Mother of Navy Seal candidate who died during ‘hell week’ describes son as ‘light of laughter in our life’

Mullen died on Friday after undergoing extensive training session but Navy says he was ‘not actively training’ at the time

The mother of a US Navy Seal candidate who died after a highly extensive training programme known as “Hell Week” in California said that she has now lost the “light and laughter” of her life.

Kyle Mullen, 24, died on Friday after undergoing an extensive training session called Basic Underwater Demolition Seal (BUD/S) along with another candidate. The training included basic underwater demolition, survival and other combat tactics, according to a Navy statement.

In a statement on Tuesday, Mullen’s mother Regina said: “All I can say is myself and mu (sic) other son lost the light of laughter in our life.”

“And he will be missed every day,” Ms Mullen added, according to NBC News Digital.

In a statement on Sunday, the Navy said that the Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL candidate “was not actively training at the time of his death”.

Mullen and another candidate were taken to a nearby hospital after reporting symptoms. The other candidate is stable and is receiving hospital care.

Also known as “Hell Week”, the training consisted of five-and-a-half days of “cold, wet, brutally difficult operational training on fewer than four hours of sleep”, according to the Navy Seals website.

The extensive training is compulsory to get into the Navy Seals, and is held in the fourth week of the training. It marks the end of the first phase of assessment and selection of the candidates for the elite military unit.

“Hell Week tests physical endurance, mental toughness, pain and cold tolerance, teamwork, attitude, and your ability to perform work under high physical and mental stress, and sleep deprivation,” the website said. “Above all, it tests determination and desire.”

A Facebook page called “Remembering Kyle Mullen” has been set up by his family to honour the 24-year-old.

“Kyle was a loving son, brother and friend to so many. We created this page so that you can share your stories, memories, photos and videos of Kyle with everyone who loved him,” the page says.

A New Jersey resident, Mullen was a star high school athlete who also played football for Yale University and Monmouth University alongside his studies.

New Jersey governor Phil Murphy also expressed his condolences on Twitter.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Kyle Mullen, the Navy SEAL candidate from Manalapan who tragically died while in training in San Diego,” the governor said.

“He represented the very best of our state.”