Ribbon Creek

South Carolina · United States · Haunted site

On the night of 8 April 1956, a drill instructor marched a platoon into the tidal creek behind the rifle range. Six recruits did not come out.

The account attached to the old barracks by the rifle range at Parris Island makes several claims about recruits, none of them documented, and they are left out here.

One thing did happen and it is a matter of record.

On the night of 8 April 1956, a drill instructor marched his platoon off into Ribbon Creek, the tidal marsh behind the range, as a punishment. It was dark, the tide was coming in, and many of the men could not swim. Six recruits drowned. They were seventeen, eighteen and nineteen years old.

The court martial that followed changed how the Marine Corps trains, and the rules that came out of it are still in force.

The marsh is exactly as it was: pluff mud, tidal channels and no footing.

Parris Island is an active installation and the ground where it happened is treated with the seriousness it deserves.

FAQ

Where is Ribbon Creek located?

Ribbon Creek is in South Carolina, United States.