Marines investigate recruit's injury
 

Marines investigate recruit's injury


Instructor may have broken man's leg

By James W. Crawley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

July 3, 2003

The Marine Corps is investigating the injury of a 21-year-old recruit, reportedly by a drill instructor at the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot.

During martial arts training June 23, a drill instructor kicked Recruit Grayson Fricke of Atlanta, breaking his lower left leg, according to his mother, Beth Fricke.

After speaking with her son at the hospital, Fricke claimed the instructor's actions were abusive and improper.

Surgeons at San Diego Naval Medical Center operated on Fricke ? a former child movie and television actor ? to insert pins and screws to stabilize the broken bones, she said.

He is recuperating, and no decision has been made yet whether he will restart recruit training or be discharged.

"This incident is under investigation," depot spokesman Staff Sgt. Nicholas McLaren said. "At this time, it's not a criminal investigation."

McLaren confirmed that Fricke was hurt during training on June 23, but said the circumstances of the injury were still being determined.

Officials would not name the drill instructor, a staff sergeant.

If initial questioning prompts a criminal investigation, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service probably will take over the case, McLaren said.

Marine Corps rules generally don't allow drill instructors to strike or touch recruits during the 12-week training course.

The recruit's mother, who flew to San Diego last week from Atlanta to visit her son, said recruits "shouldn't be kicked, they shouldn't be hit, they shouldn't be slapped."

"This isn't a wimpy kid; he's a strong kid," she added.

She said her son was athletically active as a skier, golfer and swimmer.

And he worked much of his life as a child actor in films and television, including "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "Prince of Tides," according to a search on the Internet and newspaper archives.

His mother reluctantly confirmed Fricke's show business activities, saying her son never mentioned his acting career to Marine Corps recruiters and other recruits because he didn't want people to judge him on his acting.

"They've ruined his military career," she said. "I don't know what they've done to his life and his love of skiing and golf," she said.



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James W. Crawley:
(619) 542-4559; jim.crawley@uniontrib.com


http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/m...m3recruit.html


Sempers,

Roger