Commentary: Where heroes come from (CNN)

(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 haven’t been back since September 11, 2001; I would be very surprised if the barriers aren’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. Read the entire CNN article here.