It tests physical, mental and psychological strength along with leadership skills, and is so grueling that at least 50% to 60% don’t finish it.Ĭlassmates described Mullen coughing up pink liquid and filling a bottle with it. The test involves basic underwater demolition, survival and other combat tactics, and sailors get just two two-hour sleep periods during the event. His death, instead, has shined a light on the brutal Hell Week that pushes SEAL candidates to their limits. He added, “Kyle’s death will not be in vain.” “NSW remains committed to transparency and we welcome the opportunity to review our assessment and selection programs, and help us look for additional ways to improve and prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again.” Keith Davids, head of Naval Special Warfare Command. “Our deepest sympathy extends to Seaman Mullen’s family and friends during this difficult time,” said Rear Adm. Geary has moved on to a staff job, in a change that was planned before the death. Brad Geary, commanding officer of Naval Special Warfare’s Basic Training Command and an unnamed senior medical officer.īoth Drechsler and the medical officer remain in the same jobs they were in at the time of Mullen’s death. Brian Drechsler, who is commodore of the Naval Special Warfare Center Capt. NETC will also review the personnel decisions to determine if they were adequate or if there should be any actions taken against others at the command.Īccording to officials, administrative “non-punitive” letters were given to Navy Capt. The education command is taking a deeper look at the entire SEAL training course, including policies, procedures and proper oversight by commanders. The banned drugs have become a key focus of the ongoing investigation by the Naval Education and Training Command, or NETC. 22, 37 personnel had been dropped from the training program as a result. Some additional testing for the drugs is already being done in connection with the course, and as of Sept. The potential use of banned drugs by any SEAL candidate, however, is forcing the Navy to confront what many believe is a persistent problem, particularly among special operations forces and service members trying to get through rigorous training and evaluation courses. The autopsy did not include blood tests or urine analysis, which can show indications of the banned substances. And they said that such substances could have been a contributing factor in his death, including his enlarged heart. Staff and medical professionals who reviewed the findings said in the report that several substances commonly used as performance-enhancing drugs - testosterone, Anastrobol and sildenafil - were found in Mullen’s belongings. ![]() The medical examiner’s autopsy report found that there was no evidence of performance-enhancing drugs in Mullen’s system and that they were not a contributing cause of death. The training was at the Naval Special Warfare Training Center in Coronado, California. But a Navy investigation into his death has triggered a number of changes in how sailors are monitored during the physically and mentally exhausting test, and has prompted the command to seek and conduct expanded testing for performance-enhancing drugs.Ī new report released by the command concluded that Mullen, 24, from Manalapan, New Jersey, died “in the line of duty, not due to his own misconduct.” It said he had an enlarged heart that also contributed to his death, which came soon after he successfully finished Hell Week, the five-and-a-half-day test that comes during the first phase of assessment for SEAL candidates striving to get into the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL, or BUD/S, class. WASHINGTON (AP) - The Navy’s Special Warfare Command has reprimanded three officers in connection with the February death of a SEAL candidate who collapsed and died of acute pneumonia just hours after completing the grueling Hell Week test, according to Navy officials and a new report.Ĭommanders did not directly blame the officers for the death of SEAL candidate Kyle Mullen, and no one has been fired.
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