Over a dozen drill instructors in the U.S. Marine Corps are under investigation following the death of a 20-year-old Muslim-American recruit.
The Marine Corps Times first reported on Wednesday that the drill instructors at the Marine Recruit Depot in Parris Island, S.C., are being investigated for hazing, abuse and lack of supervision.
Raheel Siddiqui died just 11 days after arriving at boot camp when he fell 40 feet in a barracks stairwell.
A series of firings have taken place since Siddiqui’s death including the commanding officer of the Marine Recruit Training Regiment, Col. Paul Cucinotta.
Officials with Training and Education Command, those who oversee recruit training depots, clarified, however, that, “The investigations date back to November of 2015 and appear isolated to companies within the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion.”
Siddiqui was assigned to the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion.
It seems what happened in Siddiqui’s case was that a senior drill instructor, who was put under investigation and, subsequently, assigned to a post where he did not interact with recruits, somehow became the new Marine’s drill instructor.
The Wall Street Journal reported on this story saying, “One of the critical questions in the internal probe, according to Marine officials, is how Mr. Siddiqui ended up under the supervision of a senior drill instructor who was already under scrutiny for alleged hazing involving minority recruits. In one instance, the instructor faced allegations of putting another Muslim recruit in a clothes dryer and making racially charged remarks, according to multiple Marine officials.”
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., who represents Siddiqui’s hometown, has now sent another letter to Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller after receiving no response following her first letter, according to the Marine Corps Times.
Dingell asks the commandant whether the drill instructors under investigation had contact with Siddiqui, how the Marine Corps will “ensure that all recruits are treated equally and receive the proper training to be effective at their jobs … without resorting to tough and discriminatory tactics that could put someone’s life at risk”, and if any drill instructors have been charged.
Dingell also asks whether Marine recruits are being targeted because of their Muslim faith and if the Marine Corps requires its drill instructors to go through any type of sensitivity training.
Currently, there are three ongoing investigations, and, once these investigations are complete, the Marine Corps will decide the proper actions to take.
