Personal Injury Attorney in Beaufort, SC

It’s BACK! The MCAS Beaufort Airshow is back this weekend to entertain everyone and light up the Beaufort sky. Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort is scheduled to host nearly 100,000 friends and neighbors at the MCAS Beaufort Air Show this Saturday and Sunday, April 12th & 13th.

There is no cost to the general public to attend the show, however special seating and VIP tickets are available.

The weekend will showcase Naval aviation at its best with a demonstration by the United States Naval Flight Demonstration Team, the Blue Angels. It’ll be loud around the Lowcountry in the next few days, as the Blue Angels will be able to be seen in the sky around the area later this week as they practice for the show and drum up lots of excitement in the community.

But, as amazing as they are, there’s actually a lot more to the show than the Blue Angels.

According to the MSAC Beaufort Airshow, performers at the event will include Red Thunder Airshows, the nation’s only 2-ship Yak-50 demo team! Barry Hancock and Karl Gashler are veteran pilots who know how to put all their skills and precision to the test in a way that captivates audiences across the country! Between the sound of the heart pounding radial engine and their thrilling maneuvers, the Red Thunder Airshows’ performance is unforgettable!

Also included is Goulian Air Shows. Millions of air show spectators around the globe have witnessed the ferocity of a Mike Goulian air show performance. Every roll, pull, and tumble of his flight is a deliberate execution of precision. With his aggressive approach to the air show arena, Mike Goulian has mastered the ability to convey his message of passion through flight. Mike’s crisp, athletic style of flying is the evolution of his landmark career as an aerobatic competitor. Mike reached the pinnacle of the sport when he won the United States Unlimited Aerobatic Championship at only 27 years of age. He was honored to represent the United States at the World Aerobatic Championship on three separate occasions.

Also on the schedule for the weekend is Vanpire Airshows. The Vampire Airshow profile grips audiences with speed, noise and jet warbird aerobatics. While the pilots banter with the announcer, crowds are drawn into learning about this sensational aircraft.

The deHavilland Vampire is a fully aerobatic aircraft that wows audiences by performing rolls, Cuban eights, shark tooths, inverted flight, high-speed passes and all with a killer smoke system. The Vampire is awe-inspiring as the aircraft that led the way for ALL modern jet aviation.

Included in the show is the United States Air Force F-16 Viper Demonstration Team based out of Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. This single-ship performance travels across the country to demonstrate the professionalism instilled in Air Force pilots and to show the capabilities of the F-16C Fighting Falcon.

Spectators will also be treated to several techniques possessed by the F-35B, the MCAS Marine Air-Ground Task Force demonstration, the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, helicopter rides, monster trucks, and the Top Gun Experience; the opportunity to dress as a real Fighter pilot complete with flight gear and helmet for a hands-on tour and experience.

For the full schedule of events at this weekend’s MCAS Beaufort Airshow, visit here.

For a list of Do’s and Dont’s while attending the show, visit here.

As always at the MCAS Beaufort Airshow, there will be lots of exhibitors to visit and food and beer vendors will also be on hand. There is also a Kids Zone featuring a variety of bounce houses, including the iconic U.S. Navy Blue Angels® Bounce House, kids can jump and play to their hearts’ content.

The mission of the MCAS Beaufort Air Show is three-fold: to promote the Marine Corps and Navy recruiting efforts, to demonstrate the full force and capabilities of our military and to say a big “THANK YOU” to all of the members of the surrounding communities who support the men and women who serve this nation and are stationed at the Beaufort Air Station and in the Tri-Command area.

For the 14th straight year, Beaufort County has ranked the healthiest county of all 46 counties in S.C., according to the County Health Rankings by Niche.com, one of the most popular rankings sites in the U.S.

Beaufort is a very active community and the findings show that Beaufort surpasses all of the other counties in South Carolina in its quality of life.

“Beaufort County is one of the best places to live in South Carolina. In Beaufort County, most residents own their homes, and many young professionals and retirees live there,” Niche.com said in the report.

Beaufort County’s grades were pretty good, and it received an overall A+.

Beaufort County received an A for Health & Fitness, Outdoor Activities, being Good For Families, and for its Public Schools.

A- were bestowed on Beaufort for Weather, and Nightlife.

Beaufort County also received a B+ for Jobs, a B+ for [daily] Commute, a B+ for Diversity.

Beaufort County did, however, receive a B- for Housing, and a C+ for Cost of Living.

According to Niche.com, the 2025 Healthiest Counties ranking is intended to provide a comprehensive assessment of the general levels of health among residents at the county level.

“This grade takes into account key indicators of personal health, such as smoking, excessive alcoholic consumption, rates of obesity, as well as the availability and proximity of fitness facilities, doctors, and mental health practitioners, in an attempt to measure an area’s performance in health and fitness.”

Other popular studies have shown that Beaufort County residents enjoy the longest life expectancy in the state as well as the best quality of life in South Carolina. They’ve also found that Beaufort County leads the Palmetto State when it comes to health behaviors. This includes a lower amount of cigarette smokers, a lower rate of adult obesity and the ease of access to many exercise opportunities.

