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Raheel Siddiqui, 20, died at the Marine Corps recruit depot at Parris Island, S.C., while in initial training.
Minutes before Raheel Siddiqui, a Muslim Marine recruit, jumped to his death during the early phases of boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., he was hazed and struck by his drill instructor, Marine Corps officials said Thursday.
In addition to acknowledging Siddiqui’s abuse, the Marines also said Thursday that the inquiry into his March 18 suicide was just one of several investigations that have slowly expanded in recent months, embroiling 20 individuals on one of the Marine Corps’ most storied training bases.
According to Marine Corps officials, the entirety of the investigations have focused on just one of Parris Island’s four recruit battalions: the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion. The Marines have since identified 20 individuals involved with the recruit training process who could be punished — some with criminal charges — for their roles in promoting a toxic training environment, one that consistently turned a blind eye to hazing and implicitly condoned poor leadership.
Siddiqui, 20, a Pakistani American Taylor, Mich., arrived at Parris Island on March 7 and had been with his training company, known as Kilo Company, for only a day when he reported on March 13 that he wanted to commit suicide, Marine officials said.
The first week or so of Marine boot camp is known as “forming” and involves recruits going through a series of medical evaluations and uniform issues before training. After forming, recruits are “picked up” by their drill instructors in an infamous ceremony that introduces recruits to their company and the intensity of recruit training. Marine boot camp companies often have nicknames, and Kilo Company is known as “Killer Kilo,” a name that its recruits and cadre of drill instructors are often quick to brag about.
Siddiqui was set to speak to the mental-health unit on base and a recruit liaison service the day following his claims but recanted them before speaking to the unit. The next day, Siddiqui was evaluated by the mental-health unit and returned to training. According to officials, however, Siddiqui claimed sometime before returning to training that he had been abused by his drill instructors — a claim that was ignored by higher-ups in Kilo Company.
Drill Instructor Staff Sgt. Tristian L. Curren, Platoon 1082, Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, speaks to his recruits for the first time July 25, 2015, on Parris Island, S.C. (Photo by Sgt. Jennifer Schubert)
On March 18, Siddiqui was given “improper incentive training,” officials said. “Incentive training” is an Orwellian term for on-the-spot physical training that often takes place at a designated spot in the front of the barracks and is used as punishment for an individual or groups of recruits. During the training, recruits are told to do push-ups and other calisthenics in place.
Siddiqui told his drill instructor that his throat hurt, officials said, and after failing to respond to the drill instructor, he fell to the floor, apparently in pain. When Siddiqui continued to not respond, the drill instructor “forcefully” slapped him between one and three times. Siddiqui then ran down the length of the barracks and vaulted a railing, falling to his death. It is against regulations for a drill instructor to strike a recruit.
The post A Muslim Marine Recruit’s Death Exposes A Culture Of Hazing appeared first on News India Times.
