TAYLOR – The suicide of a Muslim Marine Corps recruit amid widespread hazing could lead to punishment or charges against 20 officers and enlisted leaders, officials said Thursday.
Investigators said a drill instructor physically abused Raheel Siddiqui, 20, and called him a terrorist.
Three internal investigations revealed Siddiqui leapt from the balcony of a barracks building to his death in March at the Parris Island Recruit Depot after a drill instructor slapped him in the face.
The instructor made him run from one end of the barracks to the other March 18 after Siddiqui asked to go to the infirmary for a sore throat without following proper procedure, the investigation found. An autopsy ruled his death a suicide, but a lawyer for Siddiqui’s family has said they “always suspected hazing of some sort.”
Marine officials fired the three most senior Marines in charge of Siddiqui’s unit and removed from duty each of the other commanders and senior enlisted leaders identified for possible charges or administrative punishment. Investigators alleged officials at the legendary boot camp violated a range of policies, including those against hazing and verbal and physical abuse.
The Marines released a redacted investigative report by Maj. Gen. James Lukeman of the service’s training and education command in Quantico, Va. A hearing slated for the next several weeks will decide if administrative or criminal proceedings move forward.
“When America’s men and women commit to becoming Marines, we make a promise to them,” Marine Commandant Gen. Bob Neller said a statement.. “We pledge to train them with firmness, fairness, dignity and compassion.”
Siddiqui, a high school valedictorian from Taylor, had joined in hopes of becoming an FBI agent someday. Yet he threatened to kill himself within a week of his arrival on Parris Island as part of the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion.
He had no history of mental illness before he joined the unit known as “The Thumping Third” for its treatment of both recruits and drill instructors, the officials said. Mental health staff at the boot camp found him “motivated to train” and released Siddiqui after he took back his suicide threat, according to the newspaper’s sources.
U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) released the following statement about the incident.
“Today’s announcement by the Marine Corps is a first step in ensuring the family of Private Raheel Siddiqui receives the answers they deserve and that the Marine Corps is addressing the serious issues that led to this tragedy. I am grateful for the seriousness with which the Marine Corps has carried out this investigation to date, but it is critical that the process continue to be conducted in a manner that is thorough and ensures all those who are responsible are held accountable.
“Private Siddiqui was a son, brother and class valedictorian who believed this country represented freedom and opportunity. As a young Muslim man, he truly understood the value of freedom of religion, and all he wanted was to defend the ideals our nation holds dear. This weekend, I will visit Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island to see firsthand the recruit training process, meet with the new leadership and learn about the changes that are being implemented to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again.
“This is the very least the Siddiqui family – and the thousands of families across our country whose children serve in uniform – deserve.”
Dingell has been in constant communication with the Marine Corps since Private Siddiqui’s death. She wrote General Neller seeking further clarification on the circumstances surrounding Siddiqui’s death, and consistently pressed for additional information about the investigation into drill instructors and senior leadership at Parris Island.
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