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Marines

EXPLORE PHOTOS

III MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE

Okinawa, Japan

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Gunnery Sgt. Todd Groves and Bokusei Kinjo at Kinjo’s farm, near Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 23, 2017. Groves is a maintenance chief with Small Craft Repair Platoon, Expeditionary Operations Training Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, and Kinjo is a local Japanese farmer. Groves, from Fulton, Missouri, was a pig farmer growing up and has now found a place he can call home on Kinjo’s farm. He has helped to take care of the land and the animals on Kinjo’s farm for the last two years. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Bernadette Wildes

Gunnery Sgt. Todd Groves and Bokusei Kinjo at Kinjo’s farm, near Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 23, 2017. Groves is a maintenance chief with Small Craft Repair Platoon, Expeditionary Operations Training Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, and Kinjo is a local Japanese farmer. Groves, from Fulton, Missouri, was a pig farmer growing up and has now found a place he can call home on Kinjo’s farm. He has helped to take care of the land and the animals on Kinjo’s farm for the last two years. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Bernadette Wildes

Photo by Lance Cpl. Carl King

An F-35B Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, conducts an aerial refuel while transiting the Pacific Northwest from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Jan. 9, 2017, its final destination being MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, to join 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. VMFA-121, originally an F/A-18 squadron, was redesignated as the Marine Corps’ first F-35 squadron in 2012. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Lillian Stephens)

An F-35B Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, conducts an aerial refuel while transiting the Pacific Northwest from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Jan. 9, 2017, its final destination being MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, to join 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. VMFA-121, originally an F/A-18 squadron, was redesignated as the Marine Corps’ first F-35 squadron in 2012. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Lillian Stephens)

Photo by Sgt. Lillian Stephens

Lt. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson visits Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 14, 2017, to thank various Airmen, including Capt. John Krzyminski, who assisted in the search and rescue of an MV-22 Osprey, in Okinawa, Japan, December 2016. Nicholson is the commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force and Krzyminski is a combat rescue officer with the 31st Rescue Squadron. The aircraft had five crew members onboard, but thanks to the quick thinking of the pilot and the efforts of the airmen who responded to the incident, all were recovered. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Laura Gauna)

Lt. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson visits Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 14, 2017, to thank various Airmen, including Capt. John Krzyminski, who assisted in the search and rescue of an MV-22 Osprey, in Okinawa, Japan, December 2016. Nicholson is the commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force and Krzyminski is a combat rescue officer with the 31st Rescue Squadron. The aircraft had five crew members onboard, but thanks to the quick thinking of the pilot and the efforts of the airmen who responded to the incident, all were recovered. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Laura Gauna)

Photo by Sgt. Laura Gauna

Marines from 3d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment de-board a plane and prepare for transportation to Camp Schwab after arriving at Kadena Air Base for the unit deployment program in Okinawa, Japan Feb. 12, 2017. The unit is based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and is now attached to 4th Marine Regiment, 3d Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force while deployed in the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region.

Marines from 3d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment de-board a plane and prepare for transportation to Camp Schwab after arriving at Kadena Air Base for the unit deployment program in Okinawa, Japan Feb. 12, 2017. The unit is based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and is now attached to 4th Marine Regiment, 3d Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force while deployed in the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Valerie Eppler

Col. Randall S. Hoffman, the III Marine Expeditionary Force G-35 future operations officer, progressed from private to colonel over 32 years of service in the Marine Corps. Hoffman, from Danville, Indiana, enlisted on December 8, 1984 and attended the University of Indiana before commissioning as an officer in 1994. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Andrew Neumann)

Col. Randall S. Hoffman, the III Marine Expeditionary Force G-35 future operations officer, progressed from private to colonel over 32 years of service in the Marine Corps. Hoffman, from Danville, Indiana, enlisted on December 8, 1984 and attended the University of Indiana before commissioning as an officer in 1994. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Andrew Neumann)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Andrew Neumann

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER, Okinawa, Japan – F-35B Lightning II aircraft belonging to Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing began conducting regularly scheduled training near Okinawa this week. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Henson)

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER, Okinawa, Japan – F-35B Lightning II aircraft belonging to Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing began conducting regularly scheduled training near Okinawa this week. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Henson)

Photo by Cpl. Aaron Henson

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER, Okinawa, Japan – F-35B Lightning II aircraft belonging to Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing began conducting regularly scheduled training near Okinawa this week.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER, Okinawa, Japan – F-35B Lightning II aircraft belonging to Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing began conducting regularly scheduled training near Okinawa this week.

