# DrDeth: Your Invitation to Tell Me Everything You Don’t Know About the Military **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 4, 2026, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176 "2026-03-04T01:47:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/1 "2026-03-04T01:47:00Z")
Continuing the discussion from [Series you've recently watched, are now watching or have given up on](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/8410): Rather than let @DrDeth draw me into a hijack and possibly a warning, I figured I’d start a new thread and take this conversation to where it belongs (the pit): > [@Series you've recently watched, are now watching or have given up on](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/8410): > > > [@Series you've recently watched, are now watching or have given up on](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/8409): > > > > The Navy allows people to enlist with a BUD/S contract. We’re talking a standard 4-8 year enlistment contract. > > They do. But then if you want to go into an alite unit (80% washout rate here) with the extra long and expensive training, they want more. All SEALs are elite. It’s not like Army Ranger training where only a minority of graduates go on to serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment. > [@Series you've recently watched, are now watching or have given up on](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/8410): > > Most Seals stay in for the whole 20 years. What are you basing that on? I haven’t been able to find a recent government source on SEAL retention (officer or enlisted), but this study from 1999 shows retention rates for SEAL junior officers hovering around 40-45% after the 5-6 year mark (likely corresponding to the end of an officers initial active duty service obligation). I see no reason to assume that junior enlisted retention would necessarily be higher after the end of the first enlistment. > [@Series you've recently watched, are now watching or have given up on](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/8410): > > > [@Series you've recently watched, are now watching or have given up on](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/8409): > > > > And the reason Kayce is a Navy SEAL is… because that was his backstory in the original series as well? > > Not according to series write ups. The Duttons are Sadistic, murderous assholes, and how anyone raised that way could possibly pass the rigorous psych profile they get is a big stretch. I watched two epi of 1923, and it led with them torturing and murdering 4 innocent sheepherders- and getting away with it- legally anyway. And stealing their sheep. So many different ways to go with this. Do I, (1) point out that ultra-hi-fidelity pre-enlistment “psych screenings” (as opposed to, maybe, for certain jobs, a scantron you fill out that can be easily faked if you’re not also an idiot) are by and large a Hollywood invention, (2) question why you think a 1923 murder would show up on a descendant’s psych screen, or (3) question where you got the idea that SEALs are always a model of mental stability, see for example: > **[Eddie Gallagher (Navy SEAL)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Gallagher_(Navy_SEAL))** > > Edward R. Gallagher (born May 29, 1979) is a retired United States Navy SEAL. He came to national attention in the United States after he was charged in September 2018 with ten offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. In the most prominently reported offense, he was accused of fatally stabbing an injured 17-year-old ISIS prisoner, photographing himself with the corpse, and sending the photo to friends. > On July 2, 2019, Gallagher was convicted of posing for a photograph with the c... > [@Series you've recently watched, are now watching or have given up on](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/8410): > > Note that Yellowstone ends in 2023, with Kayce- > > [List of Yellowstone episodes - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Yellowstone_episodes#Season_5_(2022%E2%80%932024)) > > So in 2-3 years, Dutton finished his Navy Enlistment, Seals training and seals deployment? As @Loach noted, and as I said myself… it was part of his backstory _in the original series_. As in, when season 1 of **Yellowstone** starts, he’s already a former Navy SEAL. Indeed, his special warfare background was a well they went to multiple times throughout the series, up to and including some of the final episodes of the final season. Anyway, I’ve tried to keep things civil for this post, but knowing you, I figured I’ll need a put thread before this is done. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/2 "2026-03-04T02:07:04Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > Do I, (1) point out that ultra-hi-fidelity pre-enlistment “psych screenings” (as opposed to, maybe, for certain jobs, a scantron you fill out that can be easily faked if you’re not also an idiot) are by and large a Hollywood invention… On that note, I always heard that there would be some kind of psychological screening before someone was assigned to a submarine, but I kept waiting for it during my initial training, and it never happened. > [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > …or (3) question where you got the idea that SEALs are always a model of mental stability… Which reminds me of my advice to my sister when she dated a guy who said he was a former Navy SEAL: “90% of the guys who say they were former SEALS are lying. The remaining 10% are telling the truth, and they’re fucking nuts.” SEALS are unquestionably elite special forces. They’re also fucking nuts, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/3 "2026-03-04T02:10:50Z")
