Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Brett Allen Marihugh, 34, of Livonia died April 24,2015. A group of trainees found him and Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Seth Cody Lewis of Queens, New York, at the bottom of a combat training pool. Lewis also died.
The Detroit News has obtained a copy of the results of the Navy's formal investigation of the drownings of two Navy SEAL's at a naval training facility in Virginia this past April.
Please view their informative article about the results of the investigation here
Highlights include:
- Cause of deaths have been ruled as shallow water blackout
- The Navy will now require a lifeguard or first-class swimmer to be present on deck at Naval Special Warfare pools for all conditioning swims other than laps.
- Signs will be posted in pool facilities expressly prohibiting breath-holding.
- Rear Admiral B.L. Losey, commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, has ordered a review of all training requiring breath-holding for compliance with safety standards, and for inspections at pool facilities to ensure the proper posting of emergency-response plans and equipment.
- Technically they were abiding by the "two man rule" so their deaths were not due to misconduct, as ruled by the Navy.
“Our commitment to be the best and push ourselves to ever higher levels of proficiency must be tempered by safety compliance that is often learned from a past tragedy like this one,” Rear Admiral B.L. Losey, commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, wrote in an Aug. 14 letter accompanying the investigation. “Overconfidence is an ever-present risk factor.”
Our deepest condolences to the families of these true American heroes.
