Marines: Human error blamed for deadly accident at Hawthorne Army Depot
RALEIGH, N.C. — A military investigation has determined human error was to blame for a March mortar explosion that killed seven Marines during a live-fire training exercise at the Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada.
1st Lt. Oliver David, a spokesman at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, said in a press release Wednesday that a Marine operating a 60 mm mortar tube and ammunition “did not follow correct procedures, resulting in the detonation of a high explosive round at the mortar position.”
When asked by the Review-Journal if more than one round of ammunition was involved in the accident, David said, “That’s something that hasn’t been released. That’s always a possibility.”
He said the explosion occurred “because people didn’t follow correct procedures.”
No other details were available Wednesday and they won’t be released until the Marine Corps headquarters has redacted information covered by privacy guidelines in the investigation report.
David did say, however, that the ban on use of 60 mm mortar systems for training was lifted on May 23 after those mortars and ammunition were determined to be safe. The ban was put in place immediately after the March 18 tragedy.
The widely used 60 mm M224A1 mortar requires two or three people to operate. David said the battalion of roughly 500 Marines from five companies is expected to deploy to Afghanistan “towards the end of the year.”
The accident involved Marines from Company A, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. They had completed a winter mountain exercise at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center near Bridgeport, Calif.
The center uses 46,000 acres of U.S. Forest Service land in Pickel Meadow, Calif., which is about 60 miles west of the Hawthorne Army Depot. The depot, where ammunition is stored in 3,000 bunkers, is also used as a high-desert training site, 320 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Live-fire training at Hawthorne began March 13 and was scheduled to conclude with nighttime exercise on March 18.
The investigation was initiated by Brig. Gen. James Lukeman, the commanding general of the Camp Lejeune-based 2nd Marine Division.
Marine officials announced earlier this month that two officers and a non-commissioned officer were removed from command following the March 18 accident at Hawthorne Army Depot. Seven Marines and a sailor were also wounded.
Lukeman relieved battalion commander Lt. Col. Andrew McNulty on May 8. Company commander Capt. Kelby Breivogel and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Douglas Derring, the battalion’s infantry weapons officer, were also relieved of their duties.
According to the release, Lukeman relieved the officers because “he lost trust and confidence in their ability to ensure proper preparation for, and conduct of, live-fire training events.”
David said no criminal charges are anticipated as a result of the investigation.
The Marines killed ranged in age from 19 to 26. All were based at Camp Lejeune.
Contact Review-Journal reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.
