Since the 1970s there has been one common place where all young aspiring frogmen come to test their mettle: The Grinder. This small patch of blacktop asphalt, 9,568 square feet and painted with 165 pairs of white duck-feet flippers is where dreams begin - and end.

It is widely considered to be the birthplace of modern-day Special Warfare Operators (the Navy rate known as SO) because it is here they spend several months conducting some of the most physically and psychologically demanding training known to special warfare organizations throughout the world. It is here, and the adjacent beach and ocean, that they shed blood, sweat, and tears overcoming obstacles, finding ways to win, and learning the fundamental value in the motto, "Abandon Self, Embrace Team." Here they begin their journey to become "Team Guys".

The elements of that struggle for exceptionalism were encapsulated in a painting created by award-winning military and aviation artist James Dietz and unveiled last Friday for temporary display on the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command quarterdeck. These elements were collected from the home of Naval Special Warfare training, including particles from the grinder where SEAL candidates train, water from the nearby Pacific Ocean, and sand from the adjacent beach. The artwork depicts a SEAL and SWCC over-the-beach operation.

SEALs and SWCC, both past and present, gathered on the grinder with active-duty staff and civilians, and members from the Navy SEAL Museum. The 36" x 48" painting, titled Abandon Self, Embrace Team, is on loan from the Navy SEAL Museum to NSWBTC for display and to promote the history and heritage of the Naval Special Warfare Community.

"This is something that represents our community and the teamwork that characterizes us," said Hulin. "It's obviously something very special for us and we greatly appreciate the Navy SEAL Museum for letting us display it here," said Hulin.

Dietz claimed he was inspired by the example of sacrifice set by Navy SEALs and SWCC.

"My inspiration for this painting came from the uniform that the men and women of our special warfare community wear each day and their selfless sacrifice," said Dietz. "The amount of information and enthusiasm given by members of the community directly impacted my enthusiasm to do the painting for them. [The museum] flew me up to Kodiak to actually see the training and what was going on. Because of their involvement and expertise in what they were doing I was able to put this painting together over the course of about five weeks based off of numerous photographs and sketches."

The painting was donated to the Navy SEAL museum by the company Endeavor Life Sciences. The company which commissioned the painting worked with former Navy SEALs to encapsulate the elements of the historic facility for incorporation into Mr. Dietz's paints.

"The painting's depiction of SEALs and SWCC operating in a collaborative effort over-the-beach is authentic," said Mark Hileman, assistant executive director of the Navy SEAL Museum and a 38-year veteran Navy SEAL officer. "It really shows the culmination of training which is administered right here at BTC, and so this is the right place for it."

Dietz's artwork, now mounted atop BTC's quarterdeck doors, is the last thing all of America's elite warriors and future operators see before stepping foot onto the starting point of their destiny. As they glance up at the painting in passing, they enter the grinder inspired by the power of teamwork, the special warfare legacy.

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