The only easy day was yesterday : making Navy SEALs

The essence of the toughest military training in the world, known as Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL or BUD/S for short, is captured in this handsome, large-format book of award-winning photography.

From grueling predawn conditioning runs to six-mile ocean swims, Richard Schoenberg documents every daunting step in one BUD/S class's journey toward becoming professional warriors.

Along the way, his incisive photographic essay elucidates the physical and mental struggles of the men who seek - and often fail - to join the ranks of Navy SEALs.

Every aspect of the BUD/S experience is presented, including training in frigid ocean water, lifting 205-pound logs, and surviving underwater without oxygen.

Through the faces of SEAL hopefuls, each picture gives insights into this unique proving ground.

Like the training itself, the photographs, all in color and most full-page, are more than the sum of their parts.

Taken together, they paint a textured picture of BUD/S training and document the transformation of successful SEAL candidates from student to warrior.

Such an intimate look at the oft-talked about, but seldom documented, world of the U.S.

Navy's most elite fighters is rarely seen.