Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-02
Marine Death March

by a court of inquiry looking into the
drowning of six Marine recruits at Paris
Island last April make distressing read
ing. The essential findings are these:
~ Staff Sergeant Matthew McKeon,
who led his platoon into the tidal waters
of Ribbon Greek, had been drinking prior
to the march.
(2) The drownings were not in any
sense by-product of rigorous training
program. The disciplinary" march was
not merely unauthorized. 1t was staged
in violation of applicable regulations, and
without the knowledge of any officer on
the base.
(3) Sergeant McKeon ordered the
disciplinary" march because some men,
bers of his platoon had been sleeping dur
ing the day. He called the platoon out of
barracks at about pm. and started
toward Ribbon Creek During the march
he asked if there were any members of
the platoon who could not swim. Several
men replied, Eyes, sir" Sergeant McKeon
said that all recruits who could not swim
would drown, and those who could swim
would be eaten by the sharks. He then
led his men into Shoulder-deep water and
marched them in irregular formation
parallel to the bank. He asked if every
one was all right, and upon receiving an
affirmative answer he went into deeper
water After about is or 20 minutes of
this, someone called for help and a gen.
eral panic followed. Sergeant McKeon
and others attempted rescue operations,
but six men drowned.
The conclusion was that Sergeant Nc
Keen was trying to frighten the men
and did not intend to kill anyone. It was
also held, however, that his orders to
march into stream of unknown depth,
being aware that some of the recruits
could not swim, reflected "wanton dis
regard" for the reasonably foreSeeable
consequence that death might enSue"
Sergeant McKeon has been charged with
manSlaughter and will be court martialed.
General Randolph Nice. Pate, Com
mandant of the Marine Corps, who has
been admirably fortnight in his han
ding of this tragic affair, has also taken
certain steps to provide more effective
supervision of recruit training This will
involve the transfer and reassignment Of
Major General Joseph C. Burger, COM
handing general at Paris Island. There
is nothing in the report to indicate that
General Burger was negligent in any way
Presumably he is being transferred on the
theory that, as commanding officer, he
Is at least technically responsible for any,
thing that goes wrong in his command
inc &c f,,%,
Marine Corps training program-a pro-
gram which has turned out a truly elite
corps of fighting men. General Pate has
stressed that he has complete conf
dence" in the training system itself, and
that II intend to preserve that system,
and there is nothing in the actions 1
have taken which will detract from its
effectiveness" At the same time he has
decreed that "any and every practice"
which involves or suggests "hazing, pun
iShment or any other form of treatment
incompatible with accepted American
standards of human dignity be absolutely
eliminated"
We do not know exactly what this
latter means, nor how it is to be recon-
ciled with General Pate's assertion that
the objective of recruit training is to take
a group of naturally well disposed"
young men and convert them into a
fighting unit able Ito face the ordeal of
battle without flinching" because of
some natural or instilled pride in reso-
Lutte behavior sufficient to override every
natural instinct for survival" It is to
be hoped, however, that the tragedy Of
Paris Island-a Senseless, freakish thing
will not serve to so soften the training
program that the Marines in some future
war will be deficient in that tough con-
ditioning which can mean the difference
between survival and death, victory and
defeat