Navy SEAL Museum, AFFF complete $170K obstacle course renovation

Navy SEAL Museum 

Fort Pierce, FLA. – Apr. 30, 2019 

The Navy SEAL Museum and the Armed Forces Families Foundation (AFFF) unveiled $170,775 in upgrades to the museum’s outdoor obstacle course during a ribbon cutting on Monday.

Modeled after the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training course in Coronado, California, the Museum’s O-Course was originally built in 2015, allowing guests the opportunity to experience a small glimpse of some of the training U.S. Navy SEAL hopefuls endure.

Construction on the O-Course began earlier this year after members from AFFF presented a check to the Navy SEAL Museum to support the education initiative for visitors and to provide a unique opportunity for active military and veterans to spend time with their families. The renovations are the work of Phoenix Experimental Designs and include important maintenance and updates to the existing equipment, the addition of “The Zigzag” obstacle, and the construction of a 33-foot climbing tower–formally known as the Functional Universal Learning and Climbing Module, or “F.U.L.C.M.”

“SEAL families no longer have to just imagine what their fathers, husbands, and brothers go through in training,” said Rick Kasier, retired Navy SEAL Master Chief and Executive Director of the Navy SEAL Museum. “The Museum is an invaulable resource for our guests, including our military families, because they can come and learn more about the job SEALs do–and then actually experience what it feels like to train like a BUD/S member on the O-Course outside.”

The Armed Forces Families Foundation is sponsored by Taco Bell restaurants throughout the Southern U.S. Grant money is raised through fundraisers in the restaurants. One hundred percent of the donations are used directly for projects that support military families.

“The Armed Forces Families Foundation is proud and honored to be a part of the newly updated Navy SEAL Museum O-Course,” said John Wright, AFFF Board Member. “The course will provide a unique learning opportunity for our military families for years to come.”

AFFF’s focus is funding projects in areas of significant need, which often falls outside the tight budget constraints of the military and its family support organizations.