BUILDING ELITE FORCES FOR MILITARY OF FUTURE / Navy SEAL training pushes men to limit to prepare for ever-tougher mission

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Trainees lock arms before dropping into the water for hig... Lance Iversen / SFC

Trainees lock arms before dropping into the water for high intensity wet testing. It’s one in a seemingly endless regimen of tests of a candidate’s physical and mental strength. The 2½-year process typically eliminates about 80 percent of any given class. Chronicle photo by Lance Iversen

Photo: Lance Iversen / SFC

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Navy SEAL trainees from class No. 259 undergo surf conditioning at the Special Warfare Center at the Naval Amphibious Base on San Diego Bay. Chronicle photo by Lance Iversen
Trainees are called out of the surf and ordered to form a "puppy pile" for a visceral lesson in combat tactics -- body heat is precious and there are only a few ways to retain it. Chronicle photo by Lance Iversen
Trainees lock arms before dropping into the water for high intensity wet testing. It’s one in a seemingly endless regimen of tests of a candidate’s physical and mental strength. The 2½-year process typically eliminates about 80 percent of any given class. Chronicle photo by Lance Iversen
SEAL trainees bounce off the bottom of the tank to catch their breath during "drown-proofing," an exercise that toughens them for an escape. Chronicle photo by Lance Iversen
Trainees share body heat after taking part in the drown-proofing test, part of a rigorous 2½–year process to become a SEAL. Chronicle photo by Lance Iversen
Class No. 259 trainees warm up for their turn on the timed obstacle course, while others negotiate the cargo net. Chronicle photo by Lance Iversen
Trainees from class No. 259 take showers that the Navy calls DECON prior to their drown-proofing test. Chronicle photo by Lance Iversen
Trainees take the drown-proofing test with their feet and hands tied. Chronicle photo by Lance Iversen
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