Interview with Recruit 4 - Sean

6 May 2021

Sean

Recruit: 4

Age: 31

Profession: Sports teacher and Head of Year

Hometown: Manchester

 

Background

Sean grew up in Moss Side in Manchester to an Irish father and a Jamaican mother.  Where he lived, witnessing violence and hearing shootings was a normal, regular occurrence for him. 

His father’s spent 10 years in prison and he moved with his mother to East Manchester.  Sean struggled with moving from a multicultural area to a predominately white community, and as a result, he suffered extreme racism, which he never told anyone about.  To combat the abuse, he would pretend to wash his bike with bleach but instead would scrub the bleach on his arms to lighten his skin tone.

As he grew taller and more physically imposing, Sean started to fight back but admits to going from being bullied to being a bully, to shift the attention he away from him, something he is now ashamed of.

In his early twenties, he fell into the wrong crowd but soon changed his ways when he was offered the chance to become a teacher.  He’s now Head of Year 10 and also teaches sports.  Sean has excelled in his career and is determined to provides his pupils with the care he needed when he was younger.

 

Tell me about your experience on SAS: Who Dares Wins? 

The experience for me was by far one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. Physically and mentally, my mind, body and soul was taken to its depth.  This is what makes it unique! I’m incredibly grateful for everything I’ve learned and whole heartedly returned to civilian life a better person than I was before I started the course

 

Did you find it difficult? Was it more difficult than you expected?

I found certain tasks difficult but the physical endurance of the course I seemed to surprisingly adapt too. It was expected and I’d prepared for the worse.

 

You experienced a chemical warfare attack as part of the series. This is the first time SAS: Who Dares Wins recruits have taken part in this type of task.  How did you find that?

This was a shock to the system! Very quickly I realised the effects and even when in a safe zone, the toxins from the gas were wrenching to leave the body by any means necessary. Horrible experience!

 

Have you ever done anything like this before?

No, Never.

 

What made you sign up?

The first lockdown really affected my mental health.  I struggled to find routine and also had some personal issues I was dealing with. The thought of being away in an unknown location without any contact with the outside world was really positive and gave me something to focus my mind on.

 

What training did you do in preparation for this course?

I was running roughly 10K every two days with a weighted vest. I also played football in between but hired a strength and condition coach once per week to help me with lower body as my legs have always been my weakness.

 

Now that you have this experience, would you like to join the real Special Forces?

NO, but I admire the men and women who put themselves through selection. It’s brutal. 

 

What was the best part of the series for you?

For me, it was abseil frontwards down the cliff edge! I faced all my fears and thought I did quite well. It’s the one task I seem to remember the most.

 

What is your biggest fear and has this experience helped you get over that fear?

My biggest fear is broken down into many fears. I was failing in life, hated confined spaces, couldn’t really swim and feared heights. I executed all of the above when I completed the backwards dive in the dark freezing cold Scottish Sea.  I did not see the fears I used to anymore by the end of the course.

 

You had to share all your space with women for the whole time you were there, including sleeping and toilets. How did you find that?

To be honest, easier than I thought. In the first hour of us being on camp, I had to go for a number two and was immediately accompanied by Lauren #7, so the awkwardness was gone pretty much instantly. We then and are now really good mates.

 

Would you ever do it again?

Yes, absolutely!

 

What do you think you’ve learnt about yourself?

I’ve learned how to control my aggression. More so how to face adversity when I’m in difficult situations. This is something I struggled with before I went on the course.

 

Has being on the series changed your life in anyway?

I now understand my purpose, and more importantly WHO I AM. it’s a difficult thing sometimes when you look in the mirror and don’t recognise yourself. It took the brutality of the course and some time away from society for me to do that and can honestly say I’m a better man for it.