The court-martial highlighted the strains on the military as it attempts to uphold a nonpartisan tradition at a time when national politics are deeply polarized and many Americans are questioning how U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan ended in defeat after 20 years of war.

Lance Cpl. Jonothan Franklin Barnette “died after sustaining a small arms gunshot wound” during a training exercise at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif.

A military judge issued a reprimand for a Marine lieutenant colonel and ordered him to forfeit $5,000 in pay Friday for his criticism of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, his attorney said.

The III Marine Expeditionary Force, headquartered on Okinawa, Japan, plans to hold a ball this year “unless otherwise directed by higher headquarters or local COVID-19 conditions prove prohibitive,” spokesman said.

The drill, part of the larger Active Shield exercise, meant processing more than 3,000 people for a simulated evacuation at a control center set up at a gym on the installation.

Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, a combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, testified that he knew he was defying orders and that his life began "spiraling" after he posted his first video in August. He said his wife left him, fellow Marine officers turned their backs on him and the Marine Corps opened an investigation into his actions.

The Marine Corps said it was unable to find the source of toxins reportedly discovered last year in the drinking water of a community adjacent to a Marine base on Okinawa, according to a statement.

Pfc. Brandon Barnish, 26, was found dead at the training depot on Sept. 29, Deputy Coroner Debbie Youmans said. Barnish, from Evans, Ga, according to an obituary, had graduated from Parris Island with the Delta Company on May 14 and was recovering from an injury before continuing with the next step of training, a Parris Island spokesperson said.

Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller is scheduled for court-martial at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina on Thursday, and faces charges that include disrespect toward superior commissioned officers, willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer, and dereliction in the performance of duties.

The USS Miguel Keith – a Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary staging base – was open to tours by officers of the 7th Fleet and III Marine Expeditionary Force who may one day use the ship during humanitarian crises or in battle.