Marine Raider Dies During Airborne Training at Fort Benning

U.S. Marine Corps Raiders take a break during training at Eglin Range, Fla., May 22, 2018. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Joseph Pick) — FILE -- U.S. Marine Corps Raiders take a break during training May 22, 2018. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Joseph Pick)

Military.com | By Gina Harkins

Published June 17, 2020

A Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command critical skills operator died on Tuesday from injuries sustained during a training accident at a Georgia Army base, officials said on Wednesday.

The Raider was participating in the Army's Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning. The special operator's name has not been released, pending family notification.

The Marine was assigned to the Marine Raider Training Center, officials with MARSOC said in a statement."Our sincere thoughts are with the family during this difficult time," the statement adds.

"MARSOC is providing care and support to them as they grieve this tremendous loss."

The incident is under investigation. No other details about the incident were immediately available.

Basic Airborne Course includes three training phases: ground, tower and jump. Students learn how to execute parachute jumps from 34-foot and 250-foot towers before the airborne jump week, according to Fort Benning. That portion of the course involves five parachute jumps from 1,250 feet from a C-130 or C-17 aircraft.

Maj. Kristin Tortorici, a MARSOC spokeswoman, said additional details about the accident are pending family notification.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

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Related Topics: Military Headlines Marine Corps Topics Special Operations Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command - MARSOC

Gina Harkins

Gina Harkins previously covered the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard for Military.com. She has covered troops and their families for nearly a decade, reporting from the U.S., Central and South America, and at sea. Before joining Military.com, Gina was a longtime reporter and managing editor for the independent Marine Corps Times. Her story on two recruits trapped at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina was runner up for the 2013 Military Reporters and Editors award for domestic military coverage. She holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and studied political science and international relations in her undergrad at Northeastern Illinois University. Read Full Bio

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