When I first heard the story about seven Marines I was
devastated. I have a mass amount of respect for Marines, not only because my
brother is one but also because they fight for our country. During a live fire
training exercise on Tuesday March 19, 2013, seven Marines were pronounced dead
after a 60-millimeter mortar round unexpectedly exploded. Along with the seven killed, severely others
were injured and taken to the hospital. The Marines were training at Hawthorne
Army Depot which is under investigation. Troops are frequently sent there
before being deployed to Afghanistan. Some Marines that were killed by
explosion that were part of the Second Marine Division were based at Camp
Lejeune, North Carolina for combat. It is unclear if the mortar exploded in its
firing tube. Also it might have been detonated among the Marines after being
fired or there may have been more than a single round exploded. After this
case, the United States Marine Crops suspended the use of the 60-millimeter
mortar along with the association of using fire tubes worldwide. The Depot is mainly
used for training troops about to be deployed to Afghanistan because they have
much similar terrain like Afghanistan. After nine of the Marines were taken to
Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, one died shortly after while there were
listed in serious condition and five were in fair condition. All the men were
under 30 years old with injuries penetrating trauma, fractures, and vesicular
injuries. Just hearing this story brings tears to my own eyes knowing that all
seven of those men were training to fight for our own country. All my thoughts
and prayers go out to all of the Marines and their families that were devastated
by this tragic accident. All of the pouring support the community is giving
them just touches my hearts. Hopefully this doesn’t occur again.
No comments:
Post a Comment