Thursday, January 16, 2014

Training is dangerous but this?

via Marine Corps Times.
A junior Marine died this week in a swimming pool at Camp Pendleton, Calif., while completing a water skills test, Marine Corps officials said this week.
Pfc. Joshua Islam, 18, of Union County N.C., was participating in an intial screening at School of Infantry-West as a precursor to the Marines’ physically demanding reconnaissance training, said Col. Sean Gibson, a spokesman for Training and Education Command. He had graduated from boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., only three months earlier, in October 2013.
He died Monday in a pool at Camp Las Pulgas, near Pendleton’s center, while undergoing a test that required him to tread water for 30 minutes.
It is understood by any person that has served in Combat Arms that training is dangerous.

You're dealing with explosives, firearms, and heavy vehicles.  Alot of times that training is at night, in bad weather or both.

But during a pre-screening?

In the swim tank?

I don't know whats going on with the Corps right now.  Just recently a Marine was killed when he was run over by a bulldozer while he slept in his hasty fighting position.

Now this.

3 comments :

  1. Too Many people in the pool, too few instructors and safety men.
    Dang, The Marines at P. I. almost drowned my young ass several times in that pool, I'd rather take an ass whuppin' any day or go through the gas chamber.
    What is the % of training accidents it was 4% not long ago.

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  2. Shit like this just gives the civilian leadership more power to neuter the military and gain political points.

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  3. Every couple of years we lose a basic trainee at Fort Benning to heat stroke in the summer. Training will be going fine then some kid will just keel over dead on a ruck march because he was convinced he could make it if he just dug a little deeper.

    It ain't a perfect system we have, but we need to remember that these are men who volunteered willingly for the risks of training and combat in the service to their country. Thankfully training accidents resulting in death are extremely rare, much more rare than POV accidents which result in death. That is a cold comfort to the family of the fallen, but it it is the truth.

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