China News Network, September 8 (Meng Xiangjun) Recently, the Us "New York Times" told a "surprisingly cruel incident", unveiling the "dark side" behind the MOST elite unit of the US Navy, the Navy's Navy's Navy' Navy.
More scandals of this US special forces force are also recalled...
【Boy trained to die "Hell Week"】
In January 2022, American boy Kyle Mullen traveled to the California coast for a Navy SEALs selection course. Mullen is 1.93 meters tall and is the captain of the Yale Football Varsity Team. At the age of 24, he is at the peak of his physical condition.
He never thought that he would never go back this time and never return home.
On February 8, 2022, U.S. Governor Murphy of New Jersey expressed condolences for Mullen's death. Image source: Screenshot of Twitter page
The selection of THE SEALs is very strict, and the training programs include bomb disposal, blasting, amphibious reconnaissance, etc., the most notable of which is the basic underwater blasting/Navy SEAL (BUD/S) training that has long been considered too cruel - "Hell Week" endurance training.
Initially, 210 men participated in the weight-bearing training, and they suffered physical and mental blows, lack of sleep, and hypothermia. Halfway through "Hell Week," 189 people couldn't hold on, either quitting or falling injured.
But Mullen was still struggling. He suffered from pulmonary edema, a systemic infection, and coughed like he was "gargling with blood." But the instructors and doctors did not stop him from continuing his training.
Infographic: Freshmen at the U.S. Naval Academy lie in the water for training.
When Hell Week was over, Mullen struggled to climb ashore from the icy waters, and the chiefs shook hands with him, gave him pizza to eat, and told him to rest. But a few hours after Mullen returned to the barracks, his heart stopped beating.
"They killed him," Mullen's mother, Regina, complained, "they said it was training, but it was torture." They do not even give proper medical care, which is worse than for prisoners of war."
In fact, due to high-intensity training, another of Mullen's teammates had to be intubated, and two others were injured and treated.
【The devil in the bottle, the prohibition of drugs flooding】
This is The second time Mullen has been selected for seals. Although he had spent more than a year training, his first attempt ended in failure.
Trainee deaths exposed cruelty, cheating and drug problems in the U.S. Navy SEALs. Image credit: Screenshot of the New York Times report
After his first training in a coma, Mullen underwent four months of internal rehabilitation. During this waiting time, a new "devil" appeared. The child began talking to her about drugs to "improve physical performance", but "he never touched that kind of thing in all his years of sports".
Mullen revealed that people in the rehabilitation ward use steroids and human growth hormone, and he is also considering taking drugs. He even got a used car and put it together with a group of people to hide medicine.
The New York Times reported that while collecting Mullen's belongings, the U.S. Navy found syringes and "performance-enhancing" drugs in its vehicles. After investigation, about 40 candidates either tested positive or admitted to using the offending drug.
Infographic: Freshmen at the U.S. Naval Academy shave their heads when they enter.
A U.S. Navy spokesman declined to comment on mullen's death and allegations of substance abuse, saying it would release the investigation report and inform Mullen's family. The drug flood has deeply disturbed the Navy SEAL top brass, but without comprehensive testing, it is impossible to assess the severity of drug abuse in the program.
According to more than a dozen active and former candidates, drug abuse issues have become "deeply integrated into the selection curriculum" and have become a common practice. Miligan, a former Navy SEALs, noted that what the U.S. military needs is "people who know how to play tricks" and "can find unconventional methods to gain advantage against the enemy" — because "war is a dirty game."
"No one can do everything the instructor asks for," he said, adding that many people have to rely on drugs and "pass exams by cheating," and the key is how to avoid getting caught.
According to statistics, the U.S. Navy trains 200 to 250 SEALs every year, and in the 1980s, about 40% of the candidates could graduate, while Mullen had less than 10% of this class.
【Super Soldier or Killing Machine?】 】
The media's criticism has triggered heated discussions on the Us Internet. One netizen said sarcastically that it seems that many people still think that the training of the SEALs is "not cruel enough", they want continuous drugs, disabling injuries, at least half of the candidates should die, otherwise how can the United States cultivate "super soldiers"?
Image source: Twitter comment screenshot
Another netizen believes that this will only allow the U.S. military to cultivate more "Eddie Gallagher."
Image source: Twitter comment screenshot
Eddie Gallagher – Retired Navy SEALs and medic. In 2017, when he faced a seriously wounded prisoner of war by the extremist group Islamic State in Iraq, he was accused of not actually rescuing him by cutting his throat and intubating him. He also posed with corpses after the prisoners' deaths, and while others on the team did the same, his teammates later accused Gallagher of "killing," raising questions about the Navy SEALs' morality.
Gallagher, a former U.S. Navy SEAL member, said he and his teammates were "practicing medicine" with enemy prisoners of war and had no intention of treating him. Image source: Screenshot of the US Business Insider report
After that, the storm intensified. Then-US President Donald Trump interfered in the trial, leading to Gallagher's eventual acquittal. Trump also asked U.S. Defense Secretary Esper to resign when the U.S. Navy tried to remove Gallagher and revoke the Trident Medal.
In addition to Gallat, Trump dropped war crimes charges against two American soldiers who shot civilians in Afghanistan.
[Even if it is covered, it is still exposed to scandals]
In fact, even with "hellish" training, the American Navy SEALs will hardly deserve the title of "Ace Division.". In recent years, the team has repeatedly exploded scandals, including sexual assault, drug abuse, smuggling and so on, in addition to the abuse of civilians and prisoners of war. ↓↓
Back in 2009, the SEALs were exposed to people taking drugs during BUD/S training.
In 2010, three Navy SEALs were arrested for smuggling guns and ammunition from Iraq and selling them to Mexican drug dealers.
In 2017, SEALs raided a Yemeni village, killing six women and 10 children. It turned out that no militants were hidden there.
That same year, a Special Forces soldier was strangled to death in Mali and a SEALs member was alleged to have been involved in the murder.
In early 2018, some members of the Navy SEALs were convicted of recording images of child abuse on their phones.
In May 2018, 10 members of the Navy SEALs were arrested for drug use and were found to have cheated on multiple drug tests.
In 2019, the U.S. Navy Special Operations Command dismissed three officers due to incidents of sexual assault and alcoholism in the Navy's Navy.
The Washington Post noted that as the Pentagon's "most spoiled" team, the Navy SEALs have increasingly become a secret strike force that the U.S. military relies on. In order to protect this "sharp blade," the US military has repeatedly covered up and covered up its war crimes. (End)