SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — A United States Marine was killed during a vehicle rollover during a training at Camp Pendleton on Tuesday.
Base officials confirmed the Marine was assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and was killed when the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) rolled over during training. The Marine was identified as Sgt. Matthew K. Bylski. He is from Royal Oak, Michigan and was trained as an Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) crewman assigned to Battalion Landing Team 1/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, serving as a vehicle commander. Camp Pendleton released Bylski's identity Thursday, December 14.
Fourteen additional Marines were in the ACV when the rollover occurred around 6 p.m. and were taken to local hospitals and Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton for evaluation and treatment.
The name of the deceased is not being released to the public until the next of kin has been notified. The names of the other injured Marines are being withheld in accordance with Department of Defense policy.
The incident is one of several that have happened both at Camp Pendleton and other military bases nationwide.
CBS8 spoke with Michael McDowell, whose 24-year-old son, 1st Lt. Conor Mcdowell, was killed when an 80-ton light armored vehicle he was in hit a hidden ditch and rolled over during a training exercise at Camp Pendleton back in 2019.
Since then, McDowell has worked tirelessly to get Congress to act, saying between 2006 and 2021, the percentage of servicemembers killed during training accidents is double the number of those killed in action.
McDowell says while safety measures have been added since his son's death, this latest case is a prime example of why there needs to be more.
"You don't expect to get killed in your own country when you're training, when you've got regulations and protections to wear. So, a lot of this is perfectly preventable," said McDowell.
"I'd like to know what range reconnaissance determined if it was dangerous terrain? Why was the driver driving on it? Would he not have been warned? So, who's responsible for that? If it was driver error, that's a different matter. We don't know," added McDowell.
The incident currently is under investigation.
RELATED: 3 U.S. Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton killed in Los Angeles crash (June 2023)