SC - 20 officers and enlisted Marines face discipline after recruit suicide

bluesneakers

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Marines Uncover Wide Abuse, Hazing After Recruit's Suicide

The Marine Corps is considering possible punishments and potential courts-martial for up to 20 officers and enlisted leaders following investigations into the suicide of a 20-year-old recruit at its Parris Island training facility in South Carolina.

The results of three investigations released Thursday found trainees — and even some drill instructors — were subjected to repeated verbal and physical abuse at the storied training site. It also faulted commanders for paying insufficient attention to what was going on.

The investigations were sparked by the death of Raheel Siddiqui of Taylor, Michigan, a young Muslim who had told his relatives he wanted to become a Marine to serve his country. He died after falling nearly 40 feet in a stairwell.
 
This article includes the statement from his family's attorney:

Twenty Marine Corps personnel face possible discipline or criminal charges after investigations into the death of a 20-year-old Muslim recruit from Taylor found multiple violations of policies and procedures at a key recruiting outpost, including indications that Raheel Siddiqui was physically abused and called a “terrorist” by his drill sergeant.

[snip]

"In light of the recent release by the United States Marine Corps Command Investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding the death...the Siddiqui family and their lawyer...are currently reviewing the findings and will determine their next course of action."

"At this time we acknowledge the efforts of the United States Marine Corps," the statement added. "However, there are too many questions that remain unanswered. We will work with NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) as they move forward with their investigation."

[snip]

And from U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn:

“Today’s announcement … is a first step in ensuring the family of Private Raheel Siddiqui receives the answers they deserve and that the Marine Corps is addressing the serious issues that led to this tragedy,” said Dingell, who had been pressing for answers for months following Siddiqui’s death.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/loc.../marines-discipline-raheel-siddiqui/90066786/
 
Wow! But, today's socio-cultural climate has become ripe for these kind of abuses.
 
I am puzzled that "hazing and abuse" of military recruits in the training phase comes as a surprise to anyone.

SIR YES SIR. This isn't a new sociocultural climate, this is recruit training in the military. It's all about hazing and physical abuse. It's 100% about pushing recruits to the limit of psychological and physical endurance - to select recruits who are suited for the military, and to forge a fraternity of the recruits who make it through "hell week". I honestly don't know how you could create a soldier without this kind of complete breaking down of normal limits. Military training creates men and women who will walk into extreme danger on the order of their superiors, and leaders who will fall on a grenade to protect their comrades.

I grew up in the military, but it seems to me the public doesn't know what military training consists of, and would be astonished at what Navy Seals go through. Astonished.

If this young man stated he was suicidal and was not allowed to quit, that's horrible. I don't know that's the case - sounds like a lot more information will come out. And if anyone joins the military, and isn't made aware of what Boot Camp consists of, the recruiters probably haven't done their jobs.
 
I am puzzled that "hazing and abuse" of military recruits in the training phase comes as a surprise to anyone.

SIR YES SIR. This isn't a new sociocultural climate, this is recruit training in the military. It's all about hazing and physical abuse. It's 100% about pushing recruits to the limit of psychological and physical endurance - to select recruits who are suited for the military, and to forge a fraternity of the recruits who make it through "hell week". I honestly don't know how you could create a soldier without this kind of complete breaking down of normal limits. Military training creates men and women who will walk into extreme danger on the order of their superiors, and leaders who will fall on a grenade to protect their comrades.

I grew up in the military, but it seems to me the public doesn't know what military training consists of, and would be astonished at what Navy Seals go through. Astonished.

If this young man stated he was suicidal and was not allowed to quit, that's horrible. I don't know that's the case - sounds like a lot more information will come out. And if anyone joins the military, and isn't made aware of what Boot Camp consists of, the recruiters probably haven't done their jobs.

Yes, there are studies on this and they are not good. People are not made to kill each other
 
I am puzzled that "hazing and abuse" of military recruits in the training phase comes as a surprise to anyone.

