What it takes to become a SEAL

It takes more than 30 months of grinding toil to become a SEAL. By far, the most grueling time is spent during Hell Week, which takes place near the end of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training.

1. INDOCTRINATION

Five weeks of learning the expectations and ways of Navy SEALS and a time to prepare physically and mentally for what's ahead.

2. BASIC CONDITIONING

Eight weeks of running, swimming, calisthenics and small-boat operations. One- to two-mile ocean swims and obstacle course work are among the daily activities. A trainee's time must continuously improve. Trainees must pass drown-proofing - swimming with their hands and feet bound. To pass, they enter a nine-foot-deep pool and bob for five minutes; float for five minutes; swim 100 meters; bob for two minutes; do forward and backward flips; swim to the pool's bottom and retrieve an object with their teeth; return to the surface; bob five more times. Trainees must endure cold water conditioning, perform calisthenics or runs along the beach in wet clothes and boots.

3. HELL WEEK

Candidates must endure five days of training with a maximum total of four hours of sleep. During Hell Week, trainees get four meals a day for a psychological boost, but many are nearly sleeping while they eat. Trainees carry inflatable rubber Zodiac boats over their heads and endure a series of timed exercises, runs, mud-flat crawls and more. This extreme training is critical as SEALs on missions must operate efficiently, in sub-zero temperatures and without regard to their personal comfort.

4. LAND WARFARE

Candidates train for nine weeks in intelligence-gathering and penetration, reconnaissance, patrolling and close-quarters battle. SEALs must be able to drive any vehicle and be skilled in high-speed and evasive driving techniques.

Hand-to-hand combat, infiltration, explosives work and prisoner handling is also taught.

5. ADVANCED TRAINING

After basic training those SEALS who remain move on to three weeks of basic parachute training at the Army Airborne School in Fort Benning, Ga. That is followed by SEAL Qualification Training - 15 more weeks to improve basic skills and to learn new techniques required for assignment to a platoon. After completion of SQT, trainees are given their Naval Enlisted Code and awarded the SEAL Trident.