This story was prepared in partnership with The Virginian-Pilot.
A week after a Navy SEAL trainee died following a swimming drill in California, accounts are emerging that challenge the Navy's narrative of what happened and paint a darker picture, alleging that the death may have been the result of an instructor going too far.
Seaman James Derek Lovelace, 21, died May 6 during what a Navy spokesman described as a swimming exercise in the first week of SEAL training. A safety observer noticed Lovelace "having a hard time," the spokesman said, and instructors guided him to the edge of the pool and tried to revive him. He never regained consciousness. ...

The Virginian-Pilot and NBC News first reported on the incident Tuesday, four days after Lovelace died in Coronado, Calif., during the first week of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, better known as BUD/S and considered among the world's most challenging military training regimens. The Navy announced the death only after officials were contacted Tuesday by reporters for NBC News and The Pilot. ...

In response to detailed questions for this story, Cmdr. Jason Salata, a Navy spokesman, said in a statement Friday that Naval Special Warfare Command is "fully cooperating" with the NCIS investigation and a separate Navy safety investigation into the training death.
"It would be premature to discuss any details until those investigations are complete," Salata wrote.                      
Unlike what was described by the Navy, the sources say the drill involved physical harassment of trainees by instructors in the water, intended to test their ability to stay afloat under stress. It wasn't a "drown proofing" drill, according to three of the sources, but rather a more intense exercise known as "combat tread." During "combat tread," according to former SEALs, students swim in camouflage uniforms while instructors grab at them in the water. ...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sources-challenge-navy-account-seal-trainee-death-n573866?cid=par-sy-lenovo-gen4