In the Press...
Local news article in The Patch'Wholly Inadequate' Medical Care In Manalapan Seaman's Death: Navy'Navy officials brief mother, congressman on command investigation into death of SEAL candidate Kyle Mullen, Manalapan, during "Hell Week."Pat McDaniel,Patch Staff Regina Mullen has finally received official acknowledgement of what she, as a nurse, has known for more than a year - that her son's death during Hell Week training in February 2022 came about from inadequate medical treatment.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, announced Thursday that top Navy officials briefed him and Mullen, of Manalapan, on the findings of a long-anticipated “command” investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of her 24-year-old son, Kyle Mullen. The Navy SEAL candidate died in February 2022 after completing “Hell Week” training. The report is a "major mea culpa" by the Navy, said Smith, and it shows an "egregiously flawed" system that needs change.
Among its conclusions, the investigation identified “failures across multiple systems that led to a number of candidates being at a high risk of serious injury,” including “inadequate oversight, insufficient risk assessment, poor medical command and control . . . ” and “wholly inadequate” medical monitoring and care after Hell Week, Smith said. “The Navy’s investigation has exposed a culture that needs radical change, and the Navy has given every indication that it will implement serious changes to address the egregiously flawed command structure and failure after failure that led to Kyle’s death,” Smith said after the nearly three-hour briefing by a Navy admiral and captain.
Regina Mullen continues to seek accountability. “Looking at the egregious failures that went on, there needs to be serious accountability,” said Mullen, who is a registered nurse, in the Smith statement. “The next stage of accountability is where I am focused.” “When I first met Regina, she made it clear that no other parent should ever have to endure her pain,” said Smith. “Today, she has made incredible strides in her goal to ensure these young men are as healthy as possible and have access to a world-class medical monitoring capability.” “Having lost her son, Regina Mullen is now saving other young men from injury and maybe even death,” Smith said. The Navy’s investigation into the circumstances surrounding Kyle Mullen's death follows an initial investigation concluded by the military in October 2022 that cleared Mullen of any wrongdoing, determining that his death was “in the line of duty, not due to his own misconduct.” According to a June 2022 autopsy report, Kyle died from acute pneumonia with cardiomegaly as a contributing factor just hours after completing the rigorous Hell Week training regime in February of last year. He was training in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego in a Basic Underwater Demolition class. Weeks after the autopsy was released, the House passed an amendment authored by Smith aimed at improving medical care and oversight for high-stress military training programs in response to Mullen's death. The Kyle Mullen Safety Enhancements Amendment, which was signed into law in December as part of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, directs the Secretary of Defense to conduct an appraisal of current standards and provide recommendations to better ensure sailor safety during rigorous training such as Hell Week and prevent long-term injury, illness and death, Smith's office said. “It is a major mea culpa by the Navy,” said Smith. “None of this would have happened without Regina. These reforms are all coming to fruition because of her.” Kyle Mullen was a star football player who led Manalapan High School to its first-ever championship in 2014, his senior year, and maintained a 4.4 GPA. He also played baseball for the Manalapan Braves. He was recruited by Yale University to captain the football team and later graduated from Monmouth University. After college, he chose to join the Navy and became a candidate for one of the most elite U.S. military units: The Navy SEALs. Regina Mullen has now become an advocate for improved oversight of how trainees are treated medically in all branches. But she also is advocating for accountability from the military.
The details of the autopsy report stated her son "was being looked after by non-medical personnel to tend his basic needs. He was in a wheelchair, unable to stand or walk." He had reportedly been coughing up a "red-tinged fluid that had nearly filled a 36 oz. sports drink bottle." Mullen said last year the autopsy report confirmed her son was not being seen by medical personnel, but rather was being helped by his fellow SEAL candidates. Mullen says her son should have been taken to the hospital immediately after he began to exhibit breathing problems. "He should have been intubated (for breathing) and given intravenous antibiotics," she said, speaking not only as a mother but as a nurse. And she has called for an independent investigation. "I really want Congress to hold hearings to hear from men who were in the program," she has said previously. "There has to be accountability."
Regina Mullen with her son Kyle. (Family photo) |
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