A US Marine killed in a training accident in Japan died from injuries sustained during a fast-rope exercise while deployed there.
Lance Cpl. Devin J. Hernandez, 25, was taking part in the exercise Tuesday at Camp Schwab in Okinawa when he suffered serious injuries, the 3rd Marine Division said Thursday.
Hernandez was transported for medical care but later died.
Marine Corps officials did not disclose the nature of Hernandez’s injuries, when they occurred or where he received treatment.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation, the division said.
Hernandez, a Maryland native, was a combat engineer assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He was deployed to Japan with the 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, under the Unit Deployment Program.
“The Marines and Sailors of 3rd Marine Division mourn the loss of one of our own,” said Maj. Gen. Kyle Ellison, the division’s commanding general.
“We extend our deepest condolences to Lance Cpl. Hernandez’s family, friends, and fellow Marines. Our focus remains on supporting them while we fully investigate the circumstances of this tragic incident.”
Hernandez’s awards included the Navy Arctic Service Ribbon, according to the division.
Marines are introduced to rope descents during boot camp, where they rappel from towers more than 40 feet high at Parris Island and San Diego as part of a confidence-building exercise.
Fast-roping, a more advanced technique that involves sliding down a rope without a harness, is often performed from a hovering helicopter.
At Camp Schwab, Marines train on a rappel tower before progressing to air operations.
About 55,000 active-duty US troops are stationed in Japan at any given time, with most based on Okinawa. The island remained under US control for nearly three decades after World War II, until 1972, according to the US military.
Okinawa, the largest island in the Ryukyu chain off Japan’s southern coast, is home to more than 18,000 Marines, sailors and their families, according to the Marine Corps.