Commander Fired After Recruit Dies At Great Lakes Naval Station

GREAT LAKES, IL — A sailor found dead in his barracks a month ago had opiates in his system, but the cause of his death remains under investigation by the Lake County Coroner's Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which does not suspect foul play. Within three weeks of the recruit's death, the commanding officer of Training Support Center Great Lakes was fired.

Joshua F. Edge, 24, a fire controlman seaman recruit from Toledo, Ohio, was found unresponsive in his barracks at Training Support Center Great Lakes around 6 a.m. on Oct. 9, leading to an NCIS investigation, according to a training center spokesperson. He enlisted in August 2017 before reporting to the Center for Surface Combat Systems at Great Lakes last October.

The cause and manner of his death has not been determined, according to Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper. The full autopsy report has not been finalized, but the toxicology report showed there were opiates in his system when he died. It is not yet known if Edge died as a result of drugs, Cooper said.

A spokesperson for the commander of Naval Education and Training Command, which oversees all of the Navy's training centers, said Capt. Mark Meskimen, 54, was removed Oct. 26 "due a loss of confidence in his ability to command." But the spokesperson declined to say if Edge's death was related to the commanding officer's removal, citing "the privacy of those involved," Navy Times reported. Meskimen declined to comment on whether the death investigation prompted his firing, telling the Times, “I ain’t gonna talk to you," before hanging up.

Edge spent four years working for Great Lakes Electrical Contractors before volunteering for the Navy, according to his obituary. The 2012 graduate of Whitmer High School was remembered as funny, smart insightful and a person who "enjoyed making everyone laugh."

Meskimen, 54, has been temporarily reassigned to Naval Service Training Command at Great Lakes after nearly two years in charge of Training Center Great Lakes. Capt. Edward Heflin, the NETC deputy for training operations and a native of Waukesha, Wisconsin, was named acting commanding officer until a permanent replacement is appointed, according to Navy Times.

“An officer in command has a unique position of trust and responsibility, and a key role in shaping morale, good order and discipline within the command. Because of this unique position, their immediate superiors must have full confidence in the officer’s judgment and ability to command,” the NETC spokesman said in a statement at the time of Meskimen's firing.

Training Support Center Great Lakes was formerly known as Service School Command and established in 2004 to offer "24-hour supervision, training and mentorship to over 11,000 new apprentice-level sailors" between the ages of 18 to 25, according to its website. It also provides functional support to training sites at Great Lakes.