WASHINGTON — The Navy is investigating the death of a Navy SEAL candidate.
He died following the successful completion of what is called "Hell Week."
The Navy has identified the deceased SEAL candidate as 24-year-old Seaman Kyle Mullen of New Jersey. Mullen was once a football player at Yale University and Monmouth University.
"One such accident is one too many," said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. "We just don't know what happened."
He continued: "I think right now two things need to be focused on. One is support, support for the family that is grieving, who is going through agony right now. And two, giving the Navy time to investigate this and really try to figure out what happened."
Mullen was assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command in San Diego. His death followed the successful completion of the first phase of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training.
It is five and a half weeks where sailors who want to be SEALs are pushed to the limit of physical and mental exhaustion through a series of intense training. More than half of the SEAL candidates who go through Hell Week do not go on to continue on through the six months of SEAL training.
According to the Associated Press, Mullen and another SEAL trainee reportedly experienced symptoms of an unknown illness and were hospitalized.
At the time of his death, Mullen was not actively training, and the cause is still under investigation.
"I mean, the training has to be demanding, given the work that our Navy SEALS do on behalf of our country every day," said Kirby. "So you would expect the standards to be very, very high for their readiness."
This is the second loss of life for the Navy SEALS in recent months.
In December, the Commanding Officer of SEAL Team 8, Commander Brian Bourgeois, died following a mishap during a training exercise. The 43-year old left behind a wife and five children.