Liz Johnson | 5 Reasons SEALs Make Great Romance Heroes

For the last three years, I’ve been writing about navy SEALs, and I’ve been reading about them for a lot longer than that. Biographies, true accounts of their missions, and novels. I’m not picky about format, I’m just fascinated by these men who serve America with such excellence. Not only are SEALs great warriors, they also make excellent romance heroes. Here are five reasons I love writing them.

1. Determination. In order to become a SEAL, they have to survive the most grueling training known to mankind. I’m not talking about just an unpleasant experience. This training is designed to push every limit—physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. The ones who make it, the men who call themselves SEALs, have mastered every challenge thrown at them and never given up. That’s months of jumping into the freezing Pacific Ocean, rolling around in the sand, and then running miles. That’s carrying boats over their heads and running endlessly across the sand. That’s jumping in deep pools, hands and feet bound. It’s training designed to weed out the weak. SEALs are anything but weak. So when they face a hard times, when relationships are tough, they don’t give up. They know how to fight for what they want and who they love.

2. Smarts. As mentioned above, SEAL training involves grueling mental drills. It takes serious smarts to survive. SEALs have to collect and analyze intel. They execute complex operations that require any number of moving parts. And every SEAL has a specialty (or three). Because they often spend time abroad, SEALs sometimes must learn several different languages. They’re often dropped in unfamiliar territory and must follow maps and their training to safety. There’s no doubt that SEALs are sharp, and smart guys make the best heroes–at least in my book.

3. Spontaneity. They think on their feet. SEALs have to be able to make quick decisions in the face of imminent danger. Their decisions are often life or death, and they must be made in a split second. Quick decisions in the field translate to quick decisions in daily life. They can change directions as fast as needed. SEALs are never boring.

4. Protective instincts. The men of the SEAL teams are natural protectors. When they sign up to join the navy, they’re committing to serve and protect the United States. At the heart of that promise to protect is a desire to care for and defend those in need. When a woman is hurting, a SEAL looks for a way to protect her, to keep her heart from breaking.

5. Physical. SEALs spend a lot of time doing PT and eating right, all to keep their bodies in tip-top shape, capable of handling whatever comes their way. They have shoulders broad enough to cry on and arms strong enough to support a strong woman. A SEAL’s physical presence is practically palpable on the page.

Each of these traits alone are nice, but put them together in one handsome package and what heroine wouldn’t swoon? What reader wouldn’t? What do you think makes SEALs such great heroes?