World War II-era live-fire ranges contain unexploded ordnance, and current live-fire training nearby would pose its own risks, the base commander said. The Marine Corps will still train aviators to fly the F/A-18 jet, but that training won't occur in a solely training-focused squadron. Virus infection cases within the VA health care system are up more than 200% in the last two months. Marine Maj. Andrew “Simple Jack” Mettler was the pilot of a Hornet that crashed during a training flight late Thursday. The F/A-18D was based at the air station at Beaufort, South Carolina. The crash occurred on government property east of the air station at 11:54 p.m. local time Thursday. The Marine Corps halted an exercise at Twentynine Palms, California, in anticipation of Tropical Storm Hilary. Active cases among VA patients have nearly tripled in the last month. Visitors and patients will no longer be required to wear masks at all times at the health care sites. Aid programs for homeless vets will end unless Congress speeds through new legislation. Load More