Recruit dies during water training

[thedrifter]

Recruit dies during water training
Published Wed, Feb 9, 2005
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By MICHAEL KERR
The Beaufort Gazette
A Parris Island recruit died Tuesday afternoon during water survival training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot pool.
Details of the incident weren't available Tuesday evening, with Maj. Ken White, the depot's public affairs officer, saying he hadn't yet received the full report on the incident.

"It's just too preliminary for me to be able to characterize what happened specifically," White said.

White said it shouldn't be inferred that the recruit drowned.

"That would not be an accurate description," he said. "We just don't know."

Water survival instructors performed CPR on the recruit at the pool, and the depot's emergency medical personnel were on the scene within minutes, according to a Parris Island release.

The recruit was taken by ambulance to Beaufort Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 2:30 p.m., the release states.

A forensic autopsy is scheduled for Thursday morning at the Medical University of South Carolina, in Charleston, Beaufort County death investigator Lt. Bob Bromage said.

"At this point we know he's deceased, we don't know what happened," Bromage said.

The depot has launched an investigation into the incident, according to the release.

The recruit was in his fifth week of training, and was attempting to qualify at Combat Water Survival 4 -- the lowest level at which all recruits must qualify -- which includes a 25-meter shallow water swim, a jump off a 10-foot tower, four minutes of treading water and a 25-meter deep water swim.

The training staff assigned to the recruit's battalion has spoken with his fellow recruits, and will continue to help them cope with the incident, White said, adding that he expects a memorial service to be planned.

"There's no indication now to believe that training of his fellow recruits will be interrupted," he said.

As of Tuesday evening, the depot was attempting to notify the recruit's family. Department of Defense policy mandates a 24-hour waiting period after family notification before releasing the recruit's name.

This was the second recruit death at Parris Island in less than three months. Bret C. Moran, 18, of Bronx, N.Y., was found dead early Nov. 18, 2004, during the 54-hour Crucible event.

Details on Moran's cause of death and the results of an investigation into the incident have not yet been released, but "are expected soon," White said.

Contact Michael Kerr at 986-5539 or mkerr@beaufortgazette.com.

The Drifter's Wife


Ellie

[yellowwing]

Damn. Rest easy little Brother.

[Bret]

Im really sorry to hear something like that happen! Drifter, if you find out what happened to this kid, please let us know.

[hrscowboy]

This is a shame that this had to happen what a bummer..

[thedrifter]

Sent to me by Mark(fontman)



From WISTV.com

(Columbia) Feb. 16, 2005 - On February 7th, News 10 was shooting a story at Parris Island about potential base closures. WIS happened to shoot video of a young recruit having a tense interaction with his drill instructor. That recruit was Jason Robert Tharp.

Jason died at that pool 24 hours almost to the minute after we shot that tape.

We don't know what happened before we got there or after we left. What we do know is the video documents part of Jason's experience at boot camp. We've had the video for about a week and half, but have held off showing it, because we wanted to confirm that it definitely was Jason.

WIS was able to verify Jason's identity with a visit to his family in his West Virginia hometown.

News 10 was at Parris Island about 2:00pm on February 7th as two recruits were practicing advanced water training. Another was learning how to swim and there were at least three drill instructors in the pool.

On the deck, WIS saw one recruit with his senior drill instructor. They were about 20 feet away from our photographer and because of a buzz at the pool, we couldn't hear what they were saying.

News 10 asked the drill instructor on duty at the pool, SSgt. Anthony Davis, why they were there, "Right now, we have a recruit that's refusing to train. He was getting in the water and he decided he wanted to quit and get out."

We now know that recruit was Jason Tharp. We asked Davis why the recruit was refusing to train, "Right now, looking at him and being over there watching him, he's just afraid because he can't do the swim qualification correctly, right now. He just wants to leave and go home."

WIS also asked him what the drill instructor might be saying, "He's probably trying to connect with him him person to person, not drill instructor to recruit. Just person to person, trying to get him to understand he made a choice to come down here and that he should probably think about that choice and the decisions he'd made and just get in the water and try to accomplish something rather than quit and give up on himself."

The next segment of video was shot from about 50 meters away and again, we couldn't hear a thing.

Clearly, you can see there was physical contact between Jason and his drill instructor. There are very specific rules about when a drill instructor can touch a recruit. We don't know if what we saw falls under those rules. Again, we also don't know what prompted that interaction or what happened afterward.

News 10 spoke with Jason's father on Wednesday afternoon. He told us Jason wrote to him in several letters that he'd made a mistake, that he wanted out of the Marines, just as SSgt. Davis told us that day.

After Jason's death, a Marine spokesman told WIS that Jason wanted to, "make it in boot camp."