Photo by Cpl. Aaron Henson

Sgt. Pedro A. Borunda was named the 2016 Noncommissioned Officer of the Year for III Marine Expeditionary Force in December of 2016. Today, his fellow Marines consider him a leading example and inspiration both as a person and a Marine. Borunda, a native of Aurora, Colorado, is the training NCO with Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. III MEF. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Baase)

Sgt. Pedro A. Borunda was named the 2016 Noncommissioned Officer of the Year for III Marine Expeditionary Force in December of 2016. Today, his fellow Marines consider him a leading example and inspiration both as a person and a Marine. Borunda, a native of Aurora, Colorado, is the training NCO with Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. III MEF. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Baase)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Baase

Lt. Lou Schott, 96, was part of the A Company 1st Battalion 5th Marines (A15) during WWII and fought in the Battle for Iwo Jima. The Marine Cryptologic Support Battalion (MCSB) participates in a Professional Military Education (PME) course focusing on WWII small arms used by the US Marines and Japanese with an emphasis on the Battle for Iwo Jima. The marines got to live fire historical arms from the war alongside gun and range club members at the Associated Gun Club of Baltimore in Marriottsville.

Lt. Lou Schott, 96, was part of the A Company 1st Battalion 5th Marines (A15) during WWII and fought in the Battle for Iwo Jima. The Marine Cryptologic Support Battalion (MCSB) participates in a Professional Military Education (PME) course focusing on WWII small arms used by the US Marines and Japanese with an emphasis on the Battle for Iwo Jima. The marines got to live fire historical arms from the war alongside gun and range club members at the Associated Gun Club of Baltimore in Marriottsville.

Photo by Nate Pesce

Pat Wheeler demonstrates the fully automatic capabilities of his Thompson Sub Machine gun (Tommy Gun) for the group.
The Marine Cryptologic Support Battalion (MCSB) participates in a Professional Military Education (PME) course focusing on WWII small arms used by the US Marines and Japanese with an emphasis on the Battle for Iwo Jima. The marines got to live fire historical arms from the war alongside gun and range club members at the Associated Gun Club of Baltimore in Marriottsville

Pat Wheeler demonstrates the fully automatic capabilities of his Thompson Sub Machine gun (Tommy Gun) for the group. The Marine Cryptologic Support Battalion (MCSB) participates in a Professional Military Education (PME) course focusing on WWII small arms used by the US Marines and Japanese with an emphasis on the Battle for Iwo Jima. The marines got to live fire historical arms from the war alongside gun and range club members at the Associated Gun Club of Baltimore in Marriottsville

Photo by Nate Pesce

Cpl. Lawrence O. Johnson II clears a building of explosive ordnance during a training exercise in Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 25, 2017. Military working dogs are trained to detect airborne and ground scents indicating the presence of explosive ordnance. The dogs can be utilized to detect explosives in vehicles, open areas, enclosed spaces, cargo and buried underground. Johnson from Williamstown, New Jersey, is a patrol explosive detection dog handler with 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge)

Cpl. Lawrence O. Johnson II clears a building of explosive ordnance during a training exercise in Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 25, 2017. Military working dogs are trained to detect airborne and ground scents indicating the presence of explosive ordnance. The dogs can be utilized to detect explosives in vehicles, open areas, enclosed spaces, cargo and buried underground. Johnson from Williamstown, New Jersey, is a patrol explosive detection dog handler with 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge)

Photo by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge

Marines observe the abilities of military working dog teams during a training exercise in Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 25, 2017. The Marines are dog handlers with 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge)

Marines observe the abilities of military working dog teams during a training exercise in Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 25, 2017. The Marines are dog handlers with 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge)

Photo by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge

Cpl. Jason E. Casbeer and his military working dog, Mac, wait to train in Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 25, 2017. The dog teams run through courses to evaluate their proficiency in explosive ordnance detection, the application of controlled aggression and the execution of combat tracking. Casbeer, from Angleton, Texas, is a tracking dog handler with 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge)

Cpl. Jason E. Casbeer and his military working dog, Mac, wait to train in Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 25, 2017. The dog teams run through courses to evaluate their proficiency in explosive ordnance detection, the application of controlled aggression and the execution of combat tracking. Casbeer, from Angleton, Texas, is a tracking dog handler with 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge)

Photo by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge

Dini, a military working dog, practices controlled aggression on a human decoy during a training exercise in Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 25, 2017. Bite-work training prepares the dogs to forcefully control a suspect while still allowing the handler to maintain authority. Dini is with 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge)

Dini, a military working dog, practices controlled aggression on a human decoy during a training exercise in Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 25, 2017. Bite-work training prepares the dogs to forcefully control a suspect while still allowing the handler to maintain authority. Dini is with 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge)

