Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
The command investigation report’s “accountability” section recommends disciplinary action against 36 Navy officials, from the amphib’s enlisted ranks up to the former three-star head of Naval Surface Force Pacific.
While the Navy has charged a junior sailor with starting the fire last summer, a command investigation lays blame for the botched response at all levels of command.
A law change now allows troops and surviving families to file medical malpractice claims against the services, but how that process is adjudicated remains unclear.
Hospitalman Apprentice Ethan J. Helems was convicted by a military jury in June of involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide and other charges in connection to the death of Hospitalman Thomas Adrian Dion Campbell, according to recently released Navy trial records.