The Marines will not comment further about the circumstances surrounding Jason's death. They are waiting for results of their internal investigation, which is expected to take about a month.

News 10 speaks to Jason's parents and we have their story Thursday on WIS News at 6:00.



The Drifter's Wife

Ellie

[LivinSoFree]

Oh great... just wait until the spin machine gets ahold of this one...

[THATFEMALE]

The news is crap! There going to blow this out of porportion as usual. I know how the recruit felt because I was scared as hell because I couldn't swim. I love the beach but I never liked to get my hair wet. lol Yet I knew that my Marines would take care of me no matter what. So as scared as I was I had to do it. It wasn't that bad because the instructors were right there for me 100%. Now I'm a certified swimmer. This is sad and my heart goes out to the recruit's family. Semper FI!

[yellowwing]

Yes, it's a very intense personal moment when you are trying like hell to get a terrified human being to settle down.

Especially in the water. In the air and in the water, they are mighty unforgiving places to be when your terrified byond reason.

It's time like this I wish I had stayed in and been more than a geek in the airwing. It would have only a few more training classes and I could have been the Instructor beside that unfortunate recruit.

I pray for the family of the recruit and for the training staff.

[Patty_McOorah]

Crap stories like this are why they should ban the media and press from all training facilities around the U.S. That Drill Instructor was probably just giving that recruit a little dose of "motivation". You have to learn to take your bumps and bruises like a man. Sure what happened sucks, and I wish it on no one, but I just think he just joined the wrong gun club. There were times when I wanted to quit and go home too, but I stuck it out and graduated. Just like many more before me had, and many more after me will.

[jinelson]

Wing and Patty those were very good comments and I agree with both of you. I is a shame and we have all read these articles from time to time and it hurts us all in the heart but I think that we have to remember all the thousands of Marines that have made it through the training without incident too. Wing how could you have possibly been more than a winger geek? I thought that we were the elite. hehehehe

[CplCrotty]

News reporters are so &$%^#&^ stupid, yet they believe they are so superior because they come out of these VERY liberal journalism programs.

They look upon the men and women who serve in the military with nothing but disdain and contempt.

Also, the Public Affairs Office at P.I. should have done a better job at "escorting" these news weenies.

[yellowwing]

Sheet, I was a part time employee at the base pool. I went through all kinds of water survivial training. I know what it feels like to be drowning. Every nerve and fibre is out of control and in a state of panic. Only the strong desire to live got me out of it. Other wise you would have seen my obit in 1985.

Scary $hit to be drowning!

Like I said a few more training classes and I could have been the one teaching these city recruits how to swim.

Anyway, they are on my prayer list when I remember to pray.

[woodman]

QUOTE]Originally posted by Patty_McOorah
Crap stories like this are why they should ban the media and press from all training facilities around the U.S. That Drill Instructor was probably just giving that recruit a little dose of "motivation". You have to learn to take your bumps and bruises like a man. Sure what happened sucks, and I wish it on no one, but I just think he just joined the wrong gun club. There were times when I wanted to quit and go home too, but I stuck it out and graduated. Just like many more before me had, and many more after me will. [/QUOTE]

Your right about joining the wrong gun club Patty. This kid sent a letter a week home saying he wanted to quit and from what I have been able to gather his " refusal to train" started BEFORE his platoon ever made it to the pool. alledgedly this happened during the 25 meter shallow water swim. Here's the other shoe dropping, this kids father is asking for " legislation" to make sure this doesn't happen again. Made me want to reach right through the TV and grab dad by the throat. Mourn your son and grieve BUT LEAVE MY CORPS THE F*** ALONE ! If that makes me an insensative prick then so be it.

[LivinSoFree]

Five Marines suspended during drowning inquiry
One other Marine given desk duty during investigation


(CNN) -- Five Marines have been suspended and another put on administrative duty during an investigation into the drowning of a recruit in a training pool at Parris Island, South Carolina, a Marine Corps spokesperson said Saturday.

Recruit Jason Tharp died February 8 from what the Marines described as "complications in the water," a day after a camera crew from WIS-TV in Columbia, South Carolina, shot video showing a drill instructor grabbing and striking him during a training session.

Military personnel are suspended in cases of suspected wrongdoing, which can include failing to report code-of-conduct violations to the proper authorities, the Marine spokesperson said. The suspended Marines were put on desk duty.

A swim instructor who was not suspended was also moved to administrative duty, the spokesperson said.

The TV crew was at Parris Island to report on basic training when it caught a tense moment between Tharp and a drill instructor. Another instructor told the crew that Tharp had been refusing to train.

Tharp's parents told WIS-TV that their son, who joined the Marines to earn money for college, was miserable and wanted to quit.

