A Marine for just six days, Aurora man dies in training

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-soldier26.html

Six days after Nick Howe became a U.S. Marine, sergeants showed up at the home of his parents, Mike and Judith Howe, on Aurora's near West Side.

Howe, 21, died Friday at Camp Pendleton in California during basic-training exercises. He had arrived at the camp three days earlier.

When his father answered the door, he wondered if his son was having second thoughts about the Marines. "Death was the farthest thing from my mind," he said.

Preliminary tests indicate Nick Howe died of a heart attack, likely the result of a heart defect he had from birth.

[Oversea Visitor]

1. Neglience

of the US army.

[Kaylee]

2. How?

He played sports his whole life. No one knew he had this heart condition. It was just a likely that he would have died during one of his college football games.

[MercutioATC]

3. Well, no.

Hell, the guy was an athlete and no other doctor found evidence of a heart defect. There was no reason to believe that he was at risk and the problem had never been diagnosed before.

I think this falls under the heading of unfortunate happening, definitely not negligence.

[NNN0LHI]

4. I agree with you 100%

My first day on the job at Ford in 1973 a guy who I hired in with and took the same physical I did dropped dead on his way to the first coffee break from a heart attack. He was 18 years old just like me at the time of his death. This happens more than people realize I think.

Don

[pecwae]

5. Happened once in my BT

unit and in another barracked next to us. Both HS ball players; died during morning PT at Ft. Jackson. The physicals we were given couldn't have picked up on the pre existing conditions.

[cynatnite]

6. True...

My 30 year old brother-in-law suddenly died of a heart attack. Never diagnosed for anything like this at all so it was a shock.

Sadly, these things happen and there's nothing no one could do about it.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

10. Happened with a soccer player in Brazil last year.

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=globe&page=soc-bra/news/CLN3571325.htm

30 years old. Just dropped dead in the middle of the field.

Now they test EVERYBODY for heart problems in Brazilian soccer. And a couple of players have been forbidden to play already. In all likelihood, it saved their lives.

So yes, it's preventable.

[LisaL]

13. Not in this case.

The same happens sometimes with a young athletes, who suddenly fall dead.

[Jack from Charlotte]

14. Negligence? What's your evidence? Army? Wrong, Marines = Navy.*

[Ernesto]

7. Since when are Marine recruits trained @ Camp Pendleton?

Try Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, CA.

[DarbyUSMC]

8. Believe the left coast Marines go to Pendleton for ITR as the right coast

Marines go to LeJeune (Camp Geiger). It's still part of training, just not held where boot camp is held. I could be wrong, just an opinion.

[Ernesto]

16. "He was only a Marine for four days"

True Darby, for "Hollywood" Marines ITR (that's Infantry Training Regiment, for non Marine DUers) is @ Pendleton, but only after boot camp.
At any rate, recruit deaths are fairly common. The USMC is serious business for sure. Much tougher than many well intentioned youngsters can imagine.

[Jack from Charlotte]

18. Parris Island, SC, is, I think, Marine Training Center on this coast.*

[Loonman]

9. Shoulda been 4F'ed at the getgo

Somebody screwed up.

[MercutioATC]

11. Really? In 21 years, NO other doctor caught it.

What makes this a screw up?

[Jack from Charlotte]

15. Agreed Happens to highly trained athletes frequently. Athletes that are..

medically scrutinized all the time.

Sometime people just drop dead and there was no indication or test that would have indicated any problem.

[DS1]

12. Nice Rush to judgement

This happens quite a bit - even triathletes just drop dead some days

There's nothing in the article that says anything about negligence. He could've died in his sleep for all you know.

oops, this was supposedly to have been in reply to post #1

[WLKjr]

17. I go to school with a guy that was a marine

said this isn't all that uncommon. He told me a couple of people had died when he was in, they had heart attacks during basic.

[Javaman]

19. New flash: people die.

Just because they are young, doesn't remove them from that privilege.

[wordout]

20. I suppose they could replace him with a pro-draft DU'er.

WAR!WAR!WAR!RAH!RAH!RAH!