Panel hears dueling versions of Marine tank’s fatal sinking

By ELLIOT SPAGAT
Associated Press

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) — An attorney for a Marine Corps officer says his client takes responsibility for the 2020 sinking of an amphibious assault vehicle off the Southern California coast that killed nine service members, but he doesn’t deserve to be discharged. A Marine Corps attorney countered Tuesday that Lt. Col. Michael J. Regner’s missteps were egregious enough to end his military service. Opening statements before a three-officer panel follow a Marine Corps investigation that found inadequate training, shabby maintenance and poor judgment by leaders led to the sinking. It was one of the deadliest Marine training accidents in decades.