Although they said they were not certain there was any connection between his death and what happened on the tape, Tharp's parents were upset by the way their son was being treated. They also said he did not swim well.

A Marines spokesman at the Pentagon said the actions by the drill instructors seen in the video appear to violate regulations for dealing with recruits, an assessment backed up by an outside expert.

"Basically, you're not supposed to lay your hands on a recruit," said Eugene Fidell of the National Institute of Military Justice. "You don't really want to have drill instructors grabbing a recruit by the collar, which is what happened here, and you don't want to have them hitting them with elbows."


Can you believe this trash? As usual, civilians JUST DON'T GET IT! The parents were "upset" at how he was being treated?? They'd be more upset if the Drill Instructors didn't do their job and their kid got his head blown off!

[Osotogary]

Alot of civilians DO get it. Military service = Martial service. Martial service derives from... war or the preparation for war. Alot of parents understand this and accept this.
I can only speak for myself but I think that if anyone goes into military service they have to know that there is going to be a trade off. Anybody that doesn't should never have joined. Anybody that has been BSed into thinking otherwise has been misled and the misleader should be penalized. Once the papers have been signed.. the contract now becomes a valid and approving parents should be aware of what enlisting into a martial/military service now entails. If approving parents don't like what is being served up and have the authority to prevent enlistment then they should do so before the contract has been signed. I grieve for the loss but the parents should have known what their son was getting into. This is a bad situation and I pray for all parties involved.

[Old Marine]

In the Marine Corps, some live and some die. This kid just happened to be one of the latter. It sounds to me like he was having a problem with Boot Camp as a whole and wanted out. Well, he got his wish.

[Lock-n-Load]

:marine:I applaud the DI [or swimming instructor] who raised his elbow to Pvt Tharp...no harm was done to the recruit...I interpret the DI was trying to get his attention to have more confidence and restore some pride to this confused wannabe...get with the training program at hand...if this Private can't handle adversity, then HE [himself] made a huge mistake joining the US Marines...it wasn't the Corps' fault, no one broke his arm to sign the contract...he was just a Momma's boy who wanted to pick up his "football" and just go home...this kid was a sad exception...I salute his platoon comrades who gut it out everyday in order the grasp their EGA later on the parade deck...smooth seas to them if they are good enough to make it in the Fleet Marine Force. Semper Fi...... :marine:

[kungfu_rider]

Originally posted by Old Marine
In the Marine Corps, some live and some die. This kid just happened to be one of the latter. It sounds to me like he was having a problem with Boot Camp as a whole and wanted out. Well, he got his wish.

With all due respect, sir, I really think his death is not something to be talked about in this sort of manner.

Yes, the kid should have done his research and homework about the Marine Corp and its training before signing up. He did not seem to have what it takes to become a Marine, was probably hindering the other recruits' training, and deserved to be kicked out.

But he did not deserve to die, not within the United States Marine Corps, not among those who are and are training to be the defender of the nation and its people. I feel that his death should not have happened.

Although they are still investigating the cause of his death, regardless the reason (even if it was a suicide), this situation has tarnished the reputation of the Marine Corps.

I am not too concern about the issue about drill instructors physically touching him, but I do feel that it was inappropriate for the media to be their, especially in plain sight of Recruit Tharp at that time.

Please do not misunderstand me, I have great respect for the Marine Corps and I am more than willing to get slapped and punched in the stomach by the drill instructors once I get to boot camp. But it is this respect for the corp that surprised me to find out how this could have happened under the watch of the Marines.

I pray that Jason Tharp rests in peace.

[thedrifter]

Death of Marine recruit sparks investigations, suspensions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By BRUCE SMITH
Associated Press Writer

A swim instructor barks instructions to dozens of recruits in camouflage uniforms sitting at one end of the Olympic-size indoor pool at the Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot.

An open window lets in a slight breeze that cuts through the humidity while, over the pool, a huge American flag hangs from the rafters.

Each year, more than 20,000 Marine recruits pass through the depot and this pool - which base officials say is the second-largest on the East Coast - for water survival training.

But now, three separate investigations are under way and six Marines have been suspended following the death earlier this month of a recruit from West Virginia.

The Feb. 8 drowning of 19-year-old Jason Tharp of Sutton, W.Va., came a day came a day after WIS-TV of Columbia, S.C., caught Tharp on video being grabbed and shoved by a drill instructor at the side of the pool.

The station was at the base as part of a series on South Carolina's military bases. The instructor and five other Marines who witnessed the incident have been suspended pending the outcome of the investigations.

None of the Marines' names have been released. But grabbing and striking a recruit violates regulations as does failing to report such an incident, said Capt. Jamie Nott, a Parris Island spokesman.

