A chill wind whips across the Taiwan Strait as a small group of Taiwanese marines stands shivering on a remote dock in the early hours of the morning, their shorts and thin jackets drenched after a day spent mostly in the sea.
"Are you a sleeping beauty? Are you skipping out on class?" a trainer shouts at the wiry men, who have barely slept in days, as they do sit-ups and other exercises on the rough concrete floor, some fading in and out of consciousness from fatigue.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comEntry into the Taiwan navy's elite Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol unit or ARP, its answer to the U.S.
"I'm not scared of death," Fu Yu, 30, said after completing the "road to heaven", a final obstacle course consisting of a stretch of rocks some 100 metres long over which they have to scramble on their bellies and do tasks like push ups to the satisfaction of their trainers. A lot of their time is spent in the sea or swimming pools, learning how to hold their breath for extended periods of time, swimming in full combat gear and infiltrating beaches from the sea.
The aim is to give the soldiers an iron will to complete their mission no matter how difficult, and create steadfast loyalty to their comrades and the military.
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