Editor 's note : CNN Contributor Bob Greene is a bestselling author whose forthcoming book is `` Late Edition : A Love Story . '' Bob Greene says Navy SEALs demonstrate an extraordinary devotion to duty . ( CNN ) -- There is a beach in Coronado , California , just across the bridge from San Diego . It offers a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean , which is why it attracts tourists who are drawn to the sun . I thought about that beach yesterday , when the news from the Indian Ocean near the Horn of Africa was flashed around the world -- the news that the captain of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama had been rescued from Somali pirates by U.S. forces operating off the USS Bainbridge . That beach in California seems quite placid , even sedate . The historic , red-gabled Hotel del Coronado sits upon it -- the place where the Marilyn Monroe-Jack Lemmon-Tony Curtis movie `` Some Like It Hot '' was filmed . The feeling of the place is one of genteel manners , of delicate tradition . You almost expect to see guests carrying parasols and making reservations to play croquet . But down the beach there is another kind of tradition . That 's what I was thinking about on Sunday . When I have stayed on Coronado , I walk down that beach toward the Naval Amphibious Base . I remember a makeshift fence separating the beach from the far reaches of the base . But it was easy to walk around , and no one appeared to take it especially seriously . I have n't been back since September 11 , 2001 ; I would be very surprised if the barriers are n't more formidable now . On that part of the beach , on the outskirts of Naval Amphibious Base Coronado , I saw Navy SEALs in training . Here , the Navy winnows the men who would be SEALs from the ones who fall short . It was a humbling thing to witness . As the Navy itself puts it , SEAL training is like few other competitions : . `` Prospective SEALs go through what is considered by many military experts to be the toughest training in the world . ... The most important trait that distinguishes Navy SEALs from all other military forces is that SEALs are Maritime Special Forces , as they strike from and return to the sea . SEALs ( Sea , Air , Land ) take their name from the elements in and from which they operate . Their stealth and clandestine methods of operation allow them to conduct multiple missions against targets that larger forces can not approach undetected . '' They looked so young , those prospective SEALs on Coronado beach . The maximum age to apply to be a SEAL is 28 . They all know what they 're getting into when they sign up , but to see their faces -- including the faces of the ones who were falling behind , who probably were n't going to make the cut , who were gasping for air on the arduous runs along the beach and having trouble during the maneuvers in the ocean -- was to see a devotion to the concept of duty on a level few of the rest of us will ever know . Maybe you , during the recent days when Capt . Richard Phillips was held captive on that lifeboat off the coast of Africa , were asking yourself who in the world could come to his rescue . Who had the training , and the courage , to carry out such a mission . We probably do n't ask ourselves that kind of question often enough . Usually , military operations are talked about in the abstract , as if they 're lines on a chalkboard , or brightly glowing diagrams on a computer screen . But once in a while , like now , we stop to focus on what we ask of the people who serve in our stead when the task seems all but impossible . Ronald Reagan would sometimes quote a line that summed up our wonder at those who make the choice to serve our country in this way : `` Where do we find such men ? '' We find them among us , although we usually do n't know it when we see it . On Coronado , on Orange Avenue , there was a bar called McP 's , owned by an ex-SEAL named Greg McPartlin . Whenever I would stop in there , groups of guys from the naval base would be having a cheeseburger , maybe listening to a local acoustic band play a guitars-only version of The Beatles ' `` We Can Work It Out . '' You 'd sit among them , and it was easy to forget what brought them to this strip of sand . It was n't for vacation , or relaxation . Where do we find such men ? Sometimes at the next table over , listening to the music . From the Navy SEALs ' creed : . `` My loyalty to country and team is beyond reproach . I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans , always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves . I do not advertise the nature of my work , nor seek recognition for my actions . I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession , placing the welfare and security of others before my own . I serve with honor on and off the battlefield . The ability to control my emotions and my actions , regardless of circumstance , sets me apart from other men . ... In the absence of orders I will take charge , lead my teammates and accomplish the mission . ... I will never quit . I persevere and thrive on adversity . My nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies . If knocked down , I will get back up , every time . I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission . I am never out of the fight . '' Where do we find such men ? Over the weekend , we learned the answer anew . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene .
Captain Williams : Navy SEALs go through training in San Diego . Navy says they go through what will be toughest military training in the world . He says SEALs show a devotion to duty that few of us will ever attain .