David Cox

David Vernon Cox (November 27, 1966 – January 5, 1994) was a U.S. Marine who was found murdered in Medfield, Massachusetts.

He graduated from Needham High School in 1985 and signed up for the Marine Corps with close friend, Jay Steeves, under the buddy program.

Both men were sent to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, South Carolina.

Cox went through basic training, or boot camp, on Parris Island and successfully completed the program, becoming a Marine.

During his time in the Corps, he served in several different locations around the world including Panama, South Korea and at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

During his time in the Marine Corps, Cox would successfully complete Scout Sniper School.

It would be at Guantanamo Bay that he would become involved in an incident, known as a "code red," which would play a major role in his military career and later become the inspiration for the film A Few Good Men.

In September 1986, "The Ten" allegedly were encouraged to punish Alvarado for what was viewed as dishonorable conduct.

One night, "The Ten" chose to perform a "code red."

A "code red" is how they refer to hazing a Marine and is strictly against Marine Corps policy.

At 1:30 a.m. on a Sunday, "The Ten" entered Alvarado's barracks room.

They restrained a sleeping Alvarado, binding him with tape and stuffing a pillow case into his mouth as a gag.

Alvarado was blindfolded and assaulted while being dragged out of his room.

Cox produced a hair buzzer, and the plan was to shave Alvarado bald as punishment.

However, something went wrong, and Alvarado began choking.

His lungs filled with fluid, he spat up blood and began turning purple as he lost consciousness.

The "code red" was immediately stopped, and the Marines called for help.

Alvarado was taken to the infirmary before being transferred to a hospital in Miami, Florida, where he went on to make a full recovery.

Following the incident, "The Ten" admitted guilt and were arrested immediately.

All ten Marines were offered a choice: they could accept a plea bargain which would see them receiving no criminal charges or convictions, though they would be dishonorably discharged from the Marine Corps, or they could proceed on to a court martial in which they would be charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Seven of the ten accepted the plea bargain, including platoon leader Christopher Lee Valdez, who was the only one of the seven to manage to get his discharge upgraded to honorable.

Among these seven, some were represented by Deborah Sorkin, a recent graduate of Boston University Law School, who had signed up for three years on the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps.

It was Deborah, sister to writer Aaron Sorkin, who informed her brother about the case which became the basis for the play and later film by the same name A Few Good Men.

Cox along with two other Marines elected to stand trial, arguing that they had committed this act under an order from a commanding officer and that murder had never been the intention.

Cox was assigned Donald Marcari as counsel.

The court martial, which lasted only four days, saw Cox and the other two Marines cleared of both murder and conspiracy charges, though Cox was found guilty of simple assault for which he was sentenced to thirty days.

Having been in the brig for thirty-eight days at the time, the simple assault charge was dismissed to time served.

Aaron Sorkin's 1989 play A Few Good Men and the 1992 film adaptation of the same name were based partly on events that Cox was a part of while he was in the Marines.

David Cox was born in Boston, Massachusetts.

His family later moved to Needham, Massachusetts, where he would live until he joined the U.S. Marine Corps.

Cox was the third and final child born, having an older brother, Steven and older sister, Christine.

When David was fifteen his parents divorced, and while he initially lived with his mother, June, he later returned to live with his father.

Cox left the Marine Corps in 1989, exiting with an honorable discharge at the rank of Corporal.

Cox's first overseas assignment was at the Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Here, he was a part of Rifle Security Company, Windward Side, 2nd Platoon along with twenty-nine other Marines, overseen by Squad leader Christopher Lee Valdez.

Cox was assigned as a guard along the perimeter, separating the base from the country of Cuba.

According to Cox, he belonged to an unofficial group of Marines known as "The Ten," who joined this group by performing exhaustive physical challenges such as running with full gear in 110 degree heat and hanging from a sixty-foot tower, by hand, for sixty seconds.

While stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Private First Class (PFC) William Alvarado wrote letters to a Texas Congressman complaining of poor conditions and illegal activities on the base, including Marines firing shots across the fence line into Cuba.

PFC Alvarado also requested a transfer off the base.

This information reached commanding officer Colonel Samuel Adams who elected not to transfer Alvarado despite concerns that the Marine's violation of the chain of command may put him in danger.