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Marines second dead { December 14 2002 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20021214-9999_6m14recruit.htmlhttp://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20021214-9999_6m14recruit.html
Cause of Marine's death not yet known
Wisconsin recruit was training in pool
By Jeanette Steele
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 14, 2002
A 19-year-old Marine recruit died Thursday after survival training at a base swimming pool, officials at Marine Corps Recruit Depot said yesterday.
Pvt. Samuel J. Bruss of Kenosha, Wis., is the second San Diego-based recruit to die after training since late last month.
He had exited the pool and reported chest pains to a nearby medical corpsman just before 2:30 p.m. Despite emergency care on the base and at UCSD Medical Center, Bruss died at 3:45 p.m. A Marine official said there is no indication yet as to the cause of death.
Bruss had no known health problems and was an avid outdoorsman, said his uncle, Jim Jansen, in Wisconsin.
"He was extremely active, not so much with traditional sports of football and basketball, but all-terrain sports and volleyball," Jansen said. "That's part of the reason for the (family's) shock. . . . Everyone's reaching out for answers."
An autopsy and an investigation are planned, officials said.
Bruss was in the third phase of water-survival classes, during which Marines learn to float while weighted down with gear. They start dressed in camouflage fatigues and add packs, boots, weapons and helmets as the training progresses, said 1st Lt. Mike Friel of the recruit depot.
The training is conducted in an Olympic-size swimming pool heated to about 80 degrees, he said.
Jansen said his nephew was a good swimmer and that his parents have an outdoor pool at their home.
Bruss is the sixth Marine recruit in San Diego to die during or resulting from training since 1995. Most of the others collapsed during training runs or obstacle-course work.
The cause of death for Pvt. Neal Edwards, 18, who died Nov. 23 after completing a base obstacle course, is still unknown, Friel said. Toxicology reports from the autopsy are not finished.
Recruits undergo at least one physical examination before they enter boot camp, Friel said.
Bruss is survived by his parents, two sisters and an older brother who is a Marine serving in Bahrain.
A base official said Bruss was a promising Marine.
"I can tell you that recruit Bruss was doing well in his training," said Lt. Col. William Walsh, recruit regiment executive officer. "He worked hard, was dedicated and would have made a fine U.S. Marine."
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