‘LOSS OF TRUST’

2 Senior Marines Fired From Boot Camp Leadership After Recruit Deaths

The senior Marines were relieved of duty the same day as a negligent homicide trial of a staff sergeant kicked off at Parris Island.

Two officers in charge of recruit training for the U.S. Marine Corps on the East Coast were fired for “loss of trust and confidence,” officials confirmed to the Marine Corps Times on Monday. In a brief statement, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps identified the leaders, who were relieved of duty on July 5, only as a commanding officer and a senior enlisted leader. The Times identified them as Col. Bradley Ward and Sgt. Maj. Fabian Casillas. Ward had commanded the regiment at Parris Island, South Carolina since July 2021. The Marine Corps’ statement did not include a reason for the officers’ dismissal, but news of the development came the same day as the start of the negligent homicide trial of a senior drill instructor at Parris Island. Staff Sgt. Steven Smiley, charged in the June 2021 training death of 19-year-old recruit Dalton Beals, pleaded not guilty on Monday. At least two other recruits have died at Parris Island since Beals’ death, according to the Times.