How other counties ranked

No South Carolina counties ranked in the top 100 of the list. Beaufort came in at #155 in the U.S, and is the only county in South Carolina to be in the top 200.

According to the study, the top 5 healthiest counties in SC are (in order) Beaufort, Charleston, Greenville, York, and Spartanburg.

According to the study, the counties with the poorest health in SC are Barnwell, Allendale, Hampton, Marlboro, and Lee.

See the full list of U.S. Counties and see how they ranked here.

See the full list of South Carolina counties and see how they ranked here.

Beaufort is surrounded by sea islands and that provides an easy way for folks to enjoy the water, do some fishing or take the kayak out for a few hours. Lots of beaches, trails and parks in the area make for some fabulous long walks as well.

If you’re looking for a good quality of life….Beaufort County is your obvious choice. Beaufort is the healthiest county in S.C., after all.

Tucked off a dirt road on the edge of Coosaw Island, the stretch of salt marsh looks unassuming at first glance. But upon closer inspection, visitors can see a well ordered grid dug into the earth. These structures make up the remains of a sea island cotton field, worked and created by enslaved labor from the late 1700s until the Civil War.

The 123-acre site is now permanently protected. Through a collaboration between The Open Land Trust and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the property, now known as the Coosaw Sea Island Cotton Heritage Preserve, is one of few sites in the Southeast that contains visible markers of sea island cotton production. In addition to preserving open space and habitat, the preserve also holds great significance for the Gullah community.

“It was a good thing to stand where my ancestors’ blood, sweat and tears, literally, is in the sand,” Queen Quet, chiefess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, said during the dedication ceremony Tuesday.

The former cotton fields were first noticed by Beekman Webb, a local naturalist and musician, and his wife Kathy they explored the islands during the early months of the pandemic. Understanding that the structure was not of natural origin, Webb enlisted researchers to take a closer look at the property and they confirmed his suspicions.

The remaining beds and rows of drainage ditches on the property were created and maintained by enslaved people who cultivated sea island cotton, a strain with extra-long fibers that made it particularly valuable. Enslaved people created similar structures across the Lowcountry, though few remain visible today.

“It’s an engineering masterpiece,” Queen Quet said. “African people don’t often get credit for their intellectual prowess that was brought here and planted in Sea Island soil.”

The Open Land Trust initially acquired the land for the preserve from three separate families. The land trust had the right of first refusal should one of those families ever get an offer, said Kate Schaefer, director of land protection at The Open Land Trust. They decided to purchase the parcels, along with two other pieces of land from separate families.

A local land trust is able to move faster to purchase these properties than a state agency, Schaefer said. So they held onto the land for a while, but ultimately the goal was always to hand it over to the DNR Heritage Trust Program, which purchased the land for a little more than $500,000.

“But that was the whole point, from the beginning, to make sure this resource could be enjoyed by the public, “ Schaefer said. “A DNR Heritage Trust Preserve was the best way to make sure that could happen in a respectful way.”

At the moment, there are no amenities on the site beyond two benches. Before any other infrastructure can be added, DNR needs to conduct an archaeological survey and create a management plan. Going forward, the site could also be a good candidate for prescribed burns, Brain Long, cultural heritage preserves manager with the department, said.

Jodi Barnes, the DNR heritage preserves archaeologist, said that it’s possible to find remnants of early Native American presence in the area, along with signs of early colonial trade and the Civil War and plantation era.

When plantation owners fled the region following the Civil War, Gullah/Geechee families cultivated the land, earning a living from truck farms and other businesses. Records show that on Coosaw Island, four of those landowners fought during the war in the United States Colored Troops, regiments composed largely of African Americans.

A number Gullah/Geechee farmers owned portions of the preserve up through the beginning of the 20th century as well. Barnes said they hope to learn about their lives across time.

Beyond the historical significance, the preserve is also near Morgan Island and other protected lands, so it helps to create a habitat corridor across the area.

“Now that they are protected forever, they provide a really special, rural place for all of us to come and enjoy the solace of nature on the edge of a growing community,” Schaefer said.

The Island Packet

202-383-6005

Lydia Larsen covers climate and environmental issues along South Carolina’s coast. Before trading the lab bench for journalism, she studied how copepods (tiny crustaceans) adapt to temperature and salinity shifts caused by climate change. A Wisconsin native, Lydia covered climate science and Midwest environmental issues before making the move to South Carolina.

BEAUFORT — Col. Mark Bortnem has been relieved of his duties as commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.

"Brig. Gen. Ralph J. Rizzo, Jr., commanding general, Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, has relieved Col. Mark D. Bortnem of his duties as commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, effective immediately," Nat Fahy, a Marine Corps spokesperson, wrote in a prepared statement April 15.

The decision was made due to a loss of trust and confidence in Bortnem's ability to command, Fahy said. No further details regarding the decision were provided.

