Officials are investigating the death of a Mississippi-based Marine following command-sponsored martial arts training in November.
Lance Cpl. Patrick A Woehle, 19, had been attending weather school at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi as part of his entry-level military training, said Lt. Matthew Rojo, a spokesman for Marine Corps Training Command. On Nov. 13, Woehle became unresponsive during Marine Corps Martial Arts Program Training. He was taken to Garden Park Medical Center in Gulfport, where he died Nov. 14, Rojo said.
Woehle's cause of death has yet to be determined, Rojo said. Naval Criminal Investigative Service and military command officials are investigating the death, he said, but no legal actions are currently pending.
Woehle was from Vader, Washington, and a graduate of nearby Castle Rock High School. He had received attention as a high school track and cross-country athlete. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on Oct. 20, 2014.
"The loss of Lance Cpl. Woehle is tragic," Maj. Cody Stewart, the commanding officer of Keesler's Marine Detachment, said in a statement. "We remain committed to Patrick, his family, and those in uniform who served with him. We will do all we can to keep faith with them during this difficult and trying time."
Woehle is the second Marine to die this year following physical training. Cpl. Alexis Aaron Alcaraz, 22, died in August after succumbing to heat stroke during a conditioning hike aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C.
-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