> [@robby](#): > > On that note, I always heard that there would be some kind of psychological screening before someone was assigned to a submarine, but I kept waiting for it during my initial training, and it never happened. Given what I know of my dad, and given his very long career as a submariner, I doubt very much that they do psych screenings. > [@robby](#): > > “90% of the guys who say they were former SEALS are lying. The remaining 10% are telling the truth, and they’re fucking nuts.” I’ve only known one person who was a SEAL (an acquaintance of my dad) and he was definitely nuts. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/4 "2026-03-04T02:53:55Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > What are you basing that on? I haven’t been able to find a recent government source on SEAL retention (officer or enlisted), but this study from 1999 shows retention rates for SEAL junior officers hovering around 40-45% after the 5-6 year mark (likely corresponding to the end of an officers initial active duty service obligation). Super embarrassing. I was so wrapped up in the technicalities of collecting multiple quotes and starting a new thread that I forgot to link to the study: > **[ADA355937.pdf](https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA355937.pdf)** ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/5 "2026-03-04T02:56:39Z")
> [@robby](#): > > On that note, I always heard that there would be some kind of psychological screening before someone was assigned to a submarine, but I kept waiting for it during my initial training, and it never happened. The only reason I qualified it as much as I did, rather than come out and say “These do not exist” is that I vaguely recall a case of a USNA grad who made it through 4 years at USNA and a year of specialized nuclear propulsion program training, only to realize at the last minute—I think in response to some screening questions related to a pending assignment to an SSBN—that he was a conscientious objector after all. Something about having qualms about nuking cities on command… ETA: This seems to be the individual in question: > **[Naval Officer Seeks Conscientious Objector Discharge - ACLU of Connecticut](https://www.acluct.org/press-releases/naval-officer-seeks-conscientious-objector-discharge/)** > > Hartford, CT - The ACLU of Connecticut (ACLU-CT) has filed a petition for habeas corpus in federal court on behalf Michael Izbicki, a Naval officer on active duty at the Groton naval base. The petition challenges the Navy's refusal to honorably... So, some level of psych screening, but from context it appears to have ben limited to, as I said, something like a multiple choice (scantron) questionnaire where, if you wanted to fake your way through it, you almost certainly could. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/6 "2026-03-04T02:59:43Z")
IIRC, the pit-ee here “doesn’t do The BBQ Pit” and that especially applies if they’re the guest d’honor. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/7 "2026-03-04T03:03:41Z")
I do recall him saying that, but then again I also recall him posting in the pit. Regardless, I have extended the invitation most amicably and in so doing have (hopefully) prevented a threadjack while also holding him to account for making shit up as he goes along and then hoping board rules will prevent posters from calling him out on it. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/8 "2026-03-04T03:19:41Z")
Whatever DrDeth is, I don’t know. But am I getting this right, it’s all about a TV program? ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/9 "2026-03-04T03:24:48Z")
Aw c’mon guys, it’s a fucking Taylor Sheridan show. A soap opera where the soap is Axe body wash. Not real Navy Seals: _TV Navy Seals_. The Navy Seal gig that he-men take in between being an astronaut and a multi-millionaire hitman. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/10 "2026-03-04T03:30:21Z")
I think he only watches shows like that so he can get upset over how inaccurate they are. Because TV shows are always so accurate. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/11 "2026-03-04T03:45:50Z")
It’s not so much about a TV show (particularly as I don’t plan on watching _Marshals_, although I admit I did grudgingly make it through all of _Yellowstone_) as it is DrDeth’s habit of making quasi-factual assertions that are really just his grossly uninformed opinions stated as fact. And then, when he gets called on it, he doubles down. As if the veracity of a statement is proportional to his expressed level of confidence in it. And he wasn’t just wrong on real-world Navy SEALs. He was wrong on Kayce Dutton’s well-established back story from the original series. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/12 "2026-03-04T05:10:29Z")
> [@robby](#): > > SEALS are unquestionably elite special forces. They’re also fucking nuts, IMHO. I once met a guy who was a genuine SEAL. Huge guy, very intelligent. He was dating a friend of my ex (still wife at that time) We argued US politics. I was a little drunk and gave him a quite forceful negative opinion of the USA’s interventional foreign policies. He very calmly argued back, it was an interesting exchange of ideas across my quite hippy liberal idealogy and his much more conservative outlook. I’d not call him nuts, as much as I disagreed with him. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/13 "2026-03-04T05:20:45Z")
So it is about a TV show. I see. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/14 "2026-03-04T05:37:05Z")
If it’s on TV, it’s gotta be true. That’s like, the law and stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-your-invitation-to-tell-me-everything-you-don-t-know-about-the-military/1028176/15 "2026-03-04T05:40:49Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > So it is about a TV show. I see. The facts in dispute were mostly about things in the real world.