Bortnem's firing comes just two days after more than 100,000 people were estimated to have attended the MCAS Beaufort Air Show, which is held at the base every two years.

"It's a great opportunity for the people of the Lowcountry to come out and see their air station and look and see the things that their Marines do every day," Bortnem told The Post and Courier before the air show.

Bortnem, a Michigan native, attended flight school in Pensacola, Fla., in 2001 and 2002. After graduating with distinction, he joined Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 332 and flew combat missions in Iraq. He was deployed twice to Japan and served as an exchange officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Bortnem, who has more than 30 years of service in the Marine Corps, took command of the base in July 2023. Bortnem replaced Col. Karl Arbogast.

In September 2023, an F-35B Lightning II flying a training mission out of MCAS Beaufort experienced a cascading series of electronics failures over North Charleston. The pilot ejected from the plane, which continued to fly for 11 minutes and 21 seconds.

The hunt for the jet sent searchers across a wide swath of South Carolina before it was finally found more than 24 hours later. The wreckage was discovered in a rural expanse of farmland and swamp outside of Stuckey, in rural Williamsburg County.

Bortnem is being reassigned to duties as directed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, according to Fahy.

In the interim, the air station’s headquarters and headquarters squadron executive officer, Lt. Col. Michael R. Eubanks will serve as acting commander until one is formally appointed.

By Mike McCombs

The Island News

Col. Mark D. Bortnem was relieved of his command of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort on Tuesday morning, April 15, 2025, due to a “loss of trust and confidence” in his ability to command.

Bortnem had been the Commanding Officer of MCAS Beaufort for nearly two years since he took command from Col. Karl Arbogast on July 14, 2023.

1^st Lt. Lyndsay Cribb, Director of Communications and Strategy (COMMSTRAT) at MCAS Beaufort, initially confirmed Bortnem had been relieved of his command Tuesday morning, but couldn’t comment further.

Nat Fahy, Director of COMMSTRAT for Marine Corps Installations East (MCIE) at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune provided The Island News with a statement Tuesday afternoon.

“Brig. Gen. Ralph J. Rizzo, Jr., commanding general, Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, has relieved Col. Mark D. Bortnem of his duties as commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, effective immediately. This decision was made due to a loss of trust and confidence in Bortnem’s ability to command.

“Bortnem is being reassigned to duties as directed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.

“In the interim, the air station’s Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron (H&HS) Executive Officer, Lt. Col. Michael R. Eubanks will serve as acting commander until one is formally appointed. There are no further details to provide at this time.”

While the statement attributes Bortnem’s removal to a “loss of trust and confidence” in his ability to command, this is used as a catchall phrase by the U.S. military. In the past 10 years, dozens of officers across all branches have been removed from their commands due to a “loss of trust and confidence.”

Issues with their leadership could range from the work or training environment they establish to misconduct. Without more details, it’s impossible to know exactly why Bortnem was removed.

Bortnem, who grew up in Michigan, has been a U.S. Marine since 1991. He graduated from Ohio State University (B.A. in Political Science) in 1998 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, ending his time as an enlisted Marine and beginning his career as an officer.

Graduating flight school with distinction, he was designated as a Naval Flight Officer in 2002. He then joined Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 332, with which he deployed to Iraq several times.

After graduating pilot conversion training at Naval Air Stations Corpus Christi and Kingsville with distinction, he was designated as a Naval Aviator and served as a Flight Instructor.

Bortnem was assigned to MCAS Miramar where he completed F/A-18 pilot training and was assigned as the Executive Officer with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 and Operations Officer with Marine Aircraft Group 11. During this time, he deployed twice to Japan and achieved all advanced qualifications as an F/A-18 pilot.

From 2014-2016, Col. Bortnem was assigned to Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada where he served as an Exchange Officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force, with which he deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE. Upon his return to Canada, he was assigned as Commanding Officer of 401 Tactical Fighter Squadron, becoming the first U.S. officer to command a Canadian squadron.

In 2016, Col. Bortnem was assigned to Camp Smith, Hawaii, where he was assigned as the Marine Forces Pacific Air Officer and Director of Aviation Operations.

From 2018 to 2020, Colonel Bortnem was the Commanding Officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 in Miramar, Calif. During this time, he deployed to Japan and the squadron was recognized as the recipient of the Robert M. Hanson award as Strike Fighter Squadron of the Year.

In 2020, Col. Bortnem was assigned as a student to Air War College in Montgomery, Ala. In 2022, h was assigned as Director of the Commandant of the Marine Corps Safety Division.

Col. Bortnem has nearly 3,000 flight hours, including more than 500 hours of combat time, and he is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force’s Air War College (2021, M.A. in Strategic Studies).

Bortnem’s photo and biography have been removed from the leadership page on the MCAS Beaufort website, https://www.beaufort.marines.mil/.

Lt. Col. Robert L. Steinhauser III remains the Executive Officer on board MCAS Beaufort.

Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.