do you know what area this tragedy in.
News report I heard was that it was out in "Zulu Impact Area;" Live-fire arty and bombing target range, apparently.
I remember pulling range maint duty out in Twentynine Palms, while waiting for classes to be formed up. Newbs fresh out of Boot generally saw a couple or three months of delay between arriving on base and their MOS training classes starting, and were used as working parties all over the base.
Range Maint out there is probably similar, generally involved long hot rides in the back of a deuce-and-a-half out to the middle of the trackless wastes, then stacking up scattered tires & whatnot to make targets for the tankers, arty, mortarmen, and air wings to blow up later. We'd stack them in the shapes of various vehicles & such, to make for semi-realistic reactive targets.
Areas were supposed to have been swept by EOD prior to working parties arriving, but it was not uncommon for some unexploded munitions to be turned up. Even after having been carefully warned, there were some guys who couldn't resist souvenir hunting. Mortar hulls in particular were found often. 50-cal and larger slugs embedded in stuff.
It's a dangerous place to be even when everyone is being careful. No telling what's got buried & went undetected over the last 50 years.
Sad situation, no matter what happened.
Most recent article I've seen:
4 Marines killed in Camp Pendleton accident