SIR YES SIR. This isn't a new sociocultural climate, this is recruit training in the military. It's all about hazing and physical abuse. It's 100% about pushing recruits to the limit of psychological and physical endurance - to select recruits who are suited for the military, and to forge a fraternity of the recruits who make it through "hell week". I honestly don't know how you could create a soldier without this kind of complete breaking down of normal limits. Military training creates men and women who will walk into extreme danger on the order of their superiors, and leaders who will fall on a grenade to protect their comrades.

I grew up in the military, but it seems to me the public doesn't know what military training consists of, and would be astonished at what Navy Seals go through. Astonished.

If this young man stated he was suicidal and was not allowed to quit, that's horrible. I don't know that's the case - sounds like a lot more information will come out. And if anyone joins the military, and isn't made aware of what Boot Camp consists of, the recruiters probably haven't done their jobs.

Physical abuse is not simple hazing. It has no place in any military training, and I'm not going to question a Major General's investigation. I'm sure he knows what's acceptable and what isn't.

an unnamed recruit wrote a note to his drill instructor asking to go to the infirmary for a sore throat. Because he didn't follow proper procedure, the recruit was forced to run back and forth in his barracks, the report said.

After several runs, the recruit began to cry and fell to the floor clutching his throat, apparently unresponsive, the report said. He was ordered to get up and was slapped in the face, it said. After he was slapped, the recruit ran out a door and vaulted over a railing on the third floor of the barracks, the report said.

The investigation also revealed "recurrent physical and verbal abuse of recruits by drill instructors," with a lack of oversight by officers. Even new drill instructors were subjected to abuse by more senior drill instructors, a practice known as "hat hazing" because of the iconic flat-brimmed hats worn by the instructors.

I'm a veteran. I saw hazing and training and I also witnessed assault and harassment. There's a BIG difference.
 
Yes, there are studies on this and they are not good. People are not made to kill each other

No, you're right, they're not. And they're also not made to blindly follow orders when they know it is likely to lead to death. Military training has to break down normal human behaviors and sensitivities. That's why there are so many very damaged combat veterans. They come back from service irrevocably changed for the worse. Having grown up in the military, it just seems sad. I think we're just now waking up to the astronomical numbers of returning vets who kill themselves.
 
No, you're right, they're not. And they're also not made to blindly follow orders when they know it is likely to lead to death. Military training has to break down normal human behaviors and sensitivities. That's why there are so many very damaged combat veterans. They come back from service irrevocably changed for the worse. Having grown up in the military, it just seems sad. I think we're just now waking up to the astronomical numbers of returning vets who kill themselves.

Homeless. Addicted.
 
My son spent 13 and 1/2 weeks there. The stories he told...

My ex-husband was in Special Forces and he had some scary stories too.

I'm sorry if your son had any bad experiences but I know you must be super proud of him. :)
 
Homeless. Addicted.
RSBM

I wish we in America could stop giving money to other countries that seem to hate us, and use it to help our vets.
But that's another topic.

So sorry for this young man's death.
Rest in eternal peace, Raheel ! Thank you for wanting to serve this country.
 
RSBM

I wish we in America could stop giving money to other countries that seem to hate us, and use it to help our vets.
But that's another topic.

So sorry for this young man's death.
Rest in eternal peace, Raheel ! Thank you for wanting to serve this country.

Quick O/T reply to your O/T:

Call your Representatives and Senators and ask them to increase funding for veterans! :) I tell everyone to do this on Veterans Day but you can call or email them anytime.

Veterans deserve a lot more than free football tickets and parades twice a year.

http://usuncut.com/politics/happy-veterans-day-5-times-republicans-in-congress-screwed-veterans/
 
September 13, 2016
9:41 PM EDT

Muslim Marine Placed in Clothes Dryer by Instructor, Asked if He Was 'Terrorist'

A Muslim Marine says he was ordered to step inside a clothes dryer at the Marine boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina by an inebriated drill instructor who wanted to know if he was a "terrorist" and "part of 9/11," according to an investigation.

The Marine, who believes he was singled out for harassment by drill instructors because of his Muslim faith, suffered burns to his neck and shoulders after the drill instructor turned the dryer on multiple times.

