The United States Marine Corps removed a commander from his position after deciding he was unfit to lead, according to the Marine Corps.
Col. Mark D. Bortnem was relieved of his duties as commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort on April 14, and reassigned to duties at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.
“This decision was made due to a loss of trust and confidence in Bortnem’s ability to command,” said Nat Fahy, a Marine Corps Installations East spokesperson.
Brig. Gen. Ralph J. Rizzo, Jr., commanding general of Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, handed down the decision.
Lt. Col. Michael R. Eubanks – Air Station Beaufort’s headquarters and headquarters squadron executive officer – will assume Bortnem’s previous position in the interim until another individual is appointed.
The Marine Corps did not provide any further details as to the circumstances of the firing, which was first reported by The Island News.
Bortnem, who has served in the Marine Corps for over 30 years, took over as commander of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in July 2023. He’s logged nearly 3,000 flight hours throughout the duration of his career, including more than 500 hours of combat time.
After enlisting in 1991, he served as a supply administration and operations specialist in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, before going on to join the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program. He attended Ohio State University from 1994 to 1998 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant there, beginning his time as an officer.
In the early aughts, he became a naval flight officer after attending flight school, joined the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 332, and deployed to Iraq for several Operation Iraqi Freedom combat missions.
He continued to ascend the ranks until he was assigned in 2016 to be the Marine Forces Pacific air officer and director of aviation operations at Camp Smith, Hawaii. In 2022, he was eventually appointed as director of the commandant of the Marine Corps Safety Division, his last position before taking over as commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