Two outside investigations - including one by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service - also are under way as is a third ordered by the Parris Island commander.

West Virginia's two U.S. senators have requested investigations with Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd asking Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to give the matter his "personal attention."

The last time a recruit drowned during training here was in 1991.

Tharp was in his fifth week of the 12-week training process and apparently was unhappy as a recruit. He wrote home seven times during his five weeks of training that he wanted out. He had enlisted to get money for college.

"He didn't want to put the burden on us. That's the only reason. I didn't want him to go, but he had his mind made up," his father, Johnny Tharp has said. Johnny Tharp refused an Associated Press request for an interview.

All Marine recruits must show basic proficiency in water survival.

They are instructed about floatation devices, must swim 25 meters in both shallow and deep water and practice abandoning ship techniques, said Staff Sgt. Nathan Crum, a swim instructor at the pool.

In learning to abandon ship, recruits wear their fatigues as they jump off a platform into the pool then learn to keep themselves afloat by blowing air beneath their shirts and keeping the shirts tight around their bodies.

As recruits trained recently, there was one instructor assigned to every four recruits practicing the technique.

An instructor told WIS the day before the drowning that Tharp had refused to get in the water because he was afraid he would not be able to swim correctly.

Some recruits come to boot camp afraid of the water, Crum said.

"It really depends. We get lots of kids from the inner city who have never been in the water," he said. "All they need is a little confidence boost - getting down here with the instructor standing in the water."

During the abandon ship training at the deep end of the pool, recruits who couldn't swim were at the shallow end in small groups working with instructors.

"That's pretty much all we do. We don't force anyone into the water," Crum said.

Tharp entered the pool voluntarily the day he died and was swimming the 25-meter requirement, officials said. Marines unsuccessfully worked to resuscitate him.

Preliminary autopsy reports indicated he drowned and there was no sign of physical trauma, Beaufort County Coroner Curt Copeland said. Full autopsy and body toxin reports are not expected for several weeks.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is looking into possible criminal wrongdoing while the second external investigation by the Marine Corps Safety Division is looking at procedures and training. That probe is similar to a civilian investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Nott said.

The investigation ordered by the base commander will look at procedures, the circumstances of the death and recommend any needed changes. The investigations take between 20 and 60 days.

Nott said about 10 percent of male recruits at Parris Island drop out before finishing training.

"That is certainly something we anticipate whenever somebody comes down here," Nott said. "There is certainly an adaptation process that takes place here."

If a recruit is having problems, he is counseled by his senior drill instructor and sometimes a phone call home or to the initial Marine recruiter helps, Nott said. If that doesn't work, there is what is called trial training, sort of like academic probation at college.

The training is just as rigorous, but the recruit is given more supervision and help. Sometimes, he is moved back to join another company and repeat some training. The final option is moving a recruit to the separation platoon for the week to 10 days it takes to process the recruit out of the Marines.

Nott said the attrition rate includes recruits who have medical problems, fraudulent enlistments and those dropped for poor performance. Fraudulent enlistments might be when someone hides a medical condition when they enlist, he said.

"We expect that often someone will come here and have some kind of fear or trepidation and may want to leave," he said. "Sometimes, it's a matter of getting over the hump."


The Drifters Wife

Ellie

[chezzplayr05]

Everybody needs somebody to love

[Phantom Blooper]

Although they are still investigating the cause of his death, regardless the reason (even if it was a suicide), this situation has tarnished the reputation of the Marine Corps.

The Marine Corps has lasted thru the ages November 10,1775 to present. The image and reputation of the Marine Corps will NEVER be tarnished. The Marine Corps has outlasted many reporters and paparazzi,looking for a story or a headline.

The Marine Corps is comprised of individuals from every walk of life,some good and some bad. If a reputation is ever tarnished it is tarnished by the individual,never by the Marine Corps.The enity of the United States Marine Corps illustrious service will continue to shine and continue to outshine the other branches of the U.S. military. Semper Fi! Chuck Hall:marine:

[Phantom Blooper]

I would be remiss in my last statement if I did not correct myself.


Serving on land and at sea, early Marines distinguished themselves in a number of important operations, including their first amphibious raid on foreign soil in the Bahamas in March 1776, under the command of the Corps’ first commandant, Capt. Samuel Nicholas. The 1783 Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War and as the last of the Navy’s ships were sold, the Continental Navy and Marines disbanded.


Following the formal re-establishment of the Marine Corps on July 11, 1798, Marines fought in conflicts with France, landed in Santo Domingo and conducted operations against the Barbary pirates along the "Shores of Tripoli."

The rest of the above forementioned stands! Semper-Fi! Chuck Hall :marine:

[USMC-FO]

Here is what I see: A youngster first time away from home likely, Joins the Marines to get money for college...Mistake number one.

