W. Va. Senators Call for Probe into Marine's Death
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West Virginia's (search) two senators are calling for investigations into the death of a Marine recruit who drowned during a water survival training exercise.
Jason Tharp — of Sutton, W. Va. — died Feb. 8 at the Marine Corps base at Parris Island (search), S.C.
The day before his death, a TV station in Columbia (search), S.C., caught Tharp on video being grabbed and shoved by a Marine drill instructor. The instructor and four other Marines who witnessed the incident have been suspended pending an investigation.
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Sen. Robert Byrd asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to give the investigation his "personal attention."
Meanwhile, Sen. Jay Rockefeller has asked a Marine commandant to conduct a "full investigation."