Northern Ireland

US Marine son of IMC architect dies in accident at military base

Conor McDowell was a platoon commander with the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
Conor McDowell was a platoon commander with the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion Conor McDowell was a platoon commander with the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion

THE US Marine son of one of the architects of the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) has died following an accident at an American military base.

Conor McDowell (24) died at Camp Pendleton in California on Thursday in a training exercise involving a light armoured vehicle. Six others were injured in the accident, which is under investigation.

He was the son of Belfast-born former BBC journalist Michael McDowell, who later became a leading figure in the Northern Ireland peace process. Mr McDowell was awarded an OBE in 2001 for playing a key role in the peace process.

Conor, who was a platoon commander with the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, was also the godson of former Alliance party leader John Alderdice.

He grew up in Washington and was the only child of Mr McDowell and his wife Susan Flanigan.

The 1st Marine Division said: "We recognize that military operations are inherently dangerous, and we take extreme precautions to ensure the safety and welfare of our Marines.

"This is a tragic accident, and we are heartbroken at the loss of a member of our Marine Corps family,"

Mr McDowell wrote of his devastation in a social media post describing how there was a "massive hole in our hearts and there will be for the rest of our lives".

He called for a "very rigorous investigation" into his son's death.

Lord Alderdice also described his godson's death as "completely heartbreaking".

"He was such a fine man and so successful in his chosen career," he said.

"I will always remember sitting with him in the home of his parents, our good friends Michael McDowell and Susan Flanigan, on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, and Conor telling me, as a little boy, that he wanted to be in the army."