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A shame, feel bad for Kyle and his family. I don't think the Navy or SEAL command should be at fault for this, though. Kyle made the decision to take the drug, and he did so (presumably) illicitly and in secret. The nature of special operations units is demanding and grueling, and the selection processes should always endeavor to mirror that intensity. Special operations units will always attract people literally willing to die to get in or before they lose what they perceive to be a competition. I would know, as I was one of these people. I was with the 75th Ranger Regiment (2/75) for five years. The selection program at the time, Ranger Indoctrination Program ("RIP", now known as "RASP" these days), was basically a month-long PT-until-exhaustion hazefest. The first run we did on the first day of RIP in July Georgia heat was a 5+-mile run at a sprinting pace, and five people fell out due to heat exhaustion alone and were removed from the course. I was on the cusp of heat exhaustion, probably actually got it. But I wasn't going to quit - I literally committed myself to die before that happened. If I had a pulse, I was going to be a Ranger no matter what. This same attitude and a similar hot weather incident would nearly kill me almost a year later in Florida phase in Ranger school. I was a no-shit heat casualty, and I blacked out for a few hours. When I came to, I was told I was hyper aggressive with people, couldn't stand on my feet and was stumbling around, I cut holes into my uniform with my Gerber knife, and a Ranger Instructor forced me to submerge myself completely in a nearby stream. Nothing formally came of it, I graduated Ranger School, and always (and still do today) have to take special care of myself when it's hot. Running or hiking when it's 85+ degrees Fahrenheit outside is a nonstarter for me, and dizzy spells creep up pretty quick. Not saying this to brag. This complete disregard for one's health to complete the mission and/or find glory is a common thread in special operations units. Jeff Struecker, a Ranger legend who was key player in the infamous "Black Hawk Down" incident in Somalia, recently said outright the Ranger mission is a suicide mission[1]. I was appalled when I first heard him say it so bluntly, but after some thought I think this is an accurate statement. [1]: https://www.linkedin.com/company/legends-of-the-75th/videos/... |
Then again, there are plenty of way to achieve that. The issue with the so called “hell week” is the amount of swimming in frigid water. You don’t need that much swimming to produce the desired effect. You could replace say a quarter of it with gruelling runs in the jungle and reach the same results without all the pulmonary edemas. I mean the issue is so common that applicants know how to self medicate. It clearly means there is an issue there.
But it’s an hopeless fight. BUD/S has been criticised for decades even by high ranking navy officers and nothing changes. The SEALs all went through it and refuse to face that the thing is absurd out of pride. I fully expect people to keep dying until politicians put their foot down.