The HARDEST Part of BUD/S According to Bill Rapier

About this video

Bill Rapier, a former Navy SEAL, discusses his experience at BUD/S training with host Mike Ritland. Rapier recounts that being cold was the hardest part overall, but he struggled most with running after Hell Week, which led to him being rolled back twice—once for failing dive physics due to long division, and once for failing timed runs. He also shares his spiritual transformation during his time at SEAL Team 3 and his path to Development Group, where he served for multiple deployments.

Key takeaways

• Rapier states that being cold was the worst part of BUD/S, and he mysteriously couldn’t maintain running pace after Hell Week despite not being injured
• Rapier was rolled back twice during BUD/S training—once for failing dive physics because he couldn’t do long division without a calculator, and once for failing timed runs during dive phase
• Rapier describes having a spiritual awakening during his first enlistment, praying for the desire to change his partying lifestyle, which led him to become more serious about his Christian faith
• Rapier found NSW sniper school harder than Development Group selection, failing his first attempt at sniper school due to stalking issues before passing on his second try

Episode details: published December 27, 2025 · 9.3K views · 20:06 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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