On April 29, 2014 Rep. Jerry McNerney from California asked for and was granted permission to address the United States House of Representatives for one minute regarding the death of a young female U.S .Marine and lapses in base security at Marine base Quantico, Virginia.
Marine Corps Base Quantico, also known as MCB Quantico, is a United States Marine Corps installation located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly 100 square miles (260 km) of southern Prince William County, Virginia, northern Stafford County, and southeastern Fauquier County. Used primarily for training purposes, MCB Quantico is known as the “Crossroads of the Marine Corps”:
“Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Marine Lance Corporal Sara Castromata. Lance Corporal Castromata was tragically murdered in an incident on the Marine Base at Quantico on March 21, 2013. An investigation by the military revealed that there were lapses in security on the base. In addition the FBI runs a training facility at that location.
Lance Corporal Castromata joined the Marines in 2011, after graduating with honors from Liberty High School in Brentwood, California. A strong-minded individual, Ms. Castromata enlisted in the U.S. Marines to serve our great Nation. While in the Marines, she earned the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal, all of which are a testament to her honorable service.
I appreciate the Marine Corps for investigating this crime and providing recommendations to prevent future criminal acts. While these are steps in the right direction, we must do more to ensure that this type of event doesn’t happen again.
I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the memory of Marine Lance Corporal Sara Castromata and for additional base security’, said Rep. McNerney (source: Congressional Record http://thomas.loc.gov/).
An independent investigation found lax enforcement of weapons regulations and security protocols at the barracks facility where the shooting occurred put many Marines at risk (source: : Investigation into Quantico murder-suicide reveals barracks security failures http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/…/Investigation-into…).
See video: 3 dead at Quantico Marine Corps Base http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHPjCCj8dO4