A Navy SEAL candidate who died during “Hell Week” training over the weekend was identified Sunday as 24-year-old Kyle Mullen of Manalapan, NJ.
Mullen died during an underwater demolition class near San Diego, Calif., on Friday. Another candidate for the elite military squad was hospitalized during the training exercise, according to a report by USA Today.
“Great athlete but a better person,” said Ed Guerreri, the football coach at Manalapan High School, where Mullen played, to the outlet.
“Everybody loved him,” Guerreri said. “Probably one of the best kids I ever had. Great, great kid on the field but even better off the field.”
The coach said his players will now wear a No. 44 patch — Mullen’s old number — on their uniforms at the Monmouth County school.
Mullen went on to play at Yale University, where he was selected second-team All-Ivy League as a defensive lineman, and for Monmouth University, USA Today said.
Mullen was selected second-team All-Ivy League as a defensive lineman for Yale University and Monmouth University. Facebook / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Kyle Mullen, 24, died during an underwater demolition class during his Navy SEAL “Hell Week” training. Monmouth HawksRear Adm. H.W. Howard, commander of the US Navy Special Warfare Command, offered his condolences to the young sailor’s family.
“We are extending every form of support we can to the Mullen family and Kyle’s classmates,” Howard said in a statement.
Navy SEALs, considered the most elite unit of the military’s naval arm, require candidates to make it through a rigorous, 26-week training program before they can join.
Navy SEAL candidates participate in “surf immersion” during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training at the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Center in Coronado, Calif. AP
Underwater drills that test the boundaries of one’s lung capacity are part of the rigorous, 26-week training program. Getty ImagesThe candidate injured during the training remained hospitalized in stable condition at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, USA Today said.
The last SEAL candidate to die during training was Seaman James Derek Lovelace, 21, who drowned in 2016.
With Post wires
Mullen played football at Yale University before signing up for Navy SEAL training. ABACAUSA.COM




