Mother of Marine trainee calls for change after son dies during Parris Island boot camp
Stacie Beals wants to make sure no family has to go through what she has after her son Dalton Beals died during boot camp training.
Stacie Beals wants to make sure no family has to go through what she has after her son Dalton Beals died during boot camp training.
Stacie Beals wants to make sure no family has to go through what she has after her son Dalton Beals died during boot camp training.
Thirteen months ago, a 19-year-old Marine trainee died during military boot camp on Parris Island.
One year later, his mom is fighting for answers.
Last June, Dalton Beals died during the final step of Marine boot camp. His mother Stacie says something needs to be done to make sure it never happens again.
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"He was my baby boy," said Stacie Beals, mother of Dalton Beals.
Stacie Beals describes her son, Dalton, as quiet and mature but kind.
"I was more worried you know when he finished boot camp, what would happen if we go to war. If he gets shipped to Iraq or Afghanistan. Never anything here," Stacie said.
On June 4, 2021, during the final 54-hour training exercise on Parris island, also known as the Crucible, Stacie's worst fear became a reality.
She says Dalton died of hyperthermia caused by dehydration.
"That was hard to swallow. Then it got worse when I saw the report of everything leading up to Dalton going missing being found," Stacie said.
She says the family received the final investigation report in December 2021, 6 months after his death.
While she says they told her it was preventable, another 8 months have gone by since any updates to the case.
"So Dalton’s was so preventable had he been watched," Stacie said.
Since Dalton’s passing Stacie has connected with other families who have gone through similar incidents.
She says it happens more often than you might realize.
"And you try to make sense of this and try to turn this into something maybe positive. It kind of feels to me like this was meant for me to do. To stand up," Stacie said.
WJCL reached out to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s office for the 911 calls and the US Marine’s office in Washington, D.C. and in Parris Island for the report.