SAN DIEGO — Two senior Navy SEAL leaders and a senior medical officer received reprimands in connection with the February death of a SEAL trainee at the service's school in Coronado, the service said Wednesday.
Seaman Kyle Mullen, 24, died Feb. 4 after completing "Hell Week," a strenuous 5½-day training session that ends the first phase of the notoriously rigorous Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training course. The Navy describes BUD/S as among "the most mentally and physically demanding training in the world."
The line-of-duty investigation into Mullen's death, released by the service Wednesday, raises questions about how the Navy supervises trainees, who might be discouraged from reporting medical problems to instructors in fear of being dropped or rolled-back in training.
