Special operations Marine killed in vehicle rollover identified
"Our thoughts are with the family and teammates of Staff Sgt. Braica during this difficult time. MARSOC is providing care and support to them and we urge respect for their privacy as they grieve this loss."
A Marine Raider who died of his injures after the lightweight dune buggy he was driving rolled over has been identified as Staff Sgt. Joshua Braica, officials announced on Tuesday.
Braica, 29, was a critical skills operator assigned to the 1st Marine Raider Battalion, a news release from Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command says.
“Our thoughts are with the family and teammates of Staff Sgt. Braica during this difficult time,” Tuesday's news release says. “MARSOC is providing care and support to them and we urge respect for their privacy as they grieve this loss.”
On April 13, he was driving a Polaris MRZR vehicle during a training exercise at Camp Pendleton, California, when the accident happened, the news release says. Braica died the following evening at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla.
He is the first Raider killed while using the Polaris MRZR, said MARSOC spokesman Maj. Nick Mannweiler.
Braica is survived by his wife and son. An investigation into the April 13 rollover is being conducted.Originally from Sacramento, Braica joined the Marine Corps in 2010 and first served as an intelligence specialist with 1st Battalion 4th Marines. He completed MARSOC training in 2015 and deployed with the 1st Raider Battalion to the Indo-Pacific region from July 2017 to January 2018.
His military awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Gold Star in lieu of second award; two Good Conduct Medals; the National Defense Service Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; and three Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.
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