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A naval exercise instructor showed “indifference to the well-being of recruits” when he forced a 19-year-old to undergo additional physical training in a 90-degree heat last summer, leading to the recruit’s collapse and death.
pfc. Dalton Beals, 19, of New Jersey, died on June 4, 2021 at Parris Island training camp in South Carolina.
On Monday, the internal investigation into his death concluded it was “probably avoidable” and came under fierce criticism of his instructor.
The instructor, whom the Marines do not name, was described as a terrible leader – unapproachable, disinterested and lacking the “maturity, temperament and leadership skills” for the job.
Recruits were reluctant to tell him about their problems, including medical problems, the report concluded, in a copy obtained from the website Task and goal.
pfc. Dalton Beals, 19, died in June 2021 during a test known as the Crucible, at the end of the Navy recruiting course
Beals, of New Jersey, died of overheating after being forced to participate in additional physical training in a 90-degree heat
Navy recruits pictured during Crucible training in Parris Island, South Carolina, on March 24
On March 24, a drill instructor is seen fighting a recruit on Parris Island
Beals died during what’s known as the Crucible — a series of challenges that test recruits on “physical strength, skills and the Marine Corps values they learned during training,” the Marines say on their website.
It adds that recruits “are only allowed a limited amount of food and sleep.”
The Crucible is the test at the end of the grueling 13-week workout and includes an intense nine-mile walk, which concludes with the recruits receiving a pin, meaning they’ve earned the title of Marine.
The Marines’ investigators said the Crucible demonstrated the instructor’s incompetence for the role.
“While his performance as a senior drill instructor seemed to improve somewhat over the cycle, he showed little leadership over his team during the Crucible and at times seemed disinterested in leading or mentoring them,” the study says.
While it is impossible to establish, his alleged indifference to the well-being of the recruits demonstrated before the Crucible may have influenced the willingness of Recruit Beals or other recruits to seek medical attention when Recruit Beals showed obvious signs from a heat injury during the Melting Pot.’
The researchers found that the drill instructor ignored warnings about the temperatures that day.
“Instead of taking appropriate account of weather conditions (as reflected by yellow-red and black flag conditions in the Crucible), Recruit Beals’ team leader has [REDACTED] more intensive training for the Recruit Beals team, including conducting unauthorized incentive training during both days of the event,” the study said.
“Those actions increased the impact of the weather on Recruit Beals and other recruits.”
Temperatures of 90 degrees and above represent Black Flag conditions, with “Physical training and strenuous exercise for all personnel suspended (excluding operational deployment not for training purposes),” according to the Marine Corps.
Beals (center) is pictured with his family. The apparently healthy teen died suddenly during the Crucible
Beals, pictured with a friend, is posthumously awarded his Marines title
Born in Pennsville, New Jersey, Beals graduated from Pennsville Memorial High School only the year before his death
Beals’ cause of death was determined to be hyperthermia, commonly known as overheating.
On the day he died, other recruits said Beals “looked shaky and exhausted and didn’t look like himself.”
He often slowed down, the report concluded, which annoyed other recruits.
Beals was born in Pennsville, New Jersey, and graduated from Pennsville Memorial High School only the year before his death.
Brigadier General Walker Field, the Commanding General of the Marine Corps recruiting depot, is now reading the report and considering filing charges.
“An Article 32 hearing has been held and a preliminary hearing officer’s report has been provided to the Commanding General of MCRD Parris Island/Eastern Recruiting Region, which includes recommendations regarding the referral of military cases,” said Major Philip Kulczewski, a spokesman. for Paris Island.
“The Commanding General is currently considering the recommendations of that report and will make a decision on the referral of the charges after consulting with legal counsel.”
Brigadier General Walker Field, the Commanding General of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, now decides whether to charge the unnamed drill instructor
A sign over a road at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina
Beals was one of two recruits killed on Parris Island in 2021.
pvt. Anthony Munoz, 21, died on his first day of training in October 2021 after falling from a balcony.
Five years ago, another Parris Island drill instructor was sentenced to 10 years in prison for abusing recruits, one of whom was killed after jumping over a stairwell and falling to his death.
Beals’ mother, Stacie Beals, said she hopes the instructor involved in her son’s death will be charged.
“You’ve got one bad person getting their hands on all these recruits and they’re going to extremes,” she said.
“And they feel like they can do what they want and what they want, instead of following the guidelines of the military. They need the toughest punishments.’
She added, “It will never bring my son back.”