Court Martial Pending
Three superiors await charges
in the shooting death of
Jewish U.S. Marine
William Gralnik.
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"I followed him (Gralnik), but
paused briefly to command
StaffWriter
Ellingwood to 'get up and rush,"'
the squad leader said in a state-
ak Park native William
ment to the U. S. Naval
Gralnik died April 1 during
Criminal Investigative Service.
a routine Marine Corps
"As I was commanding him to
training exercise. It was the
A fellow Marine with William Gralnik.
`rush,' I observed the Squad
day Gralnik was scheduled to be pro-
Automatic
Weapon
fire
and
PFC
moted to lance corporal from private
Gralnik fall to the ground."
first class.
Moore said Shafer did not adequately
Gralnik, 18, died at 3:20 a.m.
Marine investigator Lt. Col.
supervise training, rehearsals and safe-
on April 1 in the base hospital. An
Richard Moore has recommended that
ty standards that were "reasonably
autopsy determined that he died from
charges be filed in connection with
expected of a company commander
complications of a gunshot wound to
Gralnik's death against Capt. J.R.
and senior officer on the range."
the hip.
Shafer, Staff Sgt. Edward Thielen and
Kalson was cited for "failing to
Ellingwood
is
qualified
to
use
the
2nd Lt. Daniel Kalson for allegedly
supervise and ensure full compliance
SAW,
although
he
regularly
used
"being derelict in the performance of
by all personnel with range safety
another weapon. He filled the SAW
their duties by negligently failing to
standards," Moore said. Kalson also
gunner position due to
follow applicable regu-
was not prepared to assume those
another Marine's
lations."
duties because he did not review the
absence, according to the
The charges will be
applicable range and safety regula-
investigative report.
determined in a special
tions, Moore said.
Moore recommended in
court martial, for
Moore recommended that Staff Sgt.
his report that Capt.
which no date has been
Thielen
be the subject of punitive
Shafer, the highest-rank-
set.
action
because,
as the range safety offi-
ing officer on the range
The March 31 inci-
cer
on
March
31,
he failed to brief the
that day, be "relieved of
dent occurred on a live
safety
noncommissioned
officers on
his command and be the
fire range at Camp
the
range
"and
ensure
they
were prop-
subject of punitive action
LeJeune, N.C. Gralnik,
erly
positioned
to
exercise
positive
for poor supervision,
the son of Russian
control of the Marines in third squad,
poor judgment and vio-
Jewish immigrants, was
thus significantly increasing the poten-
lating existing safety and
part of a three-man
tial for an accident."
training regulations."
training team when he
According to Staff Judge Advocate
Moore said Shafer and
was shot.
(senior
lawyer) Col. John Bengier, it
Lance Cpl. Wi Nam Gralnik Kalson, the range officer
According to an
can't
yet
be determined what type of
in charge, failed to "sub-
investigative report, the
punishment
the three men may
mit a detailed plan for training and
squad leader instructed the fire team
receive
if
convicted.
establish policies within his company
leader to command his team to rush
"The maximum punishment ulti-
that would have prevented poorly
to their left. A team member, Lance
mately
depends on the charges, and
trained personnel from being placed
Corporal Jonathan Ellingwood, how-
since the charges are in the process of
in
situations
that
significantly
ever, did not hear the command as he
being preferred, it would be premature
increased danger to the Marines in
was trying to fix the bolt on his Squad
to state exactly what the maximum
[their] command."
Automatic Weapon (SAW) machine
may be," he said.
Moore said Shafer violated a battal-
gun. Gralnik, in the meantime, had
Shafer admitted in his April 3
ion order by assigning Kalson as the
followed the order and was in front of
interview
with Moore that he did not
range officer in charge when KalsOn
the target. The last command
know
Ellingwood
hadn't been a SAW
was not certified to hold that job.
Ellingwood heard was to fire.
LONNY GOLDSMITH
0
gunner in any previous live fire
maneuver. However, the report said,
the squad leader was confident in his
abilities.
While the sequence of events has
been determined, for Gralnik's moth-
er, Zina Zhigun, the matter is not yet
settled. "I still want to know what
happened at the hospital," she said.
Gralnik lived for nine hours after
he was shot, and Zhigun has a strong
feeling he could have been saved. "All
getting the report did was make more
questions for me," she said.
Zhigun said her son wanted to buy
her "a big house and a Mercedes con-
vertible." While he couldn't do that
personally, Zhigun took some of the
life insurance money she received
from Gralnik's government policy and
bought a condominium in
Farmington Hills. The rest of the
money is being put away for her
daughter Gail's education.
"I don't think the wounds will ever
heal. I have a lot of sorrow that will
never go away," Zhigun said.
Gralnik was born in Indianapolis,
just months after his family immigrat-
ed from the Soviet Union. He moved
to Michigan with his mother when he
was 9, eight years after his parents
divorced.
The Marines in Gralnik's platoon
raised $400 and bought 40 trees in his
memory in Israel. "One day I would like
to go and see them," Zhigun said. ❑
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