--- title: "Marine studying at Marine Corps University found dead" description: "The Marine Corps University student was found unresponsive in a vehicle today and pronounced dead. The demise is under investigation." date: "2023-09-02" modified: "2023-09-02" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-corps-university-student-dead/" categories: - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "News" tags: - "death" --- # Marine studying at Marine Corps University found dead ![Marines folding a flag]() *FILE: Marines with the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar honor guard practice folding the American flag prior to a funeral for a deceased Marine at the base chapel. (Cpl. Melissa Wenger/U.S. Marine Corps)* A Marine studying at Marine Corps University in Virginia was found dead today. The Marine Corps Education Command announced that the unidentified student was found unresponsive in a vehicle today, Sept. 2, at the campus in Quantico. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death was not announced. The Marine’s identity is being withheld for 24 hours while family can be notified. [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.** “The family, loved ones, and peers have our deepest condolences as the Marine Corps University works with his parent command to actively provide much needed support during this difficult time,” Maj. Joshua J. Pena, a Marine Corps spokesman, said in a statement. Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating the death. The student is the sixth Marine to die in the last month. One Marine, [Lance Corporal Joseph D. Whaley](), was killed in a live-fire exercise at School of Infantry-West at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton on Aug. 17. [Maj. Andrew Mettler]() died when his F/A-18D Hornet crashed in Southern California on Aug. 24. Another [three Marines]() were killed in an MV-22 Osprey crash while in an exercise in Australia. *This is a developing story.* ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **Navy destroyer USS Howard’s** [**commanding officer fired**]() - **New ship named after legendary** [**Navy SEAL**]() **and Alaska Native** - [**Women in special operations**]() **say bias, double standards are daily realities** - **Families of Marines** [**killed in Osprey crash**]() **push for more answers** - **Two service members arrested after** [**fatal stabbing**]() **in Germany** ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()