DIED IN PARACHUTE TRAINING ACCIDENT - 1/22/2018
Alejandro “Alex” Romero was born February 17, 1995, in Torrance, California. After joining the Marine Corps he advanced to the rank of Corporal and served as a recon Marine with the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, on Okinawa. On January 22, 2018, he was undergoing training at the Multi-Mission Parachute Course in Coolidge, Arizona, and was killed in a parachute training accident. He was the last member to exit an aircraft at 7,500 feet during a double-bag static line jump. Romero was observed to make a clean exit but was seen grabbing his risers before the chute fully inflated. He then executed a 360 degree turn which fouled the chute. He was observed trying to cut away the tangled chute so he could deploy the reserve chute, but the main chute remained streaming, prohibiting the reserve chute from deploying as Romero spun uncontrollably toward the ground. Upon striking the ground, rescue crews performed CPR and he was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. His death was ruled an accident following an investigation conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Romero was laid to final rest at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)
