Published: Feb 18, 2005 COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A drill instructor who struck a Marine recruit who later died during training has been suspended pending an investigation into the death, military officials said Friday.
Posted on 02/18/2005 8:48:14 PM PST by TheOtherOne
Drill Instructor Who Struck Marine Recruit Suspended
Published: Feb 18, 2005 COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A drill instructor who struck a Marine recruit who later died during training has been suspended pending an investigation into the death, military officials said Friday.
Jason Tharp of Sutton, W.Va., drowned Feb. 8 while participating in a water-survival training course at Parris Island.
The day before his death, a Columbia television station recorded a confrontation between Tharp and the drill instructor, who was seen in the video grabbing Tharp by the shirt and striking him in the chest.
The instructor, who was not identified, has been reassigned to administrative duties, said Capt. Jamie Nott, a Parris Island spokesman.
Nott acknowledged that grabbing and striking a recruit violates regulations.
Another drill instructor told WIS-TV that Tharp had refused to get in the water. "He's just afraid because he is not able to swim correctly right now, and he just wants to leave and go home," Staff Sgt. Anthony Davis said.
Officials say Tharp entered the pool voluntarily the day he died and was swimming the 25-meter requirement. They say Marines at the pool took immediate action to rescue and resuscitate him.
The victim's father, Johnny Tharp, told the television station his son joined the Marines to earn money for college. "I don't know how they could treat my son the way we saw him," Tharp said.
AP-ES-02-18-05 2332EST
This kind of bravo sierra has got to stop. And I'm speaking of the camera crew that is blowing things out of proportion.
I, for one, am not going to jump to conclusions.
You don't join the Marines for college money. That's not what they're there for. You join another branch, but not the Marines.
I suppose the father's suggestion--if his statement was correct--would be to start having time outs in boot camp. This is utterly ridiculous.
But, to be giving a DI grief because he grabbed or struck the kid. Gimme a break.
Basic Training is tough. Why? Becuase there are no time-outs, no do-overs in combat. You want to find the ones who are gonna crack early, so they don't crack in the middle of a fire fight & get themselves or their squad mates killed.
For all you whiners, the words of the best first sergeant I ever had, "Shut up, drink some water, and rub some dirt on it."
If you are joining for the college money, you better choose a different branch of service. Hey, I'm not denigrating the other services; the Marines are the best and take the greatest risk.
'...his son joined the Marines to earn money for college."
Sounds like he should have gotten a civvie job and lived at home for a few years instead.
I saw the tape and the young Marine appeared to be already visibly shaken, walking with his head down and what appeared to be a slight limp. Then the DI was seen striking the recruit, while it appeared a couple of others may have tried to shield the incident.
There is no excuse for that kind of action.
The clip I saw on TV showed more of a shove than a "striking". My heart goes out to the guy's family, but it sounds like the recruit was way, way out of his element. The kid needed someone to steer him in the right direction before he signed up for his hitch. The Coast Guard or maybe the Air Force would have been a better fit.
I'm sure all the facts will come out.
WTF! THEY ARENT TRAINING WIMPS! THEY ARE TRAINING MARINES! IF YOUR GOING TO BE A PAINTY WASTE AND CRY ABOUT GETTING PUSHED DONT JOIN! WE DONT NEED CRYBABIES IN THE MARINES!
True about your statement that you have to find the ones who may crack first so they don't endanger the rest of the squad. I hadn't thought about it from that angle.
But don't do it in front of a camera.
Oh, bother.
Don't make basic (boot for you Leathernecks) hard. Everybody knows there's no stress in combat.
BoooHoooHooo. Pass me a tissue, I'm crying a river already.
The kid didn't seem like Marine material. Blame the recruiters for padding the numbers.
Take this incident and every other MSM report on anything the military does, and the MSM wonders why the military doesn't trust 'em! Sheesh.
Agreed. I saw the video. I was "struck" harder by the nuns and public school teachers. Sorry the kid died but this incident had nothing to do with his drowning. He did have the option to leave. If earning money for college was his only reason for joining, which I doubt, working as a landscaper or bartender will be much more profitable.
Sad story. But I don't see any evidence in it that the DI did anything wrong.
Having been a recruiter for the Army, I saw that plenty.
Some recruiters though try. I always thought to myself "Is this a kid I want to serve with on the 2-way rifle range?" "Course, that meant I rolled a bunch of doughnuts (no applicants for the month).
Hmmm the DI strikes the trainee one day and the troop dies the next in swim training ? Am I reading that correct ???
And the DI and the USMC is blamed ????
BS flag at 3/4 staff waiting for rest of story......
Good summation. I completely agree.
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