The White House acknowledges that a second strike was ordered on a boat already hit by the military in the Caribbean Sea.
Members of the U.S. military have the legal right to refuse orders they believe are unlawful, but they risk violating military laws of obedience if the order is in fact lawful, experts in military law say.
All personnel were safe and in stable condition, after a Navy helicopter and a fighter jet both went down in the South China Sea, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said.
Trump did not let the government shutdown interfere with his stop in Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday.
Before the Cuauhtémoc sails back to Mexico, members of the public are invited to take a tour and learn about the boat and those killed in the terrible accident.