An unidentified Marine Corps recruit was found dead Tuesday morning after falling off a balcony at the Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot in South Carolina, according to a report by The State.
The death was the result of an apparent accident that happened about 7:30 a.m., the newspaper reported citing a statement by Beaufort County Coroner David Ott.
The victim, whose identity was being withheld until family could be notified, was a member of the 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, Recruit Training Regiment, The State reported.
The Naval Criminal Investigation Service is investigating, according to Parris Island spokesperson Capt. Philip Kulczewski, who issued an emailed statement to the newspaper.
Officials at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston plan an autopsy Thursday morning, The State reported.
In June, another Marine recruit died at the 8,095-acre military installation during a rigorous training exercise known as the “Crucible,” The State reported.
At least eight other boot camp trainees have died in all at Parris Island, which is one of only two Marine Corps training stations in the United States, according to the newspaper.
About 19,000 recruits train there every year.
The base was made famous in the 1987 Stanley Kubrick film “Full Metal Jacket,” which featured an unrelenting drill sergeant played memorably by the late R. Lee Ermey.
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