A US navy Seal candidate who died after a highly extensive training programme known as “Hell Week” in California has been identified as 24-year-old Kyle Mullen, from New Jersey.
Mullen’s death happened on Friday and the Navy confirmed it in a statement, however, stressed that the symptoms began “several hours” after the training session. Another candidate was hospitalised following the training session.
Both the candidates went through an extensive training session called Basic Underwater Demolition Seal (BUD/S) which includes basic underwater demolition, survival and other combat tactics, the statement said.
According to Navy seals website, the training also known as “Hell Week”, consists of 5 and a half days of “cold, wet, brutally difficult operational training on fewer than four hours of sleep.”
Mullen previously played football for Yale University and Monmouth University.
Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan said in a statement: “We are all saddened by the unfortunate passing of Kyle Mullen. As a member of our 2019 championship team, he will be remembered not just as a excellent player, but also as an excellent person and a great teammate.
“He was highly motivated on the field, but his maturity, intelligence, and concern for his fellow teammates is what stands out about Kyle.”
“Hell Week tests physical endurance, mental toughness, pain and cold tolerance, teamwork, attitude, and your ability to perform work under high physical and mental stress, and sleep deprivation,” the website says. “Above all, it tests determination and desire.”
“On average, only 25 per cent of Seal candidates make it through Hell Week, the toughest training in the US Military.”s.
The training is compulsory for getting into the elite military unit and is held in the fourth week of the training, marking the end of the first phase of assessment and selection of the Seal candidates.
Both the candidates were hospitalised soon after the symptoms emerged. Mullen didn’t make it, while the other candidate was listed in stable condition at Naval Medical Center San Diego.
It isn’t yet clear how much the strenuous experience of Hell Week contributed to the deteriorated health of the trainees. However, this isn’t the first time a candidate has lost his life during rigorous training.
In 2016, a candidate named Derek Lovelace died after he drowned during a pool exercise. The navy initially ruled it as an accident but an investigation was carried out later. However, no charges were levied on anyone, including the instructor who was believed to have pushed the candidate underwater.
