The Marine Corps has identified the Marine who died Thursday during a nighttime live-fire training event at the West Coast infantry school as Lance Cpl. Joseph D. Whaley.
Whaley was in approximately his fourth week of the 13-week Basic Reconnaissance Course at School of Infantry-West aboard Camp Pendleton, California, Marine Corps Training Command said in a statement Saturday.
The course is the entry-level training for those joining Marine reconnaissance, according to the statement. Whaley was an infantry student whose previous training included boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, and rifleman training at the Marine Corps School of Infantry–East in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
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A Maury County, Tennessee, native, Whaley had earned the National Defense Medal, according to the statement from the Marine Corps.
“An investigation remains ongoing into the matter and the command is in full cooperation,” the statement reads. “The family and loved ones have our deepest condolences as we continue to work with them during this difficult time. There is no additional information available, pending the conclusion of the investigation.”
Whaley graduated May 2022 from Columbia Central High School in Columbia, Tennessee, according to a Facebook post by a page dedicated to Maury County updates.
Attempts to reach Whaley’s family via email and phone had not yet been successful by time of publication.
The Marine Corps announced the death Friday but did not initially name the Marine, due to next-of-kin notification.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to include a correction from the Marine Corps on the Marine’s previous training locations.
Irene Loewenson is a staff reporter for Marine Corps Times. She joined Military Times as an editorial fellow in August 2022. She is a graduate of Williams College, where she was the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper.
