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thedrifter
11-20-07, 04:01 AM
Marines' holiday starts with stand-down

JENNIFER HLAD
November 20, 2007 - 12:33AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF

The light that normally flashes green on a vehicle crash statistics sign near Camp Lejeune's main gate was flashing red last week - a reminder of the two young Marine lives lost in an early Thursday morning collision.

The two men are the latest in a "significant number of off-duty fatalities" within II Marine Expeditionary Force, said spokesman Lt. Col. Curtis Hill.

The number of deaths prompted Lt. Gen. Keith Stalder, commanding general of II MEF, to direct a MEF-wide safety stand-down. During the stand-down today, unit leaders must brief their Marines and sailors on a wide range of safety topics - from vehicle safety to suicide awareness - Hill said.

"It's the whole gamut of things that could go wrong," Hill said, and how to mitigate them.

The stand-down also will include vehicle inspections for all Marines and sailors - regardless of rank or holiday destination, Hill said.

Leaders will look at everything from insurance and registration to tires, Hill said, "to make sure those vehicles are safe for our Marines and their families to operate."

"Historically, for a long weekend, we look at the vehicles of the Marines who are traveling out of the area. This time, we're looking at all of them," he said.

The stand-down is an attempt to stem the tide of recent fatalities, Hill said.

One of the most recent collisions was the one that killed two Marines attached to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Lance Cpl. Roger Lehman Jr., 19, was driving a 1997 Jeep Wrangler on U.S. 17 early Thursday morning when the SUV ran off the road to the left of the median, about two and a half miles north of Holly Ridge, said N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper J.D. Kirk.

Lehman overcorrected and drove off the road to the right, crashing in a pine tree, Kirk said. Lehman was trapped inside the vehicle, while his passenger - 20-year-old Cpl. Stephen Mummert Jr. - was ejected. Neither was wearing a seat belt, Kirk said.

"It was the worst Jeep wreck I've ever seen," Kirk said.

He estimates the Jeep was traveling about 90 miles an hour before it ran off the road. Alcohol was involved, but Kirk said he is not sure to what extent.

The men represent the 25th and 26th vehicle deaths in unincorporated areas of Onslow County this year, Kirk said. No statistics were available about crashes involving military service members.

Hill said he could not comment on other recent II MEF fatalities.

Though liberty periods may vary by unit, the basic Thanksgiving liberty period for II MEF begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday and ends at 6 p.m. Monday, Hill said. The times are designed to promote safety - allowing troops to travel during daylight hours on Wednesday and Monday instead of driving overnight after working all day.

Hill said Stalder hopes the safety stand-down will make a difference over the holiday travel period.

On Monday, Stalder expects that "every Marine and sailor from II MEF will have returned from this liberty period safely and ready to go back to work," Hill said.



Contact military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 8467. To comment on this story, visit www.jdnews.com.

Ellie