In just a few years since it was established in 2005, the Coast Guard has gained a high public profile. Yes, they've had misdeeds and mishaps - like the one that resulted in a loss of life last week, but few can question the unit's commitment to excellence. Add to that, major "back-ative" from the US Military, and you end up with the Coast Guard Seals trained by the US Navy Seals.
We showed you the first squad's graduation last year, and this year's intake is now in their fifth week of rigorous training. Here's how it looked yesterday:..
Jules Vasquez reporting
These two Coast Guards crawling unto the beach - with the crack of gunfire ringing around them are going through hell, or as their Commander calls it, hell week:
Rear Admiral John Borland, Commander - Belize Coast Guard
"In over 3 days have had very little to eat, have been on the moved on their feet for that long. As you can see how physically torture and tormented they've been in pretty near breaking point but good for us the 2 of them made it while 23 others did not."
But instead of being congratulated for their accomplishment, they have to carry this log to the finish line:
Rear Admiral John Borland, Commander - Belize Coast Guard
"We have started off with 25 men. You 2 are the lone survivors. You have proven that you have what it takes to make it through the 5 most brutal weeks of your lives. You have just survived "hell week." I want you to remember what your instructors said to you and did to you over the last 5 weeks. There was no bad blood there. It was just testing your character, breaking you down to see what you're made of and you are made of the right stuff the two of you that survived here today."
But that salute still wasn't the end of it - as per ritual, they then had to get out of the sun and into a Zodiac inflatable boat and be immersed in ice, and then as a rite of passage, they had to sing the national anthem:
Rear Admiral John Borland, Commander - Belize Coast Guard
"What is different here today is that the numbers are not what it was 6 months ago when we graduated 8 people after "hell week." This class started with 25 people and today we are down to 2. So this speaks volumes of how difficult this course really is. It it not just for anyone as I said before, it certainly is for the stout of heart and the sound of mind and those people that can endure immense fatigue and hardship and sleep deprivation, deprivation of food and all the comforts that an ordinary person would need and these guys have been going at it for 5 weeks now and culminated with "hell week" which finished today."
It finished with handshakes and a photo opportunity with their log, a symbol of the burden they carried.
They have 8 weeks of training to go before they qualify as Coast Guard Seals.
A new intake will be inducted in August with guidance from the US Marines. Eventually Admiral Borland hopes they can comprise a SEAL Platoon.
