US Navy: Muere un candidato y otro hospitalizado en la "Semana Infernal" de los SEALs

Navy SEAL Candidate Dies Following ‘Hell Week’ Training

Seaman wasn’t actively training at time of death; cause is unknown and investigation is continuing, Navy says
Wall Street Journal

Omar Abdel-Baqui



U.S. Navy SEAL candidates participate in days of mentally and physically demanding training, including ’surf immersion.’ Photo: MC1 Anthony Walker/Associated Press



A U.S. Navy SEAL candidate died and another was hospitalized following a strenuous training known as “Hell Week” that is part of the elite military force’s selection process, according to the Navy.

Kyle Mullen, a 24-year-old seaman from Manalapan, N.J., died in a hospital in Coronado, Calif., on Friday, not long after successfully completing the training, the Navy said in a statement Sunday.

The cause of death is unknown and an investigation is continuing, the Navy said.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to Seaman Mullen’s family for their loss,” Rear Adm. H.W. Howard III, commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, said in the statement. “We are extending every form of support we can to the Mullen family and Kyle’s classmates.”

The other candidate, part of the same training class, was in stable condition at Naval Medical Center San Diego, the Navy said Saturday.

A Navy representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

Hell Week, part of the first phase of the assessment and selection process for the SEALs, puts trainees through days of mentally and physically demanding training, according to the Navy.

Training for the elite maritime military force—which often engages in unconventional warfare and was responsible for killing Osama bin Laden in 2011—consists of running, swimming, trekking through difficult terrain and carrying heavy objects while sleep deprived.