U.S. Marine Corps(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — The Marine Corps identified Staff Sgt. Joshua Braica, 29, of Sacramento, California, as the service member who was killed over the weekend in a tactical vehicle accident at Camp Pendleton.
The Marine Raider, who was part of an elite special operations team, suffered critical injuries and was medically evacuated for additional care to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California, but died on Sunday night, according to the Marines. Two other Marine Raiders were also injured in the one-vehicle crash, which occurred during a unit training exercise on Saturday.
Braica had served in the Marine Corps for more than eight years and had deployed twice to what is now referred to as the Indo-Pacific Command region. He first deployed with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit in 2011 and later with the 1st Marine Raider Battalion from July 2017 to January 2018, according to the Marines. Braica served as an intelligence specialist with 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, and with Marine Aircraft Group 36, and had received several honors since he enlisted in July 2010.
Braica’s identity was announced Tuesday after his relatives were notified. He is survived by his wife and son. An investigation into the accident continues.
“Our thoughts are with his family and teammates,” Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command tweeted on Monday.
Last week, three Marines were killed by a bomb blast outside of Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. They were identified as Cpl. Robert A. Hendriks, Sgt. Benjamin S. Hines, and Staff Sgt. Christopher K.A. Slutman.
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