Marine’s Drowning Death Is Detailed

A Marine whose drowning has led to criminal charges against four Marines had twice asked not to be forced to undergo a strenuous training exercise but was ordered to get in the swimming pool or he would flunk the course, military documents indicate.

The documents provide other details about the death of Staff Sgt. Andrew Gonzales, 30, and about the intense exercise known as “water polo.” In the exercise, swimming instructors play the role of panicky swimmers, clawing and grabbing at their would-be rescuer.

Gonzales, a drill instructor, was pulled from the pool after several minutes of the exercise. Attempts at resuscitation failed.

Late last month, the Marine Corps announced that four Marines at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot had been charged in the Aug. 1 death.

An Article 32 hearing will be held this month to determine whether the case should be sent to court-martial, dropped or handled administratively.

Capt. Vincent Guida and Staff Sgt. Duane Dishon were charged with dereliction of duty. Staff Sgt. David Roughan and Staff Sgt. Fernando Galvin were charged with dereliction of duty, manslaughter and negligent homicide.

Gonzales died while taking a two-week course to prepare him for an even more rigorous course in water-rescue techniques. The latter is meant to qualify drill instructors to help teach recruits how to rescue a drowning buddy or fight an enemy in the water.

The Marine Corps last week released the heavily censored version of the preliminary investigation that led Brig. Gen. John Paxton Jr., commanding general of the recruit depot, to bring the charges.

All names have been blacked out except for Gonzales’, making it impossible to determine what role the four Marines may have played in his death. The charges suggest that Guida and Dishon had supervisorial authority over the training, although they may not have been present, and that Roughan and Galvin were involved in the hands-on instruction.

Also blacked out were 15 opinions reached by the investigators about Gonzales’ death and 13 recommendations, probably concerning training and safety methods.

The upcoming Article 32 will test anew a question that hangs over Marine training: What is the acceptable level of toughness when teaching young men to survive in the toughest of all environments, combat?

Water polo “is played with an intensity above and beyond the pace at the formal school,” the preliminary investigation said. “Students are not permitted to rest in between rescues with instructors.

“A student is often wrapped up by an instructor and not let go until they complete the technique to the instructor’s satisfaction.”

During the day of Gonzales’ death, the report found, no Marines were acting as poolside observers or supervisors, and none knew how to use an external defibrillator to stimulate the heart of a drowning victim.

Among the report’s other conclusions: Federal firefighters called to the scene may have used an improper technique in attempting cardiopulmonary resuscitation; a gurney that could have helped evacuate Gonzales to a hospital was slow in arriving; and an emergency oxygen bottle was leaking and useless.

According to the report, on July 27 Gonzales told his first sergeant that he wanted “no part” of the water polo session. Gonzales had a fear of water after a near-drowning episode as a child, although he had passed previous swimming requirements.

On July 28, Gonzales went to sick call, complaining of headaches, nausea and a fever, and was given medication.

On Aug. 1, his sixth day of training, Gonzales refused to take part in water polo but was told to “get in the pool or he would have to be dropped from the course.” Failure to participate could have hurt his career.

During the session, Gonzales was heard yelling “let me go, let me go,” the report said, as an instructor simulated a panicky swimmer pulling on him.

Gonzales began breathing rapidly, submerged briefly, and then resurfaced with “an odd look on his face.” Minutes later he became unresponsive and was pulled from the pool.

The investigative report quotes an official at the base medical center saying that, if Gonzales were sick, he would have been more susceptible to exhaustion and an irregular heartbeat, which could have made him more prone to drowning. Also, the official notes, drowning can occur with only a “small amount of water” in the victim’s lungs.

The San Diego case comes as a drill instructor at Parris Island, S.C., faces court-martial in the drowning of a recruit.

Bing West, former assistant secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration and author of two books about the Marines in Iraq, said the Marine system of rigorous training “is sound.”

“But no matter how hard every drill instructor tries, tough training occasionally results in a tragic error,” West said. “When it does, the Marine Corps demands accountability.”