[MuresanForMVP]

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I'm sorry, but you're the one who is extremely misguided here. The SEALs want people of better than average intelligence, but they do not want free thinkers.

As for my experience, I have 2 close family members who graduated from the Naval Academy, I have worked closely with a retired admiral, and my best friend in High School's father is a retired SEAL. All of whom I have talked to extensively about the SEAL program because it was something my brother was looking into.

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Independent thinker =/= "free thinker". I know for a fact that US Green Berets can go up to months at a time without contacting any sort of command post to receive orders. SEALs don't operate out of contact for quite that long, but there are periods that require the team (where rank means essentially dick) to use their heads, and come up with answers to scenarios. To be a member of the special ops community, you need to both have the ability to follow orders, as well as come up with plans of your own when the situation is called for. I personally know a couple SEALs, I have friends who have run combat operations with SEALs all over Ramadi and the rest of Iraq, I've done extensive research on them. The idea is to have a "switch", scream your "sir, yes sirs" when you need to, but the military is changing from when your friend's father was in it. Special Ops wants people who are more independent thinkers, because you may be in a situation where someone won't be standing over you telling you what to do. The onus is on the team to lead itself.