors will soon report to their first SWCC assignments at special boat teams located throughout the United States and will be ready to deploy around the world. They will use their new skills and heavily armed, state-of-the-art, high-speed, low-drag combatant crafts in some of the nation's most sensitive and important military missions.
“A SWCC is one of the most versatile Sailors in the Navy and highly respected in the SOF [special operations forces] enterprise,” said Cmdr. Matthew Russell, commanding officer of Special Boat Team 20.
Special boat teams trace their lineage to maritime operations conducted with small rubber raiding craft used by the amphibious scouts and raiders of World War II. The development of a riverine capability during the Vietnam War spurred the continued evolution of modern-day SWCC capabilities. Special boat teams have provided covert maritime mobility insertion, extraction, direct action and fire support in every major conflict since, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I am honored to graduate with these nine other warriors today, whom I consider my brothers. I am proud to call myself a special warfare combatant-craft crewman and look forward to serving alongside our nation's best,” said a SWCC Class 100 graduate, who must remain anonymous for security reasons. “Graduating from SWCC training and receiving this warfare device is much more than just the culmination of months of hard work. It is about our proud heritage, and forging the future of naval special warfare. It is about those who have gone before me, and those who stand here with me today.”
Each special boat operator is bound by the SWCC Creed: Serve with honor and integrity, maintain accountability both on and off the water, lead by example, and maintain the highest levels of readiness. These warriors are ready to fight and defend in the name of freedom, wherever and whenever necessary. They live according to the SWCC mantra: “On time! On target! Never quit!”