Captain Geary Letter to The SOFX Audience

Last week, we received a letter to the editor from Captain Brad Geary, regarding the article I wrote the week prior concerning a recent Shawn Ryan Show podcast Appearance. The first article is available here: https://www.sofx.com/active-duty-navy-seal-captain-alleges-investigation-steering-and-mishandling-on-shawn-ryan-show-sam-havelock-the-sofx-report/ -Sam Havelock, Founder, SOFX.

Captain Geary Letter to The SOFX Audience | Brad Geary

hank you for your recent article within The SOFX Report. My lawyer, and former Marine Judge Advocate, Jason Wareham has reviewed this letter. We ask you and the readership of The SOFX Report to consider additional observations about the circumstances I talked about on the Shawn Ryan Show. All the observations included in this letter have been publicly disseminated by government officials, including a United States Congressman. These are our opinions based on the facts as we know them.

After Hell Week concluded, Kyle Mullen was examined by not less than three separate Naval Medical Physicians. His vital signs were stable. Kyle did not have an elevated temperature and his Oxygen saturation at the conclusion of Hell Week was 98%. Kyle was conversational and did not complain of anything other than knee pain, which is a common ailment SEAL candidates report after the arduous week of Hell Week training. Kyle Mullen walked out of the candidate medical examination area on his own. One of the examining physicians conducted a final check of all candidates before departing and saw Kyle relaxing comfortably on his bed, reclining, and listening to music. He was of sound mind and coherent in multiple conversations.

Several hours after routine post-hell week medical checks were complete, Kyle’s physiological situation began to decompensate and show signs of stress. All candidates remained under routine post hell week surveillance. The US Navy watch stander responsible for monitoring the students offered to call 9-11 multiple times. Kyle refused each time. Contrary to the widely reported claim that Kyle Mullen was denied medical care, the reverse is true and a matter of the official record and investigation outputs: Kyle Mullen refused medical treatment, multiple times. Eventually, ignoring Kyle’s refusal, 9-11 was called. Paramedics arrived and began treating Kyle in earnest. Kyle was transported to a civilian emergency room where despite the best attempts of all medical professionals including Civilian Emergency Medicine Physicians, he was unable to stabilize and tragically passed away.

The Bureau of Naval Medicine (BUMED) is the foremost authority on Navy & Marine Corps medicine, medical practice and standards of care. BUMED conducted an independent review of the case and concluded all three Naval physicians met the standard of medical care expected of them as professionals. There was no medical malpractice. Beyond the Naval medical physicians, all Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics involved in this case performed as expected and maintain their full licenses and accreditations.

As SOFX covered in the article, Kyle’s heart was found to be significantly larger than it should have been, but it’s important to note it had been internally restructured as well. The use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) has been clinically associated with heart malformation and PED abuse. After Kyle’s death, our Senior Medical Officer examined Kyle’s initial physical examination to enter the Navy. Kyle Mullen’s military medical record specifically identified gynecomastia as a pre-existing condition. Gynecomastia is a well-known side effect of long-term steroid use. Finally, with regards to additional unprescribed and controlled substances beyond the PEDs found among Kyle’s belongings, one of which was Sildenafil, the generic version of Viagra. The Food & Drug Administration label for Sildenafil/Viagra does not recommend taking it for patients with heart issues, as it can cause sudden cardiac arrest.

Beyond misinformation previously reported by other media outlets, a team of prosecuting attorneys, the Regional Legal Services Office (RLSO) reviewed the thousands of pages of investigations and determined there was no evidence of a crime by me or my Instructor Cadre, and there was no evidence to suggest we ever stepped outside the limits of curriculum execution.

Despite these legal and medical findings, we continue to be punished by US Navy processes.

Doctors and leaders cannot read minds, nor should they be expected to. There are several reasons why a candidate who just completed Hell Week would conceal their true level of suffering and difficulty, most notably the fear of being held back from starting Phase 2 of BUD/S. Add to that the possibility of being dropped from training entirely if Naval Medical Professionals reconsidered Kyle’s fitness for duty given known heart abnormalities, the incentive becomes stronger. Now finally add in the fact that one is currently in possession of unprescribed controlled dangerous substances, which is a one-way ticket to a career-ending other than honorable discharge from the Navy… What Hell Week Graduate / SEAL candidate in their right mind would invite closer medical scrutiny and a battery of blood and cardiovascular diagnostic testing that will come with it? Common sense should prevail here and that is what I am asking for on the part of the Navy and the public. The facts of the situation speak for themselves.

When someone does not disclose their full clinical picture, especially while conducting high-risk training, they can and should be held personally responsible. Beyond all the politics and conjecture, the fact remains: Kyle Mullen downplayed his symptoms and was in personal possession of substances that directly and negatively impacted his ability to survive the world’s most grueling military course of instruction. No naval leader, medical professional nor SEAL Instructor can protect people from themselves when they make poor decisions like that.

In closing, the facts and evidence were available within hours. Since then, the process has been pure punishment for a frontier of military professionals who have both dedicated and risked their entire lives in the service of a Nation. We don’t deserve this persecution. We didn’t dedicate a life to fighting this nation’s enemies to sit back and not fight for the truth. As the previous Commanding Officer of Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command, I am the one who needs to stand up for the truth regarding the Kyle Mullen tragedy and the people I led, rather than allow the reputation of our deeply dedicated training cadre, Naval medical professional staff, and my reputation as committed professionals to be impaired.

The truth is evident for anyone with common sense enough to process the nuances. Thank you for affording me the opportunity to provide observations on your original article.

All the best,

Brad Geary, Captain (SEAL), USN