Gets to PI and discovers this is difficult and also likely wants his mommy.

Struggles to continue but clearly wants out...becomes a motivation problem for both himself and the Corps--Mistake two..lacks motivation.

Gets to water training somehow through all this and goes into the drink, struggles and panics....mistake three. This leads to a drowning that is regretable for all concerned, particularly in light of the fact he was manhandled, apparently, a day earlier and that was caught on camera--damn cameras again! Overlaying all this is our super sensitive, soft and frankly our wimpy feminized society today that simply can't hack ANY crap any longer !

This young man's death is regretable--but is it any more regretable than the recruits who died in Ribbon Creek in I think 58? is it more regreatable than the recruit I saw get his head blown off during a live fire excersize durning ITR ? Is it more regretable than the 12,000 Marines who died in Nam? Or the Marines dieing now in Iraq/dump ? I think not.

Our Corps is very hard and difficult...but it has survived and it will survive this too. We play and live in a tough neighborhood, we play with dangerous toys, we learn to kill, that is our job...Killing..and in the process some of our own also die. All of this is regretable but it is the price that is paid.

Long winded...sorry...call it my dime..

S/F

[Old Marine]

Originally posted by kungfu_rider


With all due respect, sir, I really think his death is not something to be talked about in this sort of manner.

Yes, the kid should have done his research and homework about the Marine Corp and its training before signing up. He did not seem to have what it takes to become a Marine, was probably hindering the other recruits' training, and deserved to be kicked out.

But he did not deserve to die, not within the United States Marine Corps, not among those who are and are training to be the defender of the nation and its people. I feel that his death should not have happened.

Although they are still investigating the cause of his death, regardless the reason (even if it was a suicide), this situation has tarnished the reputation of the Marine Corps.

You, young man are going to get the biggest supprise of your young life.

I am not too concern about the issue about drill instructors physically touching him, but I do feel that it was inappropriate for the media to be their, especially in plain sight of Recruit Tharp at that time.

Please do not misunderstand me, I have great respect for the Marine Corps and I am more than willing to get slapped and punched in the stomach by the drill instructors once I get to boot camp. But it is this respect for the corp that surprised me to find out how this could have happened under the watch of the Marines.

I pray that Jason Tharp rests in peace.

[Old Marine]

Kungfu:

you are in for the biggest supprise of your young life. You have no clue of what takes place in Recruit Training. (Only what some recruiter has told you) Believe what you want, but you will find out the truth when you are standing of the footprints.

[thedrifter]

March 07, 2005

Death at Parris Island
Jason Tharp was hit by his DI. A day later, he drowned during training. Now, 5 Marines are suspended and a family wants answers.

By C. Mark Brinkley
Times staff writer


JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Most Marine recruits one month into training at Parris Island want the same thing Jason Tharp wanted.
Time to eat. Time to rest. Just one minute of peace. To go home.

Ultimately, that’s what Jason Tharp got. A trip back to Sutton, W.Va. Only he didn’t live to see it.

The wiry 19-year-old brother and son, who signed the enlistment contract because he wanted money to someday study art in college, died Feb. 8 after instructors pulled him from a pool where the weak swimmer drowned while attempting to pass his water survival qualification test. He was on his 25th day of training.

By then, he had written his parents seven letters begging them to help him get out of the Corps. It was a bad choice, he said. Joining the Marines wasn’t for him. He was coming down with the flu and everything was awful.

Jason was allowed to call home — a perk generally reserved for those recruits having the toughest time with the transformation — and though he reassured his family that he wanted to try to make it work, the parents were unconvinced. The Tharps contacted his hometown recruiters, hoping to make some progress in the effort to bring their boy home, and hung up believing that a solution was in the works.

So when three Marines arrived at their door, Johnny and Linda Tharp expected news of their son’s pending return. Instead, they learned of his death.

But what the Marines delivering word of Jason’s drowning death didn’t know, what officials at the storied recruit depot didn’t know, what the criminal investigators and safety inspectors didn’t know, was that they would all see Jason alive again.

On the nightly news.

A chance encounter with a television crew offers a window into the young recruit’s final days. There he is standing beside the pool, enduring a lecture from his senior drill instructor.

There he is again, same pool, same drill instructor, who now snatches Jason by the shirt like a frustrated football coach, while a handful of instructors passively observe.

There he is again, walking toward the drill instructor, who elbows him hard to the chest.

The next day, Jason was dead.

Now five Marines are suspended, including the senior drill instructor and an officer who stood idly by during the altercation. Three investigations are underway.

And one family is left wondering why drill instructors would manhandle their son — and how he died on their watch.

