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“We have never lost anyone operationally. … We have been good, but there have been some situations where it has been pure luck,” said Warrant Officer (WO) Pink, the CSOR Team Second in Command (2IC).

WO Pink was born in British Columbia, raised in Winnipeg and now lives in Ontario with his wife and three daughters. His eldest is going to be an artist when she grows up.

The first challenge for those hoping to become an ANA SF soldier takes previously qualified ANA commandos through a series of grueling physical tasks, over a period of three days. The hopefuls are forced to carry a backpack filled with 50 pounds of rocks. In one such test, an ancient artillery piece (see art at top) must be rolled almost a kilometer to the top of the nearest Ghar — and back down again — by a team of 16. In another a 200-pound log must be carried between four men to the top of the same hill and back. In another, a strongpoint of sandbags must be created from a pile of sand 500 metres away. In still one more they each carry an ammunition box to a remote outpost.

“We are not just testing their stamina … we are also looking at intelligence, problem-solving and how they interact with one another. They will take an IQ test as well,” said WO Pink.

Starting just after dawn on the first day, 230 volunteers and a few “voluntolds” take on these “tasks” of pain. At the end of the first day of misery, around 200 remain. By the end of the second day, 176.

Each section is designed to break the will of the young men who wish to become ANA SF. Accompanying each group is an Afghan mentor to provide direct motivation and a Canadian Special Forces advisor to, well, advise. The Canadians keep the Afghan mentors and the would-be ANA SF — undergoing their purgatory of pain -– under a watchful eye to ensure fairness and safety.