According to a Marine official, one of the two drill instructors involved in the 2015 dryer incident was the drill instructor who on March 18 “forcefully slapped” Marine recruit Raheel Siddiqui moments before Siddiqui ran away and jumped to his death from a third story stairwell in his barracks.

Siddiqui’s death -- ruled a suicide -- triggered a broad Marine investigation into hazing and abuse of Marine recruits. Last week it was disclosed that the investigation found that Siddiqui’s drill instructor should not have been allowed to oversee Marine recruits while he was still being investigated for his role in the earlier 2015 hazing incident.

<SNIP>

The allegations against the drill instructors were made by three Marines, including the Muslim Marine, more than three months after they had graduated from Parris Island. The months-long investigation included interviews with all 45 Marines in the platoon.

Last week the Marine Corps said that 20 Marines at Parris Island could face criminal and administrative action for their treatment of Marine recruits.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/muslim-marine-clothes-dryer-instructor-asked-terrorist/story?id=42071520
 
September 14, 2016
3:31 PM

Dead U.S. Marine Corps recruit's family disputes suicide report

The family of a Marine recruit who died during training in South Carolina is disputing a Marine account that he killed himself amid a widespread culture of hazing and abuse in the Corps.

Shiraz Khan, the attorney for the family of Raheel Siddiqui, released a statement saying there’s a lack of evidence that the 20-year-old Taylor, Michigan, resident killed himself March 18 at Parris Island by jumping into a 40-foot stairwell.

Khan released the statement to the Detroit Free Press&#8203; saying Siddiqui didn’t have any “disqualifying conditions, medical or otherwise, during recruiting and processing into the U.S. Marine Corps&#8203;. It’s impossible for his family and friends to accept that he took his own life.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dead-us-marine-corps-recruit-family-disputes-suicide-report/
 
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell visits base where Michigan Marine recruit died

After a report into the death of a Muslim Marine recruit from Taylor found violations by drill instructors and others, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell said Wednesday she visited the Parris Island, S.C., training camp where Raheel Siddiqui died and is confident the corps “is treating this issue with the seriousness it deserves."

Dingell, who represents Taylor and has been pressing the Marines for answers about Siddiqui’s death in March, visited the training facility last weekend with U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who has also been reviewing Marine Corps recruit training at Camp Pendleton in California.

“While this investigation has brought disturbing information to light, it is now critical that the proceedings move forward in a thorough and just manner, and that the Marine Corps holds those responsible accountable while ensuring this never happens again,” she said.

“My heart aches for Pvt. Siddiqui’s family,” she added. “No matter what we do, we can never bring him back, but we must ensure something good comes of this. The men and women who follow in his footsteps must receive fair treatment on their way to becoming our nation’s finest fighters.”
 
Abuse in Marine recruit’s death detailed

The description of the events leading to the death at Parris Island comes amid revelations of systemic hazing and abuse of recruits within the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion at the training depot in South Carolina, as documented in three recent Marine investigations reviewed this week by The Detroit News.

Commanding officers at Parris Island believed Marine recruits threatened to kill themselves to avoid training — a bias that investigators say led them to discount Siddiqui’s serious mental condition.

One officer interviewed by investigators believed that Siddiqui was fabricating his suicidal threat to be dismissed from the Marines with “the magic words that would send him home.”

“This perception shaped the way ... chain of command handled (Siddiqui’s) suicidal ideation,” investigators wrote.

The investigation concluded that Parris Island personnel shouldn’t have sent Sidiqqui back into training, considering he threatened suicide after less than a day in his recruit platoon and went so far as to describe the manner in which he would kill himself. At the time, Sidiqqui also reported having suicidal thoughts prior to enlisting in the Marines, according to the report.


Less than a full day later, on March 13, Siddiqui said he would kill himself if required to return to training. He said he would jump out of the squad bay window — if necessary, cutting the screen first to make his way.

When asked how his family would feel if he returned home without becoming a Marine, Siddiqui answered that he would “tell his mother goodbye and kill himself,” according to the investigation.

Military police and paramedics were called to the barracks, where Siddiqui told police he “could not handle” drill instructors yelling at him and hitting him.

