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Marine officer pleads guilty for failures in recruit death

Marine officer pleads guilty for failures in recruit death

A Marine Corps officer responsible for training recruits at a South Carolina base where a violently abused military volunteer committed suicide admits he's guilty of dereliction of duty and other charges.

Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Joshua Pena said Tuesday that Lt. Col. Joshua Kissoon also pleaded guilty to making false official statements and conduct unbecoming an officer just before his court-martial was to begin at Quantico, Virginia, on Monday.

Kissoon had command responsibilities at Parris Island, South Carolina, at a time that drill instructors beat, choked and kicked recruits.

The abuse came to light after the March 2016 suicide of Raheel Siddiqui of Taylor, Michigan. He was one of the three Muslim-American recruits targeted by a drill instructor who has since been sentenced to 10 years in prison.