Aspiring Navy SEAL candidate dies after completing 'Hell Week' training
Kyle Mullen's former football coach in New Jersey, Ed Gurrieri, and his friend, Taylor Aloisio, joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the tragic loss. Mullen's cause of death is under investigation.
The family of Kyle Mullen, a Navy SEAL candidate who died of an unknown cause after successfully completing Hell Week, has released a statement thanking the public for its support and kindness after his death.
Mullen died just hours after completing "Hell Week," possibly the most grueling and physically intense training period in the U.S. military. He was on his way to becoming a Navy SEAL when he died.
Navy SEAL candidate Kyle Mullen is seen in these photos provided by his family. (Fox News Digital)
"Over the past few days, we have been awestruck at the outpouring of love and support that we have received," Mullen's family told Fox News Digital Saturday. "It is said in the Christmas classic ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ that ‘No man is a failure who has friends.’ If that is true, then Kyle is one of the most successful people to have ever walked this Earth."
NAVY IDENTIFIES SEAL CANDIDATE WHO DIED AFTER ‘HELL WEEK’ TRAINING
Mullen died in California Feb. 4 of an unknown cause after successfully completing Hell Week, officials have said. The Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL candidate "was not actively training at the time of his death," the U.S. Navy confirmed in a Feb. 6 press release.
Mullen's family did not divulge any new information on his cause of death Saturday, asking for privacy and saying, "This will be our only statement at this time."
U.S. Navy SEAL Team 18 members react in recognition of contributions of former SEALs after a demonstration of combat skills at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Fla.. (REUTERS/Joe Skipper)
"While we are devastated at Kyle’s loss, we could not be more proud. Kyle dreamed of serving others and enlisted in the Navy with the hopes of joining the best of the best – the Navy SEALs," the family statement said. "He would not settle for anything less.
"Kyle was exactly where he wanted to be in life when he was with his fellow seamen/warriors/classmates at Coronado. He took on every challenge, and failure was not an option as he strived toward reaching his goal of passing Hell Week and receiving his brown shirt."
U.S. Navy SEAL candidates use teamwork to perform physical training exercises with a 600-pound log. (Department of Defense)
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Mullen grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Manalapan High School, where he played football. He subsequently attended Monmouth University and then Yale University, where he continued the sport and was designated team captain. He leaves behind a brother, in addition to his mother and other loved ones.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the seaman "represented the very best of our state."
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