The commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, a former combat pilot who took command of the base almost two years ago, has been relieved of duty following one of the air station’s biggest annual events for what a regional headquarters’ spokesman called a “loss of trust.”
Col. Mark Bortnem assumed command from Col. Karl Arbogast in June 2023.
Bortnem was relieved of his duties by Brig. Gen. Ralph J. Rizzo, Jr., commanding general of Marine Corps Installations East (MCIEAST)-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, said Nat Fahy, a spokesperson for MCIEAST, a Marine Corps regional headquarters in North Carolina to which MCAS Beaufort belongs…