To become one the of the Air Force’s elite combat controllers, you have to go through a rigorous program called, ‘‘The Pipeline.’’

It is two months of hell -- physical training that lasts at least eight hours a day.

When Staff Sgt. Tony Bryant first went through the fierce selection process, Air Force instructors wanted to drop him. He wasn’t strong enough and didn’t have what it took to become an Air Force special operator, they said.

‘‘They said, ‘You’re gone. Sign your (exit) paperwork,’’’ he said, recalling that day more than 11 years ago. ‘‘I said, ‘No. I’m not signing it.’ I had to literally fight for my place to stay there.’’

His battle paid off recently, when Bryant, who is based at Pope Air Force Base, was named the top NCO combat controller in the Air Force.

He followed a varied and diverse path to get there.

After an unfocussed year in college, Bryant stayed in California for five years, bouncing from job to job, doing construction and making kitchen cabinets.

But $6-an-hour jobs can take their toll on a man in his early 20s.

His friend had just finished four years in the Air Force and seemed to be doing pretty well.

Bryant, anxious to shake the low-wage jobs that framed his future, turned to the Air Force. His Type-A personality seemed perfect for a four-year stint in the military. He figured on a job as a heavy-equipment operator.

Someone in basic training told him about a job, though, where he could jump out of airplanes and learn to deep-sea dive.

‘‘That looks awesome,’’ he told himself. ‘‘I’m doing it.’’

In the ‘Pipeline’

Others told him it would be too hard.

He could look forward to hundreds of push ups a day, so many pull-ups that the arms scream with pain. Then he would do some more.

They told him he wouldn’t make it through.

‘‘Whenever anybody told me that, I didn’t listen,’’ he said. ‘‘I had no doubt in my mind I would make it.’’

Had he washed out of the program, he could have been given any job of the Air Force’s choosing, from cook to clerk.

By simply signing up for ‘‘Pipeline,’’ he put his future at risk -- at least the next four years of it.

But it didn’t stop Bryant. He said he never lacked self-confidence, even though instructors would urge students of the ‘‘Pipeline’’ to quit.

‘‘A lot of time people didn’t want to be there,’’ he said. ‘‘They thought it was too hard.’’

In a class of 110 students, 50 might quit the grueling program in the first week. Eventually, Bryant made it through. He has been a combat controller now for 11 years. He will be 35 soon.

Much of his job is classified. He cannot talk about the people with whom he works or the places he goes. He can just tell you that he flies by helicopter to dangerous places and helps to rescue downed pilots in remote parts of the world. Recently, his area has been Southwest Asia, including countries like Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Bryant is in the 21st Special Tactics Squadron at Pope. He takes his job seriously, he said. Like many of the 350-400 Air Force personnel in his field, he is rock solid, with wide shoulders. His upper body forms a V after years of strength training and his arms are thick.

‘‘I’m always pushing myself as hard as I can and always being the best that I can be,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m always looking to improve.’’

Last year, the Air Force estimated Bryant spent more than 300 days away from home.

His wife Mayumi, who won an award for civilian employee of the year at Morale, Welfare and Recreation recently, spends a lot of time at home alone. She takes care of three children -- Jessica, 2; Ashley, 13; and Vanessa, 12 -- and a hyper dog named Holly.

His wife puts up with the seemingly endless out-of-town work with a sense of humor. ‘‘She claims it is what kept us together so long, because I do go away so much,’’ he said. ‘‘She is very understanding when I am constantly volunteering.’’

Bryant says his biggest strength is self-motivation.