Head SEAL Responds to Kid's Question About SEALs vs. Ninjas
It's a question that has plagued the minds of young children since time immemorial: Who is quieter — a Navy SEAL or a Ninja?
Resolved to answer the age-old inquiry once and for all, six-year-old Walker Greentree, a military family member himself, took out a sheet of paper and wrote a letter to Admiral William McRaven, head of the military's U.S. Special Operations Command (AKA The Head SEAL) and the man who is credited with orchestrating the operation that took out Osama bin Laden.
According to Blue Star Families, Walker was prompted to write the letter after getting into an argument with a slightly older friend.
When Walker's mom told him and his friend to "be quiet like a SEAL," that friend insisted that "ninjas are quieter than SEALs."
Walker, who wants to be a SEAL when he grows up, took offense, and decided to take the inquiry straight to the top.
"Can you tell me who is quieter — SEALs or Ninjas?" Walker wrote in his letter to Admiral McRaven.
"I think ninjas are probably quieter than SEALs, but we are better swimmers, and also better with guns and blowing things up," McRaven responded.
As for the follow-up question on how long he can hold his breath: "I can hold my breath for a long time, but I try not to unless I really have to."
McRaven also had a couple of tips for Walker on how to grow up to be a SEAL.
"Remember, if you want to be a SEAL, you must do two things: listen to your parents and be nice to the other kids," he wrote. "If you do that then you can probably be a SEAL too."
