Update 3:09 p.m. A U.S. Marine from Chico in Northern California who died this week at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms was taking part in a 28-day "integrated training exercise," a Marine Corps captain tells Banning-Beaumont Patch.
Private First Class Casey J. Holmes, 20, was killed Monday March 11 at the Twentynine Palms base.
"The Integrated Training Exercise is a 28-day exercise conducted here that prepares Marine units for deployment in support of global contingency operations," USMC Capt. Nicholas C. Mannweiler said in an email Wednesday afternoon.
"It also provides pre-deployment training to battalions that will deploy to Afghanistan," Mannweiler said. "As battalions and squadrons progress through the training, they are required to integrate together as a cohesive team through shared planning, briefing, rehearsals, execution and debriefing. This interaction builds the inherent understanding that Marines need to possess in order to fight as a unified force."
Banning-Beaumont Patch covered a live weapons training exercise involving an estimated 500 members of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines at Twentynine Palms on Jan. 21.
"What you covered in January with 2/4 is ITX," Mannweiler told Banning-Beaumont Patch. "We're talking about the same exercise."
Posted 2:09 p.m. A U.S. Marine died this week in a training exercise at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, officials said Wednesday.
20-year-old Private First Class Casey J. Holmes was killed Monday while taking part in an "integrated training exercise," USMC Cpl. Reece Lodder said.
Holmes, a native of Chico, enlisted in the Corps in May 2012, joining the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in October 2012, Lodder said.
Holmes' personal decorations include the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Further details about the incident, which is under investigation, weren't immediately available.
"It's all under investigation, and as it's pending, we can't provide any of that," Lodder told Patch.
Banning-Beaumont Patch covered a live weapons training exercise involving an estimated 500 members of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines at Twentynine Palms on Jan. 21.
