NEWS

Humanitarian - A Buddhist monk blesses villagers and multinational troops to conclude a pillar-raising ceremony in support of Exercise Cobra Gold 2018 at Ban Pan Mo School in Chanthaburi, Kingdom of Thailand, Jan. 24, 2018. According to tradition, the main pillar of a building is blessed in order to please the spirits of the area so that no harm comes to the building in the future. The ceremony marked the official start of engineering civic assistance projects for the exercise. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Matthew J. Bragg)

. - Marines from 12th Marine Regiment and Soldiers from 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, listen to an overview of their next task for a fire support exercise at the III Marine Expeditionary Force combined arms staff trainer building on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 19, 2018. Marines and Soldiers rehearsed a simulated fire support scenario called Fire Support Rehearsal Exercise ‘18 to improve branch communication and prepare for future joint-service operations.

. - 1st Lt. Aaron Cranford receives the Navy and Marine Corps Medal from Maj. Gen. Craig Q. Timberlake, the commanding general for 3rd Marine Division, during an award ceremony on Jan. 8, 2017, at the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion Headquarters building on Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan. Cranford was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for risking his life while rescuing three divers and a local Okinawan who were caught in rip current during a recreational dive at Onna Point, Okinawa, Japan on April 23, 2017. Cranford, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, is a supply officer with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Josue Marquez)

Cpl. Noel Mayorqa, from the Bronx, New York, is a squad leader with Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Marine Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. As a squad leader he ensures the platoon leader’s intent is being met by making sure each task is done quickly and efficiently. He’s also in charge of accountability, training and the general well-being of his squad. The 31st MEU provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide range of military operations, from limited combat to humanitarian assistance, throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region as the Marine Corps' only continuously forward-deployed MEU. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Bernadette Wildes/Released) - Cpl. Noel Mayorqa, from the Bronx, New York, is a squad leader with Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Marine Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. As a squad leader he ensures the platoon leader’s intent is being met by making sure each task is done quickly and efficiently. He’s also in charge of accountability, training and the general well-being of his squad. The 31st MEU provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide range of military operations, from limited combat to humanitarian assistance, throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region as the Marine Corps' only continuously forward-deployed MEU. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Bernadette Wildes/Released)

171127-N-CL027-038 PHILIPPINE SEA (Nov. 27, 2017) An MV-22 Osprey of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265 lands on the flight deck of the Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Janweb B. Lagazo) - 171127-N-CL027-038 PHILIPPINE SEA (Nov. 27, 2017) An MV-22 Osprey of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265 lands on the flight deck of the Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Janweb B. Lagazo)