(FreedomBeacon.com)- A video showing Navy SEAL candidates being tear-gassed for more than a minute has become the subject of an inquiry.
The investigation into the “lawfulness of the activity” at San Clemente Island in California was started by an admiral last year.
A leaked video depicts men being forced to sing Happy Birthday while gassed. It is done to prevent them from holding their breath and passing out. Some screamed in pain as they were shot at close range by instructors who looked to be laughing and filming them.
Military standards show it is routine to become accustomed to using tear gas, but there are tight guidelines about choosing who the targets may be and how long it can persist.
Reports show the event may have violated SEAL training regulations, which say that they must maintain a minimum distance of 6 feet and utilize the gas for no more than 15 seconds at a time. Authorities are also looking into whether the trainers in the video humiliated and punished the recruits, although they were free to leave at any time.
In the footage, recruits can be seen crouched on the ground as they are struck by tear gas during training, which simulates battle situations. The instructors walked towards them while spraying the gas and may have broken the 6ft rule. But they quickly got up and were seen sprinting in opposite directions.
Author Matthew Cole obtained the footage from someone trying to become a SEAL and told the media that the victim felt the instructors were ‘abusive and careless.’
According to medical reports, chest constriction, coughing, and shortness of breath can all be symptoms of tear gas exposure. Additionally, the harmful substances might cause impaired vision and burns. Tear gas often has short-term adverse effects on health, but there have been instances when people have experienced long-term problems due to vapors. The results of more severe health problems, such as respiratory failure, can be exacerbated when exposed for prolonged periods in small, confined areas.
These recruits had finished “Hell Week” and were halfway through their training before joining one of the world’s most demanding special forces squads.
Around the world, military training includes tear gas so that students may develop their tolerance and increase their self-assurance when employing protective gear.
Let’s not kill the recruits before they get a chance to put on the official uniform.
