Pvt. Patrick Armando Vega; Marine recruit found unresponsive in his bunk
Stars & Stripes reports that 21-year-old Marine Private Patrick Armando Vega was found unresponsive in his bunk at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Saturday night by his drill instructor who promptly tried to revive him with CPR;
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Pvt. Vega during this difficult time,” Brig. Gen. William Jurney, commanding general of the recruit depot, said in a press release.
Vega enlisted in the Marine Corps on March 12, Steven Posy, a spokesman for the recruit depot…He was originally from Ventura, Calif.
From the Orange County Register;
Vega was pronounced dead at 11:43 a.m. Sunday after going into cardiac arrest at Naval Medical Center San Diego, where he was being treated.
Vega, who was in a physical conditioning platoon, was found unresponsive by a drill instructor around midnight Saturday, Posy said. The drill instructor conducted CPR until first responders arrived. Vega was taken to Naval Medical Center San Diego in critical condition.
Category: Marine Corps
So the kid was in the Pork Chop Platoon. wonder if he had any underlying problems that slipped past MEPS and the initial physical at MCRD.
That’s what I was thinking.
Was thinking that as well. From the photo it doesn’t look like he was grossly out of shape.
Likely a congenital heart issue. I seen it happen, a fit 24yo dropped dead during parade practice. Very Sad.
RIP Pte Vega
that sucks. prayers to the family for him.
Marine Private Patrick Armando Vega may have been in a physical conditioning platoon, but at least he was trying to become a U.S. Marine.
Our prayers are with his family and loved ones.
Exactly…and in some cases people end up in the physical conditioning platoon for other reasons than weight (although that is probably the most common reason)…either way, a sad event and the young man deserves respect for not quitting
Aye, good on him for trying, and prayers to his family, in a time of unimaginable sorrow..
Could have been a blood clot. Far too young, gone too soon.
Rest in peace, young man.
Unlike many who never even try something above par, he died trying.
when I was a young Sergeant back in 89 I had a private drop dead on a PT run.
Kid was as physically fit as anyone around, but his number was up right then.
Cause of death was “Sudden Adult Death Syndrome”…I still think that means “your guess is as good as ours”, but I could be wrong.
In any event, his heart simply stopped beating.
However, with this young man, it could be a stroke or embolism induced heart stoppage given the extra physical work he was putting in…
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is found to sometimes be the cause of sudden death in “perfectly healthy” young adults.
I had a cat who dropped dead in his tracks from it. Never a sign of stress from him, ever. He was 5 years old, which is about 20 in human years.
No warning at all. I’m guessing that this may what happened to this young man, and your private who dropped dead.
Our platoon lost one in BCT in ’69. We were running relays up a sand dune against another platoon. The drill was to race up the dune and tag another recruit waiting at the top. He would then run back down and tag whoever was first in line. Rinse and repeat.
What was strange was that the recruit who died keeled over after coming down the dune and not while going up. It was also late in the training cycle, somewhere around the sixth week. If somebody was going to have a physical problem, you’d expect it to happen in the first couple of weeks.
I was thinking that the other thing that this could be is what John Ritter passed from, aortic dissection, a tear in the aorta, as such.
It can happen for a variety of reasons but some that are not capable of being diagnosed until an autopsy is performed are, family history, a previous chest injury, or a birth defect
When a young person just drops dead it’s often a previously undiagnosed heart abnormality that had never caused any problems until the heart just gave out under stress. Looks like the same thing happened a few days ago with NBA G-League player Zeke Upshaw who collapsed on the court during a game. http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22942554/zeke-upshaw-g-league-had-sudden-cardiac-death
Prayers and much respect to Private Vega and his family.
Damn, my condolences to the family.
Question: Do Recruits merit a military funeral?
If I had my way they would.
They died while serving in the United States Armed Forces, and nothing that I was able to find disqualifies them from having a full honors funeral.
I concur.
As do I. Give this man his EGA.
I vote yes.
No.
God damn it you fuckers and giving shit away. Not my fucking EGA you don’t. They are earned not given because you tried.
Didn’t mean to click report. I just thinks it’s funny how triggered you just got. Lol.
Swearing in is one of the first things you do when you get there. Somewhere between shipping and that swearing in you are officially in the employ of the US – and in the military. He was a private which means Marine to me. Handing out EGAs is to make one feel a sense of belonging and isn’t a demarcation line. I would say he would get a military funeral same as anyone.
“Do recruits merit a Military Funeral”
In the USMC they do. Dress Blues and all, as well as a meritorious promotion to the next higher rank.
My last tour on the Drill Field I was a Company First Sergeant and we had a recruit drop dead after the Initial Strength Test. It is only a mile and a half run and he came in just over 10 minutes and dropped as he was walking in circles to cool down. Probably a minute after he was done. I was with the CO riding herd on the ones who were on the borderline of failing. By the time we got there the Corpsman had worked on him and the ambulance was getting ready to load him up.
We found out later it was some sort of massive heart failure and he was pretty much dead when he hit he ground.
He was pretty sharp. The DIs from receiving had made him platoon guide and he had played safety at some college in Kansas. He was a shade over weight standards but it was all muscle.
Since he was already a contract PFC they promoted him to LCpl posthumously and he got the full funeral detail.
Terrible. Unlike asshole Malcolm WHORELy, who shit the bed after 30 days, this young man was doing his best to earn the title. This will go all the way back to the Doc who checked him legit at MEPS…..
Condolences to the family and friends of this young man.
Hey fucker, don’t use my name as a negative. =P
Yes this is very sad. My nephew was an E-5 in the Marine Corps and came in from a run, did not feel well and died after laying down.
Yes, all the thoughts, prayers and condolences for this young man and his family.
Rest in Peace young man.
So sorry, young man. Your efforts did not go unnoticed.
Fair winds and following seas, Marine.
Sad to see RIP young man, under lying heart problem, SEMPER FI
Class before mine at Ranger school had a man die from heat exhaustion. 1LT in charge said put him in the ambulance (FLA) following the column. The Lt. said, “I hope that pussy dies,” and he did. Same class (6-69) had two people struck by lightning in the Florida phase and killed. Class before that one had someone drown in Floriduh. Military training can be hazardous to your health.
RIP young Marine.