More Marines from Calif. base have died back home than in the war-torn Middle East

Since 2007, 28 Marines from the base in Twentynine Palms in southern San Bernardino County, Calif. have died in off-duty vehicle accidents, a rate higher than at other Marine Corps bases.

The Desert Sun examined each of these deaths during a yearlong investigation of non-hostile military fatalities in the desert. The paper analyzed thousands of pages of accident reports, autopsies and internal military reports, interviewed combat veterans, police and sheriff's deputies, scientists and doctors, and dozens of the many Marines and their families based at Twentynine Palms.

The story is part of a three-day series. Part two focuses on the 15 Marines who killed themselves on the base since 2007. Part three looks at post-traumatic stress disorder.

Project launch page | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Interactive Map