Marines: 15 Drill Instructors Investigated for Hazing

The investigation comes after a recruit died in March
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 1, 2016 12:15 AM CDT
Marines: 15 Drill Instructors Being Investigated for Hazing
Marine recruits perform bear crawls as they go through morning exercises at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, SC, in April.   (Doug Strickland/Chattanooga Times Free Press via AP)

The Marine Corps is looking into allegations of hazing, assault, and physical abuse involving 15 drill instructors at the Parris Island training depot in South Carolina, the AP reports. The allegations stem from an investigation into the death of a Parris Island recruit in March. Raheel Siddiqui of Taylor, Mich., 20, died after falling nearly 40 feet in a stairwell at the installation, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service has said. Once the Marine Corps' investigations are complete, it will be up to Maj. Gen. James Lukeman, commander of Marine Corps training, to determine "appropriate administration and judicial actions necessary" based on the study's findings, according to a statement. Lukeman said all of the Marines under investigation have been assigned to duties that do not involve recruits.

Nabih H. Ayad of Detroit, an attorney for Siddiqui's relatives, said Thursday that the Marine Corps hasn't kept them updated about its inquiry and they don't believe they have the full story about his death. "We have always suspected hazing of some sort," Ayad said. Three senior Marines at the installation have already lost their positions in the wake of Siddiqui's death. A Marine Corps statement said that during the investigation of Siddiqui's death, it was found that a drill instructor was improperly placed in charge of recruits while the subject of an ongoing investigation. The statement didn't detail what that investigation was. It also said that "existing orders, policies, and procedures to prevent improper assignments were not followed," but it didn't detail them. (More Marine Corps stories.)

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