NEWS

OKINAWA, Japan – Strong. Narrow. Fast. Rip Current! In a matter of moments an average beach day can turn dangerous, sometimes tragic. According to the U.S. Lifesaving Association, rip currents claim more than 100 lives annually. Many people don’t know how to spot a rip current and consequentially get swept out to sea before they realize it is happening. Far from shore, even the best swimmers get fatigued and are at risk of drowning. - OKINAWA, Japan – Strong. Narrow. Fast. Rip Current! In a matter of moments an average beach day can turn dangerous, sometimes tragic. According to the U.S. Lifesaving Association, rip currents claim more than 100 lives annually. Many people don’t know how to spot a rip current and consequentially get swept out to sea before they realize it is happening. Far from shore, even the best swimmers get fatigued and are at risk of drowning.

A live-fire demonstration was performed during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019 (TS19), July 8, 2019. TS19 is a bilateral combined Australian and United States training. The exercise is designed to practice respective military services with associated agencies, through planning and conducting combined and joint task force operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ashley Maldonado) - A live-fire demonstration was performed during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2019 (TS19), July 8, 2019. TS19 is a bilateral combined Australian and United States training. The exercise is designed to practice respective military services with associated agencies, through planning and conducting combined and joint task force operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ashley Maldonado)

The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System is fired in Bradshaw Field Training Area, Australia July 12, 2015, during Talisman Sabre 15. - The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System is fired in Bradshaw Field Training Area, Australia July 12, 2015, during Talisman Sabre 15. U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, out of Okinawa, Japan and 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, trained with the rocket system along with Australian Army soldiers with 8th/12th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery. Talisman Sabre is a biennial exercise that provides an invaluable opportunity for approximately 30,000 U.S. and Australian service members to conduct operations in a combined, joint and interagency environment that will increase both countries’ ability to plan and execute contingency responses, from combat missions to humanitarian assistance efforts. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Sarah Anderson)

Marines with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, ride ashore in a Combat Rubber Raiding Craft during a boat raid exercise in the Coral Sea, July 3, 2019. The Marines launched from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), part of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 31st MEU, while operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency, while simultaneously providing a flexible and lethal crisis response force ready to perform a wide range of military operations. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brennan Priest) - Marines with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, ride ashore in a Combat Rubber Raiding Craft during a boat raid exercise in the Coral Sea, July 3, 2019. The Marines launched from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), part of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 31st MEU, while operating in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency, while simultaneously providing a flexible and lethal crisis response force ready to perform a wide range of military operations. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brennan Priest)

U.S. Navy Lt. Hal Jones prays at the base of Mt. Suribachi, Japan, July 2, 2019. Jones, the Navy Chaplain of 7th Communication Battalion, spoke with the Marines and Sailors and did a moment of silence to honor the service members that died in the Battle of Iwo Jima. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brienna Tuck) - U.S. Navy Lt. Hal Jones prays at the base of Mt. Suribachi, Japan, July 2, 2019. Jones, the Navy Chaplain of 7th Communication Battalion, spoke with the Marines and Sailors and did a moment of silence to honor the service members that died in the Battle of Iwo Jima. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brienna Tuck)

An Assault Amphibious Vehicle with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, patrols the coast after a simulated raid on Townshend Island, Queensland Australia, July 1, 2019. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kyle P. Bunyi) - An Assault Amphibious Vehicle with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, patrols the coast after a simulated raid on Townshend Island, Queensland Australia, July 1, 2019. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kyle P. Bunyi)

Sgt. Arielle Lahtinen, noncommissioned officer in charge with the 31st MEU's Law Enforcement detachment, tases a Marine with a Conducted Energy Weapon, or TASER, during a non-lethal weapons course aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), underway in the Coral Sea, June 30, 2019. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Cameron Parks) - Sgt. Arielle Lahtinen, noncommissioned officer in charge with the 31st MEU's Law Enforcement detachment, tases a Marine with a Conducted Energy Weapon, or TASER, during a non-lethal weapons course aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), underway in the Coral Sea, June 30, 2019. (Official Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Cameron Parks)

Staff Sgt. Ismael Esconde, the substance abuse control officer with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, holds a crane he folded at building 267 aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii April 19, 2017. Esconde uses origami as a way to make a positive impact in his local community. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Brittney Vella) - Staff Sgt. Ismael Esconde, the substance abuse control officer with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, holds a crane he folded at building 267 aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii April 19, 2017. Esconde uses origami as a way to make a positive impact in his local community. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Brittney Vella)

Lt. Gen. H. Stacy Clardy, III, answers questions during a press conference following the III Marine Expeditionary Force change of command ceremony at Camp Courtney, Okinawa, Japan, May 31, 2019. - Lt. Gen. H. Stacy Clardy, III, answers questions during a press conference following the III Marine Expeditionary Force change of command ceremony at Camp Courtney, Okinawa, Japan, May 31, 2019. Lt. Gen. Eric M. Smith passed his duties as the commanding general of III MEF onto Lt. Gen. H. Stacy Clardy, III. Clardy arrived from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness where he served as the Military Deputy.

On April 8, 2019 U.S. Marine Cpl. Kyle M. LeClair, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 24, Marine Aircraft Group 24, was awarded the Marine Corps Aviation Association’s Paul G. Vess Award for Avionics Marine of the Year. - On April 8, 2019 U.S. Marine Cpl. Kyle M. LeClair, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 24, Marine Aircraft Group 24, was awarded the Marine Corps Aviation Association’s Paul G. Vess Award for Avionics Marine of the Year.