3 Marine officers relieved of duty after deadly training exercise
Three officers have been relieved of duty after seven Marines were killed during a training exercise at a Nevada Army facility, the Marine Corps confirmed Thursday.
“The investigation is not complete, but the preliminary findings did influence the general’s decision” to remove the three, according to 1st Lt. Oliver David, spokesman for the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The seven enlisted Marines were killed March 18 when a 60-millimeter mortar exploded prematurely during a night-time exercise at the Hawthorne Army Depot south of Reno, Nev.
The Marines, from the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, were training at Hawthorne after finishing training at the nearby Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center at Bridgeport, Calif.
Brig. Gen. James Lukeman, commander of the 2nd Marine Division, relieved the three officers as the investigation entered its final stages, according to the Marine Corps.
The direct role of the three in the incident was not explained in the announcement.
Relieved were Lt. Col. Andrew McNulty, commander of the 1-9; Capt. Kelby Breivogel, commander of Alpha Company; and Chief Warrant Officer-3 Douglas Derring, the battalion’s infantry weapons officer.
The mortar round exploded in the firing tube, killing the seven, injuring others. The 60-millimeter mortar is a weapon commonly used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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tony.perry@latimes.com
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