Caught on tape

The news crew from WIS-TV in Columbia, S.C., wasn’t doing a story about water survival training. The story of the day was an upcoming round of base closings, and what it could mean for South Carolina.

But training at the swim tank makes for good file footage, so it was only by chance that the cameraman was in place to film the encounter between Tharp and his DI. When the reporters asked another DI about the incident, they were told that Tharp had been “refusing to train,” according to the station’s news reports.

The DI told the reporters that Tharp was afraid because he couldn’t do the swim qualification correctly. Tharp just wanted to leave and go home, the DI reportedly said.

Grabbing and striking a recruit is not the way remedial action is supposed to happen, drill instructors say. But, sometimes emotions cloud judgment.

“You get frustrated, you know?” said a Parris Island drill instructor from another platoon. “It’s pretty easy to lose your temper. But you have to remember, it’s not worth losing your career.”

Although they appear to recruits as having tremendous authority, drill instructors walk a fine line with their handling of recruits. Everything has to be just so.

“Perception is a killer on Parris Island,” the drill instructor said. “If it even looks like you’re doing something wrong, they’ll start an investigation.”

The DIs call it “being sat down,” because an instructor under investigation immediately leaves the training pipeline and takes a desk job. Most of the time, the DIs are not found culpable. That won’t happen in this case, the drill instructor said.

“He’s just caught red-handed,” the drill instructor said, referring to the senior DI shown on the tape. “There’s no perception about it. He’s just done.”

There are only eight reasons a drill instructor is allowed to touch a recruit, and although adjusting attitudes is not among them, no one watching stepped in or reported the incident. The news crew left the base and headed home.

“I’d have snatched the DI up” after the shirt-grabbing incident, the drill instructor said. “It’s the right thing to do. Plus, it would keep him out of trouble, too. He wouldn’t have elbowed him.”

A day later, Tharp lost consciousness during his fifth and final day of water survival training. No one is sure yet what went wrong. He was pulled from the pool and instructors attempted to revive him.

Emergency workers continued those efforts as they rushed Tharp to medical attention. The recruit was pronounced dead at nearby Beaufort Memorial Hospital at 2:30 p.m.

The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office confirmed Feb. 24 that the cause of death was listed on Tharp’s death certificate as “drowning.” The county record’s office would not release a copy of the death certificate, citing privacy laws sealing them from the public for 50 years.

After the incident, two Marine instructors working with Tharp in the pool were “sat down” — reassigned — as investigations into the death began. That is standard procedure.

“It really makes sense,” said Capt. Jamie Nott, a Parris Island spokesman, referring to the reassignments. “For them, it’s very stressful that someone died under their care.”

Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents began their work the same day, looking for evidence of possible criminal misconduct — standard practice when someone dies at a Navy Department installation.

A Judge Advocate General Manual investigation was also started that day, with an officer assigned to look into everything surrounding the death and make any remedial, disciplinary or administrative recommendations.

On Feb. 9, a Safety Investigation Board led by the Marine Corps Safety Division arrived at Parris Island. Examining the incident from a training perspective, such boards consider everything from standard operating procedures to licenses and certifications.

More than a week passed before the television station aired its first investigative report on Tharp’s death. Until then, Parris Island officials say, they were in the dark about any of the earlier problems shown on the video.

Tharp’s senior drill instructor, whose name has been withheld by the Corps, was immediately “suspended” from his duties. Unlike reassignments, a suspension involves a suspicion that something is amiss, Marine officials said.

continued,

[thedrifter]

“That tape gave us sufficient reason to suspend for wrongdoing,” Nott said. Along with the DI, four other Marines seen observing Tharp’s manhandling were also suspended. <br />
<br />
Among them was a first...

[thedrifter]

March 07, 2005 <br />
<br />
Past boot camp tragedies brought charges, changes <br />
<br />
By C. Mark Brinkley <br />
Times staff writer <br />
<br />
<br />
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — The notion that a crime may have been committed at a Parris...

[thedrifter]

Saturday, March 5, 2005

(CNN) -- Three additional drill instructors were suspended following the death last month of a Marine recruit, who drowned in a training pool the day after he allegedly was struck and grabbed during a training session, Marine Corps officials said Friday.

Five Marines, including the platoon's senior drill instructor, had already been suspended and a sixth put on administrative duty as the February 8 death of Jason Tharp was investigated. The three latest drill instructors suspended were members of Tharp's platoon, the Marines said in a statement.

Tharp died in a training pool at Parris Island, South Carolina, from what the Marines described as "complications in the water," the day after a camera crew from WIS-TV in Columbia -- at Parris Island to shoot a story on basic training -- shot video showing a drill instructor grabbing and striking him.

