A Marine who died throughout a live-fire coaching occasion on Aug. 17 at Camp Pendleton, California, was killed on account of a negligent discharge, a Navy security report signifies.
The trigger was printed final month by the Naval Security Command in a report outlining lethal incidents within the Marine Corps and Navy over the past 10 years. The report says a service member at Camp Pendleton was “fatally injured on account of negligent discharge throughout [a] live-fire small-arms coaching train” on that date.
The Navy command confirmed to Army.com that regardless of an preliminary discrepancy within the report’s timeline, the Pendleton dying occurred the identical day that Lance Cpl. Joseph Whaley was killed on the base’s Faculty of Infantry-West.
Learn Subsequent: 3 Ospreys Made Pressured Landings in Japan. The Marine Corps Stated There Have been No Indications of Clutch Points.
Initially, the Naval Security Command listed the “Floor Class-A Mishap” dying as occurring on Aug. 21, 4 days after Whaley’s dying. In an announcement to Army.com on Tuesday, the group mentioned that date was incorrect, and the negligent discharge dying occurred on Aug. 17.
“There is just one occasion, not two,” mentioned Jeffrey Jones, a spokesperson for the security command. “We have now up to date the mishap abstract to replicate the right date.”
The date of Whaley’s dying in the course of the coaching occasion was first made public in a Marine Corps Coaching and Training Command assertion final month. The Marine Corps didn’t present any further data on how he died.
The small print and nature of the negligent discharge, which doubtless refers to a firearm dying, was not offered by the Navy or the Marine Corps. It was unknown whether or not the dying might have been averted or if some other service members had been concerned within the incident.
Army.com initially requested a Coaching and Training Command spokesperson to substantiate the connection between the Marine Corps report of the dying and Navy security report almost two weeks in the past, however they didn’t.
On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Marine Corps command, Maj. Joshua Pena, was notified of the upcoming publication of this story and referred questions again to his authentic assertion in August.
The Marine Corps has beforehand mentioned that the investigation into Whaley’s dying stays ongoing.
Whaley, a Tennessee native, was attending the Fundamental Reconnaissance Course, or BRC, a three-phase faculty that teaches Marines particular person amphibious reconnaissance abilities, patrolling, surveillance and communication, in accordance to the service’s web site.
Whaley was categorized as an infantry scholar on the time of his dying. His household was notified of his dying the day after it occurred, the Marine Corps beforehand acknowledged. Earlier than he attended BRC, Whaley graduated rifleman coaching on the Faculty of Infantry-East at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, one among two entry-level infantry programs within the Marine Corps.
Makes an attempt to contact Whaley’s household had been unsuccessful.
An obituary described him as an avid outdoorsman and gifted highschool soccer participant in Tennessee.
“Joseph ‘Joey’ D. Whaley, a beloved son, cherished brother, devoted grandson, trustworthy buddy, loyal teammate, excellent Eagle Scout, devoted Marine, and a Christian dedicated to serving and defending others,” based on the obituary.
Past Whaley’s dying, the Marine Corps has had a string of publicly identified losses that began earlier this summer season.
In July, three Camp Lejeune Marines had been discovered useless inside their car outdoors of a gasoline station, the reason for which native authorities attribute to carbon monoxide poisoning from the automotive. Native authorities couldn’t clarify in August — after the investigation was closed — precisely how the Marines had been uncovered to the lethal gasoline, apart from saying it typically emitted from the car.
Along with Whaley’s dying, 4 different Marines died in accidents in August. On Aug. 24, an F/A-18D Hornet crashed close to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California, claiming the lifetime of the pilot, Maj. Andrew Mettler.
Lower than every week later, a V-22 Osprey crashed off the northern coast of Australia throughout a routine multinational train. Each pilots and the plane’s crew chief died, however 20 different service members on board escaped the crash, although some had been in vital situation. Each plane incidents are underneath investigation.
A sergeant learning on the Marine Corps College in Quantico, Virginia, was discovered useless in his car earlier this month. The reason for dying was not disclosed.
— Drew F. Lawrence may be reached at drew.lawrence@army.com. Observe him on Twitter @df_lawrence.
— Konstantin Toropin may be reached at konstantin.toropin@army.com. Observe him on Twitter @ktoropin.
Associated: Marine Corps Identifies Lance Corporal Killed Throughout Night time Coaching in California