Photo by Cpl. Jessica Etheridge

Cpl. Robert Arellano instructs his second Marine Corps Martial Arts Program class of the day, Jan. 12, 2016, at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan. Arellano, from Yuma, Arizona, recently became a MCMAP instructor, Dec. 16, 2016, after he completed the three-week long MCMAP instructor course in Okinawa. Arellano, who primarily serves as a combat camera production specialist with Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, is devoted to helping Marines grow and develop through MCMAP. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Bernadette Wildes)

Cpl. Robert Arellano instructs his second Marine Corps Martial Arts Program class of the day, Jan. 12, 2016, at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan. Arellano, from Yuma, Arizona, recently became a MCMAP instructor, Dec. 16, 2016, after he completed the three-week long MCMAP instructor course in Okinawa. Arellano, who primarily serves as a combat camera production specialist with Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, is devoted to helping Marines grow and develop through MCMAP. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Bernadette Wildes)

Photo by Cpl. Kelsey Dornfeld

Cpl. Robert Arellano became a Martial Arts Instructor, Dec. 16, 2016, after he completed a three-week long MCMAP instructor course in Okinawa, Japan. Arellano, a combat camera production specialist with Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, is from Yuma, Arizona. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Bernadette Wildes)

Cpl. Robert Arellano became a Martial Arts Instructor, Dec. 16, 2016, after he completed a three-week long MCMAP instructor course in Okinawa, Japan. Arellano, a combat camera production specialist with Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, is from Yuma, Arizona. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Bernadette Wildes)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Bernadette Wildes

Lance Cpl. Cameron J. Stanley performs vehicle inspections and replaces defective parts during a reservist training period, Jan. 24, 2017, at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan. The training period was used to integrate reserve and active duty Marines to share knowledge and ideas to improve productivity. Stanley, a native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, is a organizational automotive mechanic with Transportation Services Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 25, Combat Logistics Regiment 45, 4th Marine Logistics Group, currently assigned with 3rd Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Baase)

Lance Cpl. Cameron J. Stanley performs vehicle inspections and replaces defective parts during a reservist training period, Jan. 24, 2017, at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan. The training period was used to integrate reserve and active duty Marines to share knowledge and ideas to improve productivity. Stanley, a native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, is a organizational automotive mechanic with Transportation Services Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 25, Combat Logistics Regiment 45, 4th Marine Logistics Group, currently assigned with 3rd Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Baase)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Baase

Sgt. Leonard S. Yost inspects vehicles repaired during a reservist training period, Jan. 24, 2017, at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan. The training period was used to integrate reserve and active duty Marines to share knowledge and ideas to improve work productivity. Yost, a native of Hubert, North Carolina, is an intermediate automotive mechanic with Transportation Services Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 25, Combat Logistics Regiment 45, 4th Marine Logistics Group, currently working with 3rd Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Baase)

Sgt. Leonard S. Yost inspects vehicles repaired during a reservist training period, Jan. 24, 2017, at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan. The training period was used to integrate reserve and active duty Marines to share knowledge and ideas to improve work productivity. Yost, a native of Hubert, North Carolina, is an intermediate automotive mechanic with Transportation Services Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 25, Combat Logistics Regiment 45, 4th Marine Logistics Group, currently working with 3rd Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Baase)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Baase

Sgt. Leonard S. Yost inspects repaired vehicles during a reservist training period, Jan. 24, 2017, at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan. The training period was used to integrate reserve and active duty Marines to share knowledge and ideas to improve work productivity. Yost, a native of Hubert, North Carolina, is an intermediate automotive mechanic with Transportation Services Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 25, Combat Logistics Regiment 45, 4th Marine Logistics Group, currently working with 3rd Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Baase)

Sgt. Leonard S. Yost inspects repaired vehicles during a reservist training period, Jan. 24, 2017, at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan. The training period was used to integrate reserve and active duty Marines to share knowledge and ideas to improve work productivity. Yost, a native of Hubert, North Carolina, is an intermediate automotive mechanic with Transportation Services Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 25, Combat Logistics Regiment 45, 4th Marine Logistics Group, currently working with 3rd Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Baase)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Jonah Baase

Retired Lt. Col. Frederick Grant retired Jan. 27, 2017, after 54 years of continuous service to the Marine Corps. Grant served as the director of the Tactical Exercise Control Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, after 38 years of service as an enlisted Marine and officer. Grant, from Emporia, Virginia, enlisted Oct. 2, 1963, and served as an infantryman in Vietnam in addition to various other enlisted and officer billets. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Bernadette Wildes/released)

Retired Lt. Col. Frederick Grant retired Jan. 27, 2017, after 54 years of continuous service to the Marine Corps. Grant served as the director of the Tactical Exercise Control Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, after 38 years of service as an enlisted Marine and officer. Grant, from Emporia, Virginia, enlisted Oct. 2, 1963, and served as an infantryman in Vietnam in addition to various other enlisted and officer billets. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Bernadette Wildes/released)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Bernadette Wildes

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III Marine Expeditionary Force