False convictions, ruined lives

Article here. Excerpt:

'Dreams are crushed on this sunny patch of sand just north of Mexico. Dreams also come true, and the 20 or so young men tackling the beachfront obstacle course at Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, Calif., hope theirs will. Today is Saturday. On Monday, they will begin Basic Underwater Demolition School, or BUDS, the most demanding mental and physical training in the Navy and, many would argue, the world. These men, some still teenagers, hope to emerge at the end of 24 weeks having earned the right to pin on a gold trident, the iconic emblem of the U.S. Navy SEALs. Looking on, Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Keith Barry says some of them will quit on Day One.

That’s why he’s out here on the obstacle course, coaching three fit, square-jawed ensigns on how to handle these high-climbing, rope-swinging, rib-breaking apparatus. When Barry first attempted this course, he was like these men—22 and hungry, yearning to pass BUDS and fulfill his dream of joining the best of the best. Back then, Barry thought SEAL training was tough. Now, though, he’s 44 and, until recently, a convicted felon. And nothing the BUDS instructors could dish out, he says—in fact, nothing al-Qaeda or the Taliban could dish out—compares with the hell he endured after being accused of rape.'