To be clear, not all of the ex-swat instructors were nutters. Some were very competent and down to earth, with realistic training and techniques. But a couple had far more enthusiasm than experience, which is about as kind as I can put it. I learned something from every one of my instructors, but I think the attitude and practical mindset I got from the ex Seal was probably the most valuable. He was very matter of fact about pretty much everything he said, including some actual experiences that many people would expect out of an action movie. But he focused not on the story or his part in it, but on what we could learn and apply from his experience. The stories told by some of the SWAT guys usually focused on how hairy their situation was and how they were awesome.