Another instructor told the crew that Tharp had been refusing to train.

Tharp's parents told WIS their son joined the Marines to get money for college, but was miserable in boot camp and wanted to quit. While they said they were not certain there was any connection between Tharp's death and what happened on the tape, they were upset by the way their son -- who they said did not swim well -- was being treated.

A Marine spokesman at the Pentagon said the actions by the drill instructors seen in the video appear to violate regulations for dealing with recruits.

"The latest suspensions are based upon statements made to investigators by other members of Tharp's platoon, and alleged improper contact by the three drill instructors during previous training," Friday's Marine statement said.

"If the allegations are substantiated, the drill instructors will be held accountable for their actions as directed under the applicable laws and regulations."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

3 DIs suspended <br />
Rough handling is accepted in training, many troops say <br />
<br />
By C. Mark Brinkley <br />
Times staff writer <br />
<br />
<br />
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — The secret about life at the Corps’ recruit depots,...

[thedrifter]

In Cahir’s 2004 article, which grabbed national attention, the journalist refused to name the drill instructor, maintaining that he had not been abused.

Following the suspension of the Platoon 3024 DIs, the depot was able to rapidly build a new team from existing manpower, White said, because the depot plans for seasonal surges.

This time of year, for instance, platoons average 50 recruits and many are staffed by four DIs. In the busier summer months, those platoons swell to more than 80 recruits, usually led by three-person teams, White said.

The new drill instructors came from the same training battalion — a decision made at the commander’s discretion — and are “obviously familiar with the DIs” under suspension, White said. He would not comment on whether any steps were taken to ensure that the new DIs weren’t close friends of the suspended Marines.

White also would not discuss what details the recruits in the platoon have been told, but confirmed that they are still training and are expected to graduate on time.

“The physical and psychological well-being of these recruits has been foremost in our actions,” White said. “They have been interviewed during the course of the investigation, and are certainly aware of the situation, but remain intent on completing the remainder of their training to earn the title Marine.”

And that title shouldn’t come easy, Marines say. If a DI deliberately knocks a recruit’s cover off his head, that constitutes a violation of procedures, but shouldn’t warrant a big investigation and a ruined career, some maintain.

Ultimately, the Corps has to police some matters out of the public eye, these Marines say.

“That’s for a reason too,” said Pfc. Jeremy Ramirez, 18, a machine gunner from New York City and a Parris Island grad. “There’s certain things that shouldn’t be said. Everyone knows the Marine Corps is tough. It’s tough for a reason.

“Everything doesn’t have to be talked about outside the Corps.”

C. Mark Brinkley is the Jacksonville, N.C., bureau chief for Marine Corps Times. He can be reached at (910) 455-8354 or via e-mail at cmark@marinecorpstimes.com. GidgetFuentes contributed to this story from Oceanside, Calif.




What do you think?
Is the occasional “touching” of a recruit the cost of doing business? Do drill instructors need that option to be successful? Or can the Corps really get by without DIs ever laying a finger on a recruit, period?


Ellie

[Sgted]

Short of violent physical abuse I say leave the time proven system alone.
I just cannot understand why this has to be an issue where the general public will effectively change the system. The majority of which will never, or have never gone through the experience. Most don't know the meaning of discipline or the severity of taking the oath.
DI's bending the rules ?.
Who of us does not bend rules everyday ?.
Keep the PC mob out of my Corps !!

[Old Marine]

Its a shame that this had to happen and what is worse that it happened in the U.S. Marine Corps.

The media is the media and has no place on a Marine Corps Recruit Depot.

If this had happened in any other service but the Marine Corps the story would have appeared in the want adds, but since it happened on a Marine Base, its front page news.

Like I said in another post this kid could have died marching to chow or in his sleep, but he happened to die durning swim qual.

Accidents happen when you are training for war. It's not the 1st time and it won't be the last.

[thedrifter]

Marine recruiters find slim pickings
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Parris Island) March 23, 2005 - Since the death of Jason Tharp at Parris Island's Marine Recruit Depot, recruitment has been tough in his home state of West Virginia.

Recruiters showed up in a surprising place last week. While Jason Rharp's Alma Mater plays for the state title, outside in the lobby, ROTC students sell programs, and Marines search for new recruits.

Staff Sergeant Justin Kinner of the US Marine Corps speaks about the job, "It's a challenge. It's the hardest branch to be in. Overall, get in. So, we talk more about the challenges in between pull-ups and strength tests, the recruiters talk to potential sign-ups."

They admit getting them to sign on the bottom line has been more difficult since Jason's Tharp's death, a case that's gotten plenty of attention across West Virginia.

SSgt. Kinner says, "It's been tough these last couple months. Until then, we've done really well. It's been dropping off a little bit as some students coming close to graduation consider other choices for now."

