More than a dozen Marine Corps drill instructors are being investigated for hazing, physical abuse and assault following the death of a Muslim recruit earlier this year.
The Marine Corps is digging into 15 instructors at the South Carolina training hub in Parris Island, officials told The Washington Post Wednesday.
“We take every allegation of misconduct very seriously and will review each investigation carefully,” Maj. Gen. James W. Lukeman, a commanding general in Virginia who is in charge of dishing out the discipline, told the paper. “The safety of the recruits and the integrity of the Marine Corps recruit training program are among our top priorities.”
The investigation was already ongoing when 20-year-old Raheel Siddiqui, a Pakistani American from Michigan, plunged 40 feet to his death after he fainted during a drill back in March.
Siddiqui was under the command of a senior drill instructor who was already facing hazing allegations after forcing a different Muslim Marine into a laundry machine.