Boy Dies At Military Academy Camp

(AP)  A 13-year-old cadet at a private military academy who died while camping at a state park refused food throughout the excursion, the father of two fellow cadets said Sunday.

Victor Jusino of Sunrise said his sons, ages 9 and 10, told him the boy continuously threw away food after the 33 cadets arrived early Wednesday at the Back to Basics Christian Military Academy's Training and Leadership Corps campout.

"They described to me that he wasn't eating. He wasn't feeling well. His stomach was hurting him and the heat was getting to him," Jusino said.

Other cadets gave similar accounts to WFOR-TV in Miami.

"He wasn't eating any food," 12-year-old Joanna Miller said. "He would ask people if they want his food or he would just throw it on the ground. When he was supposed to drink water, he didn't want to."

The academy's principal, Lynda Browne, did not return messages left at the school Sunday. North Miami police have released few details about their investigation into the death early Saturday at Oleta River State Park. An autopsy is pending.

Jusino said his sons told him they were given three meals a day after starting each morning with a long hike. But the boys were dehydrated, sunburned and had insect bites when he picked them up Saturday morning, he said.

"They were very dirty, their clothing was wet. They had been sleeping in wet clothes, and their hair had been cut," Jusino said.

The cadet, whose name has not been released, got out of bed in the middle of the night to tell a drill sergeant he didn't feel well, and collapsed on the way to the bathroom, Browne told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. She said the boy's mother told her that her son "wasn't the most physical, strong or athletic child," the paper reported.

The Lauderhill academy subcontracts with Fort Lauderdale-based Juvenile Military Training and Leadership Corp. The camp is run by certified National Guard drill sergeants, Browne told the paper.

In January, a 14-year-old boy died after a confrontation with guards at a Panama City boot camp for juvenile offenders operated by the Bay County Sheriff's Office. Martin Lee Anderson died one day after being roughed up by guards.

His death remains under investigation. The state's government-operated military-style boot camp system was shutdown in May.

[annoymous136]

To me this was just plain child neglection. Plus in a way there are laws against child neglecting, especially if they were not under there parents care!!!

It wouldn't have taken much to see the poor boy wasn't feeling good and needed medical attention...

I bet if he was turned over to the hospital when it was first discovered this all wouldn't have happened!!!

Just PLAIN STUPIDITY the way I see it!!!

anonymous

[southernariz]

What are "certified National Guard drill instructors" doing working at a camp for children?

[a_f_]

It is the responsibility of the adults in this kind of situation to have a clue. Many clues.

[ginaemory]

I agree with iokane. Let's get the whole story before we jump to conclusions. I don't think this was any sort of detention camp for juvenile offenders, but rather some sort of camp that parents sent their kids to for a variety of reasons, so the comments about juvenile offenders aren't really relevant. Anyone who has raised kids knows that they can hide things from the best of us. The other kids may have known he wasn't eating or drinking, but it's quite possible the adults had no clue. Let's get the whole story before we call for a lynching.

[iokane-2009]

I think everyone jumps to conclusions much too quickly. Why don't we all wait until we have the full story before we place any blame? Appropriate criminal prosecution is in order? My goodness!

All we know is that the boy was feeling ill just before he collapsed, and we weren't there, so we don't know exactly HOW the situation was handled prior to that moment.

Let's wait for the full story, shall we?

[GBSpang]

It's clear that perception of the difference between children and criminals has become not only blurred, but I question whether most jails would treat inmates with the carelessness and contempt that increasingly adolescents are being treated.

True, they are not all delightful, but an adolescent still is not an adult and if they are entrusted to adult care, they must be cared for properly. If they were capable of knowing what is in their own best interests, they wouldn't be dependent on parents and/or other adults for guidance.

We have raised four sons and two nephews. They can be very difficult to handle but that doesn't mean we can be allowed to let young people starve themselves or otherwise neglect their own best interests because that's what they think they need to do to make a point.

Appropriate criminal prosecution is certainly in order in this instance.

[Rontimcoe]

I think that the people that work in these military style camps are wannabes and has beens that just love to push other people around.
Especially people smaller than and less threatening than themselves.
They should all be shut down, or at least investigated before anything happens.
RJT