Fifteen minutes later, the sentry on duty denied a request for emergency services to transport Siddiqui to Beaufort Memorial Hospital, citing protocol for first responders that a recruit only qualifies for emergency transport if he has harmed himself or actually attempted suicide.

In his report, the investigating officer suggested someone else in the company should have taken Siddiqui to the hospital for evaluation.

Instead, Siddiqui was sent to stay the night in the squad bay of an adjacent platoon with a recruit assigned to “shadow watch” him at all times. While in the adjacent squad bay, Siddiqui recanted his threat to kill himself, saying he wanted to continue to train.


Instead, staff concluded there was no evidence that Siddiqui had a mental health condition to disqualify him from training and found him at low risk for harm. A follow-up visit to the mental health unit was not recommended.


In an attempt to fix the problems, Marine commanders say they are boosting officer supervision of training and reviewing mental health processes, procedures and suicide-prevention protocols.

The investigating officer also recommended that Naval Medicine launch a separate investigation into the “adequacy of care” provided to Siddiqui by the Mental Health Unit, as it “has been placed reasonably at issue in this investigation.”
 
Ex-Marine Describes Violent Hazing and the Lies That Covered It Up

In Marine Corps boot camp, Thomas Weaver learned to endure punches, kicks and choking by drill instructors in the Third Recruit Training Battalion at Parris Island, S.C. When one instructor repeatedly bashed his head against a doorway, he kept quiet and acted as if it were no big deal. But what he eventually could not take was the lying that covered up the abuse.

A Marine Corps investigation prompted in part by Mr. Weaver’s information has uncovered widespread abuse by drill instructors in the so-called Thumping Third. In a lengthy interview, Mr. Weaver — a top-notch recruit who has since been kicked out of the military, ending his career — provided new details of how he said hazing infected all levels of drill instructors and instructors carefully concealed their abuse and threatened to give recruits “stitches” if anyone told.

Mr. Weaver graduated from boot camp in July 2015, near the top of his class. He was meritoriously promoted ahead of others and planned to make a military career. But what he saw at boot camp gnawed at him until he could no longer sleep, he said, and he was too depressed to attend his next level of training.

He was hospitalized in September on suicide watch. In November, he told his commander he was too depressed to train, and the Marine Corps moved to formally discipline him.

In November Mr. Weaver told his commander he was not well enough to train. The psychologist treating him wrote two letters to his commander, Maj. Jenny A. Colegate, recommending a general discharge for medical reasons.

But Major Colegate, who in a previous assignment had trained recruits at Parris Island, ordered Mr. Weaver to return to duty. When he refused, citing the psychologist’s advice, the Marines discharged him for a “pattern of misconduct.”

Much more at link

http://nytimes.com/2016/09/30/us/ex...t-hazing-and-the-lies-that-covered-it-up.html
 
Medical examiner classifies Navy SEAL trainee’s death as a homicide

The death of a Navy SEAL trainee who drowned in**advertiser censored*training exercise*during his first week of special warfare training has been labeled a homicide, according to a medical examiner's report released Wednesday.
[snip]

The exercise consists of treading water in their camouflage uniform*and boots, while wearing masks filled with water. During the exercise, instructors create adverse conditions

... They are not advised, however, to dunk to pull students underwater.

Surveillance video shows Lovelace appear to be struggling in the water when he is approached by an instructor and dunked.

[snip]
His*death remains under investigation by Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Uniform, boots, masked filled with water, splashing and yelling? I'm a strong swimmer and could probably handle that., but the dunking and pulling underwater? Fear and not being able to breathe would probably give even Michael Phelps some problems. And swim instructors should be able to recognize when someone is struggling!

This kid joined the Navy to serve his country and never even got the chance.

89791dc5f347caa399bf18b161c323ea.jpg


http://wtkr.com/2016/07/06/medical-examiner-classifies-navy-seal-trainees-death-as-a-homicide/
 
I'm very conflicted over Siddiqui's death and I suspect it's not a suicide at all, but occurred at the hands of others and staged as a suicide. I doubt their official investigations will come to that conclusion, however.
 

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