"Two weeks in hell"

Long before he left for Fort Bragg, Jordan told us that if we ever had a chance to watch a Discovery Channel documentary called "Two Weeks in Hell," we would know exactly what it's like to go through Special Forces training.

Thanks to a friend who alerted us to the program Friday night, we now have that better understanding. It's grueling. And in writing that, I know a single word doesn't do justice to the demanding training regimen for soldiers who aspire to join the ranks of U.S. Army Special Forces and, ultimately, qualify to wear the distinctive green beret.

Understand, I'm not glorifying war or praising the warrior mentality by writing about Jordan's quest to join the best. What I am doing is acknowledging the extreme physical and mental toughness it takes to even be considered, along with the tremendous desire and focus -- not to mention tolerance for pain and discomfort -- that these soldiers must bring to their two-week challenge.

Here's a link to a short video, "Only the first day" if you want to get a sense of the training at Fort Bragg. (Warning: there's some puking and other stuff you need to be prepared for.)

I don't know when or if the documentary will play again on Discovery, but I can offer these highlights:

-- The first week emphasizes individual testing. Long hikes, with heavy rucksacks on the back, plus climbing, crawling, running. agility drills, etc., all designed to test your physical limits and confront your phobias.
-- The second week turns to group activities, where teams either succeed or fail as a whole and standards are exacting. Need to move a 600-pound weight over six miles of unpaved road? You and your teammates need to devise a plan to transport it, using a set of tires, some pipes and ropes, and you need to reach your destination in X number of hours. Miss your deadline by a minute -- as one team did -- and you've failed.
-- The training ends with a 20-mile walk in the middle of the night, carrying your weapon and who knows how many pounds of gear on your back. Sleep-deprived? Aching all over? Hungry? Get over it. You could -- and probably will -- face much worse if you're deployed anywhere in the world on a Special Forces mission.
-- Of roughly 250 soldiers who begin the training, less than half complete it. Among those who finish, only some are chosen to advance to the next level of training, an intense year of preparation there at Fort Bragg. The others? Well, it's not uncommon to try three or four times before breaking through and winning a spot.
-- The clincher: The Army just added another five days to the training, so it's now 19 days in hell.

Jordan told us we'd only hear from him if something didn't go well -- i.e., an injury or dismissal from the program. Even if things don't work out, I've learned enough from the program to respect his even trying out for Special Forces. There's no question it's an elite unit made up of only the most tough-minded, most adaptable, most driven individuals. Seems to me there's no shame in giving it your all, even if you come up short.

That said, I hope he makes it.

Above: Special Forces soldiers at Firebase Cobra in central Afghanistan. Image from "Inside the Green Berets, a National Geographic special airing Monday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.