The Real REASON Hell Week was Created | Breaking down the origins of BUD/S

Mike Ritland interviews former US Navy SEAL and author Ben Milligan about the origins of BUD/S “Hell Week” and the early history behind US Navy combat swimming and demolition. Milligan says Hell Week emerged from pre-D-Day planning in which Allied commanders concluded German beach obstacles and attached mines in Normandy would need to be destroyed by hand, not by bombing or naval gunfire. He describes how Draper Kaufman—whom he characterises as unusually combat-experienced for an American officer at the time—compressed an existing Scouts and Raiders training programme into a 5½-day ordeal, arguing it was necessary to create personnel capable of executing an ‘impossible mission’ under extreme maritime stress.

Milligan also discusses institutional culture around SEAL history and public storytelling, saying resentment over the volume of SEAL books is often linked to perceived lack of humility, and that social media amplifies confrontational takes that people may soften in person. In a listener Q&A, he names Vietnam-era SEAL Bob Gallagher as a standout figure and shares anecdotes about other early SEAL personalities. The conversation turns sombre as Milligan describes Gallagher’s difficult childhood, the veteran’s apparent inability to disconnect from war, and Milligan’s own unsuccessful attempt to interview him—before recounting a posthumous discovery of a book copy Gallagher annotated with a note urging a friend to read it.

• Milligan says Hell Week’s roots lie in Allied preparations to clear German beach obstacles ahead of the Normandy landings.
• He attributes the Hell Week format to Draper Kaufman compressing Scouts and Raiders training from eight weeks into roughly 5½ days.
• Milligan argues the course endured because planners saw the mission as uniquely demanding and requiring unusual endurance and adaptability.
• He says some within special operations resent the disproportionate attention SEALs have received, particularly through publishing.
• Milligan says criticism of SEAL book culture often centres on perceived chest-thumping rather than any discussion of service itself.
• In a listener question segment, Milligan identifies Vietnam-era SEAL Bob Gallagher as a widely respected ‘hard’ figure and recounts his later-life struggles.
• Milligan says a copy of his book was later found in Gallagher’s home with a note telling another SEAL: “You have to read this.”