THE DEATH OF KYLE MULLEN: MISCONDUCT OR NAVY SEAL TRAINING ACCIDENT?
November 21, 2022 ·Matt Fratus
In September 2022, US Naval Special Warfare Command completed its investigation into the death of Seaman Kyle Mullen. Mullen had died seven months earlier, at age 24, while attending the Navy’s Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL school, or BUD/S. A primary purpose of the investigation was to determine whether Mullen’s death was the result of a Navy SEAL training accident or his “own misconduct.”
Mullen, a native of New Jersey, enlisted in the Navy in March 2021. In July that year, he began BUD/S, a punishing 21-week course held in San Diego County, California. On average, less than 30% of candidates graduate from the course. Those who do go on to attend more advanced training programs with the goal of joining one of the Navy’s elite SEAL Teams.
BUD/S consists of three seven-week phases. The culminating event of the first phase is “Hell Week.” To pass Hell Week, candidates must endure five and a half days of grueling challenges, such as hauling telephone poles across soft sand, running footraces with inflatable boats on their heads, and lying in the freezing surf of the Pacific Ocean for long periods of time.
https://www.coffeeordie.com/kyle-mullen-navy-seal-training-accident