Student Craig Lampinen of Buckhannon, West Virginia says, "I think in the near future it will make it tougher, but after a couple of years it will be fine again."

The Commandant of the Marine Corps has said recently recruiters nationwide are facing some tough conditions. Because of the war, not only are parents more concerned about their children joining the military, but the recruiting ranks are also smaller. Many recruiters have been sent to Iraq or Afghanistan.

The Drifter's Wife

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Wrong turn to hell The Advertiser
15may05

FOR more than a day and much of the night, the M-1 Abrams tank sat disabled in the desert, hobbled by an anti-tank mine. The main battle for the town of Husaybah had pushed to the north, across the Euphrates towards the Syrian border.

A handful of US Marines and another Abrams had stayed behind with the stricken tank with help on the way.

But as the column of armoured vehicles raced towards the scene early on Tuesday, a wrong turn in the darkness and unfamiliar terrain took them into enemy territory - and chaos.

The Marines sent to the rescue needed help themselves - and I was in the middle of it, embedded in an armoured personnel carrier.

The tanks were rolling through the town of Karabilah, on the Euphrates' south bank, about 1am when Lance-Corporal James Sutton, a 20-year-old tank driver, spotted men atop severalbuildings.

They had heard us coming and were ready for a fight.

Lance-Cpl Sutton said he could not pick out the details - his infrared scope, used to give him night vision, showed the men only as silhouettes against the sky.

But then his screen bloomed with black blotches, signalling the heat of muzzle flashes. Tiny black dots - bullets - streamed toward his tank and the armoured Humvees ahead of him.

"It was a big mess," said Lance-Cpl Sutton as he and other Marines from Alpha Company, 1st Marine Tank Battalion, recounted what had happened on return to the main Marine base at Al Qaim.

Elsewhere in the column, Sgt Jeremy Archila, 27, watched from the machinegun turret of his M88-A2 tank-recovery vehicle as the rifles erupted. The buildings along the roadside looked as if sparklers were hanging from almost every window.

"Pretty much everything went to hell," he said.

As the American vehicles screeched to a halt and hurriedly began U-turning in the road, the rebel gunmen began firing rocket-propelled grenades - "big red streams that just shoot down and scream", Sgt Archila said.

And then, out of nowhere, a suicide bomber in a white traytop sped into the column, exploding next to a Humvee in front of Sgt Archila.

The gunfire intensified and then, almost miraculously, slowed as Sgt Archila's crew ran to the burning Humvee and pulled out the four wounded Marines. Three of them wound up inside Sgt Archila's vehicle, along with the five regular crew members. Eight men dressed in full combat gear now were packed into a space the size of a regular mini-van, but with far less headroom.

Sgt Archila said he gave his seat to one of the wounded men. With nowhere else to go, he opened his hatch and crouched behind the big .50-calibre machinegun, hoping it would give him some protection as the rifle fire from the rooftops started again.

The column sped up, threading its way through narrow streets with only metres to spare on either side.

But as they turned down a side street Sgt Archila's recovery vehicle ran over an anti-tank mine.

The explosion knocked him into the armoured cabin and his mechanic tumbled into him - his helmet and goggles had been blown from his head but he staggered to his feet, stuck his torso out of his hatch and began to fire back with his M-16.

The inside of the armoured vehicle reeked of leaking diesel fuel. Someone asked if they should fire anti-tank rockets at the buildings. Archila said no: any spark could ignite the fumes.

Although the vehicle's right track was severely damaged, Sgt Archila shouted over the gunfire: "Floor it." Even though 20-year-old Lance-Cpl Adolfo Castro'sinfrared scope was blinded by smoke, he responded, pushing the damaged vehicle as fast as he could.

"When the smoke cleared I found myself zigzagging in and out of telephone poles," he said.

Somehow, the crippled tank-recovery vehicle cleared the buildings. And then it ground to a halt.

Lance-Cpl Sutton's tank towed the damaged recovery vehicle to a safe zone - coincidentally near the damaged tank they had gone to recover long hours before.

Within minutes Black Hawk helicopters evacuated the wounded Marines. Soon after undamaged tanks towed the broken M88 and Abrams back to base at Al Qaim, about 8km away.

While fellow Marines fought on the north side of the river - part of a continuing offensive aimed at insurgents based in this rugged corner of Iraq's Jazirah Desert - the rescuers congratulated themselves on what Sgt Archila described as a successful mission.

Gun battles have become a regular occurrence in this area, with several soldiers and insurgents killed in the past three weeks. For a change, the soldiers had escaped relatively unscathed.

"At least everybody lived," he said matter-of-factly.

Ellie