In August 1988, Kilo Company from the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division out of Camp Le Jeune, North Carolina was deployed to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) at Twenty-Nine Palms in the Mojave Desert, California. The deployment was to support Desert Warfare Training.
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One US Marine involved with supporting the training was 19-year old Lance Corporal Jason Rother. Lance Corporal Rother assigned duty, along with other Marines was as road guards. The road guards were posted along the route of the Battalion, the night of 30 August 1988 (Tuesday).
The platoon leader, was supposed to post road guards in pairs but established road guards alone at their assigned posts. The platoon leader got lost himself and forgot where he posted Lance Corporal Rother.
Once the battalion was redeployed to the rear, Lance Corporal Rother was not accounted for. Only 40-hours later, when the Arms Room alerted the chain-of-command of a missing weapon, did they find out Lance Corporal Rother was missing. But in the meantime, the platoon leader and platoon sergeant failed to account for Lance Corporal Rother and report his absence.
A massive search of approximately 1,000 Marines to include aircraft was deployed to find Lance Corporal Rother starting at his Last Known Point (LKP). He made an arrow of stones pointing to where he was posted as a road guard. The massive non-stop search by more than 1,000 Marines and aircraft failed to track down Lance Corporal Rother.
It is reported that he had very little water. It turns out that Lance Corporal Rother decided to try to find his way back to the base. Lance Corporal Rother had no map nor a compass.
The Mojave Desert is absolutely unforgiving to the ignorant and the disrespectful. In this case, Lance Corporal Rother was ignorant to the ways of this sure killer desert environment. It is reported that Lance Corporal Rother was not found till 04 December 1988 – 97-days after he went missing.
It is reported Lance Corporal Rother trekked 17-miles through the desert. Temperatures at that time when he went missing were reported to be as high as 107-degrees Fahrenheit (41.66-degrees Celsius). To trek 17-miles in that desert environment and at those temperatures and having little or no water – is an exceptional feat. Most people wouldn’t have lasted 1/3rd that distance.
It is reported that before the 1st search was launched, Lance Corporal Rother probably died within 24-hours from dehydration and exposure to the elements. Again, tracing his route, he covered approximately 17-miles from his road guard post and he was only 02-miles from the base. Such a valiant effort. So close, only 02-miles away from base.
After a thorough investigation, it was determined that Lance Corporal Rother was unaccounted for by his immediate chain-of-command. Plus a few other military charges. The Officer and 02 Sergeants were sent to the brig (military jail) for 04-months and then discharged from the Marine Corps.
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Could This Tragedy Be Prevented?
Of course, without a doubt.
Accountability: Military units, no matter the branch or size are flawless when it comes to accountability. There are multiple daily formations every work day. And when deployed, accountability is constant, or it’s supposed to be. But in this case, the superiors of Lance Corporal Rother – an Officer and 02 Sergeants failed to account for 01 of their immediate subordinates – Lance Corporal Rother. With multiple formations each day while in the rear, how could they not immediately account for one of their own men? How could friends of Lance Corporal Rother not miss him as soon as they returned to base?
Last Known Point (LKP): And even when Lance Corporal Rother was unaccounted for, if he just stayed in-place, and wait to be recovered, he’d be alive today – right now. Why? His weapon was missing from the arms room. And any military organization WILL GO ALL OUT TO RECOVER THAT WEAPON – thus finding Lance Corporal Rother. Once the Arms Room armorer alerted the chain-of-command of the missing weapon, the whole unit went into 24/7 action.
Lance Corporal Rother trekked 17-miles in that high heat with little or no water. This high-endurance action alone, proved he could no doubt stay at his post with no water for at least a few days. Enough time to be recovered before serious medical issues overtake him.
In the previous Survival Stories under this blog, all of them could have been AVOIDED if the survivors just STOPPED STOPPED STOPPED where they were and made camp instead of going off into the vast wilderness trying to find their way back to safety. To wander off into the wilderness greatly increases the search area and greatly increases the chances of not being found.
In this case, Lance Corporal Rother courageously trekked 17-miles and his remains weren’t found till 97-days later. Again, Search And Rescue (SAR) Teams will initiate their search for lost and missing personnel at their Last Known Point (LKP).
Re-read the following blog post so You’re Ready Anytime Anywhere.
- “How To Plan Your Outdoor Adventure!”
- “09 NEVER Get Lost Navigation Tricks!”
- “15 Isolated Lone Survivors Who Beat The Killer Odds!”
- “12 Real Survival Tragedies You Have To Know!”
- “Save My Life… Survival Program!”
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I also suggest that you go to the “Table Of Contents” and take a good look over the other wilderness survival blog posts under the Category – ‘Wilderness Survival.’
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Article Source: www.Wikipedia.org
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