Navy Punishes Officers Over Recruit’s Death During SEAL ‘Hell Week’
FALLOUT
Three officers have been disciplined by the U.S. Navy after a SEAL candidate died shortly after completing the notorious “Hell Week” selection process. A report released Wednesday concerning the February death of Kyle Mullen, 24, found that he died of acute pneumonia with an enlarged heart as a contributing cause. The investigation found that his fellow recruits tried to get him medical help, but their concerns were dismissed by medical staff and instructors alike. The infamous Hell Week—which sees SEAL candidates deprived of sleep and subjected to relentless physical activity, much of which takes place in cold water—left Mullen coughing up brown fluid and with swelling so severe he looked “like the Michelin Man,” one sailor said. Recruits with no medical training were assigned to watch Mullen and his fellow recruits who had just finished the course, the report added. Mullen’s condition continued to deteriorate and, by the time they called 911, it was too late to save him.