← All stories
Military

Ben Milligan says Hell Week began with D-Day obstacle-clearing training

Mike Drop · The Real REASON Hell Week was Created | Breaking down the origins of BUD/S · July 22, 2026
Ben Milligan says Hell Week began with D-Day obstacle-clearing training
Mike Drop
Mike Drop
The Real REASON Hell Week was Created | Breaking down the origins of BUD/S
"So, Draper Kaufman, he takes the Scouts and Raiders curriculum, compresses it from 8 weeks into 5 and 1/2 days, um and that's how we get Hell Week."
Ben Milligan, a former US Navy SEAL and author, says BUD/S Hell Week traces back to pre-D-Day preparations to train teams to clear German beach obstacles by hand. He says Draper Kaufman compressed an existing Scouts and Raiders course to quickly produce units for the mission.
From this episode
Mike Drop
Mike Drop

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

July 22, 2026 · 24m · 2 Egleze moments
Read episode summary and key points →

More moments from this episode

HistoryBen Milligan recalls late SEAL Bob Gallagher later endorsed his book
More stories More from Mike Drop