The Nation : Navy School Where Recruit Drowned to Reopen Today

The U.S. Navy Rescue Swimmer School at Pensacola, Fla., which was closed after a recruit drowned in March, will reopen today with new instructors and safety guidelines, said John Fink, an aide to Rep. Toby Roth (R-Wis.). The investigation into the drowning of Lee Mirecki of Appleton, Wis., showed that Mirecki had been held underwater in the school’s training pool. A medical examiner testified at a hearing earlier this month that Mirecki, 19, died from heart failure caused by the “sheer terror” of being held underwater against his will. Five instructors face possible court-martial proceedings on charges of involuntary manslaughter. Fink said one of the school’s new guidelines will prohibit instructors from physically handling students in the water. Instead, he said, students will practice rescue techniques and combat skills on each other but with instructors supervising.