Beaufort News

Recruit shot in Parris Island training-related incident. Marines investigating

At Parris Island, the motto is, “We Make Marines.
At Parris Island, the motto is, “We Make Marines. U.S. Marines

A Marine recruit at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island was injured after being shot in the leg during a marksmanship training exercise on the firing range.

The recruit, assigned to a Recruit Training Regiment, was airlifted from the base’s location in Port Royal to a Savannah hospital.

Beyond those details, little else is known about this incident including specifics of how the shooting occurred, his or her medical status, the name or age of the victim or the hometown. It is standard operating procedure for the Marines to delay the release of any information until hours after the family has been notified.

Immediate medical attention was provided on site and the recruit was stabilized and then airlifted to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah for further treatment.

“It is under investigation and would be premature to speculate on any details,” said Chief Warrant Officer Bobby Yarbrough, a Recruit Depot spokesman. The Marines said they “are committed to a thorough and transparent review of the incident.”

About 16,000 enlisted recruits a year train to be Marines at the 8,000-acre island base in Port Royal, one of two bases in the country where recruits train to become Marines. The other is Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

In phase two of recruit training, recruits receive formal instruction and develop skills necessary to maintain and accurately fire the M16-A4 on four live-fire rifle ranges, according to the Marines.

This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 6:04 PM.

Karl Puckett
The Island Packet
Karl Puckett covers the city of Beaufort, town of Port Royal and other communities north of the Broad River for The Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet. The Minnesota native also has worked at newspapers in his home state, Alaska, Wisconsin and Montana.
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