Marine killed in live-fire training identified [Updated]
Lance Corporal Joseph D. Whaley died on Thursday at School of Infantry-West.
The Marine who died during a night live-fire exercise on Thursday has been identified.
Lance Corporal Joseph D. Whaley, from Tennessee, was killed earlier this week while training at School of Infantry-West at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, according to Marine Corps Training Command.
Whaley was in his fourth week of training in the 13-week-long Basic Reconnaissance Course. The exact circumstances that led to his death have not been revealed, and the incident at the night live-fire training exercise is under investigation. Marine Corps Training Command said that it is in “full cooperation” with the probe. However no other updates were given.
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Whaley was from Columbia, Tennessee and graduated high school in 2022, according to local news outlets. According to the Marine Corps, Whaley’s military training included rifleman training at the U.S. Marine Corps School of Infantry East, at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Recruit Training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. At the time of his death he was listed as an infantry student.
The Marine’s death at SOI-West came only a month after the school’s Command Sergeant Major was relieved of duty. School of Infantry-West is one of two hubs nearly all Marines report to for combat training following boot camp.
Update: 8/19/2023: This post has been updated with additional information on Whaley’s training history.
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