Stories

Marines with Company A, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, check their gear before conducting an amphibious operations training exercise during an Expeditionary Operations Training Group course at Camp Pendleton April 21, 2016. Before executing their mission, Recon Marines tested their Combat Rubber Raiding Craft’s top speeds and made sure their gear was secured in preparation for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s deployment in the near future. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Demetrius Morgan/RELEASED) - Marines with Company A, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, check their gear before conducting an amphibious operations training exercise during an Expeditionary Operations Training Group course at Camp Pendleton April 21, 2016. Before executing their mission, Recon Marines tested their Combat Rubber Raiding Craft’s top speeds and made sure their gear was secured in preparation for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s deployment in the near future. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Demetrius Morgan/RELEASED)

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Colonel Willard ‘Willy’ Buhl (left) and Dwight Trafton (right), a retired colonel, stand at attention for the conclusion of Col. Buhl’s retirement ceremony on Feb. 12, at Camp Pendleton, Calif. The ceremony was to commemorate Buhl’s 34 years of dedicated service to the United States Marine Corps. Buhl was formerly the director of Expeditionary Operations Training Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force and is from Los Gatos, Calif. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Angel Serna/Released) - MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Colonel Willard ‘Willy’ Buhl (left) and Dwight Trafton (right), a retired colonel, stand at attention for the conclusion of Col. Buhl’s retirement ceremony on Feb. 12, at Camp Pendleton, Calif. The ceremony was to commemorate Buhl’s 34 years of dedicated service to the United States Marine Corps. Buhl was formerly the director of Expeditionary Operations Training Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force and is from Los Gatos, Calif. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Angel Serna/Released)

1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment infantrymen tactically move from building to building in a simulated combat zone during Exercise Steel Knight 2016 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Dec. 4, 2015. 1st Marine Division has conducted Steel Knight for the past three years, making this the fourth iteration of the exercise. Steel Knight will test I Marine Expeditionary Force’s amphibious capabilities through realistic, scenario-driven training. - 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment infantrymen tactically move from building to building in a simulated combat zone during Exercise Steel Knight 2016 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Dec. 4, 2015. 1st Marine Division has conducted Steel Knight for the past three years, making this the fourth iteration of the exercise. Steel Knight will test I Marine Expeditionary Force’s amphibious capabilities through realistic, scenario-driven training.

A U.S. Marine, assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force—Crisis Response—Central Command, interacts with students of a local middle school during a celebration commemorating the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Kuwait in Kuwait City, Nov. 17, 2015. In attendance of the event was Douglas A. Silliman, the U.S. ambassador to Kuwait, along with Kuwaiti dignitaries and members of the U.S. armed forces. The American service members were recognized during the ceremony and had the opportunity to interact with students and local community members. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Rick Hurtado / Released) - A U.S. Marine, assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force—Crisis Response—Central Command, interacts with students of a local middle school during a celebration commemorating the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Kuwait in Kuwait City, Nov. 17, 2015. In attendance of the event was Douglas A. Silliman, the U.S. ambassador to Kuwait, along with Kuwaiti dignitaries and members of the U.S. armed forces. The American service members were recognized during the ceremony and had the opportunity to interact with students and local community members. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Rick Hurtado / Released)

Marines with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company observe impacts from an M777 A2 Howitzer during an ANGLICO Basic Course aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Oct. 27, 2015. The ANGLICO Basic Course, also known as ABC, is a six-week course divided into three sections implementing motor transportation, communications and call-for-fire techniques. - Marines with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company observe impacts from an M777 A2 Howitzer during an ANGLICO Basic Course aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Oct. 27, 2015. The ANGLICO Basic Course, also known as ABC, is a six-week course divided into three sections implementing motor transportation, communications and call-for-fire techniques.

Cpl. Jeremiah Gerber of the Military Working Dog Platoon, Headquarters and Support Company, 1st Law Enforcement Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force, leads his drug detection dog, “Rocky,” as he detects a hidden target buried underneath their current position during a training exercise aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., Sept. 9, 2015. Exercises like this are designed to help military working dogs familiarize themselves with the scent of potentially harmful substances that they may have to track in the field. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pvt. Robert Bliss/Released) - Cpl. Jeremiah Gerber of the Military Working Dog Platoon, Headquarters and Support Company, 1st Law Enforcement Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force, leads his drug detection dog, “Rocky,” as he detects a hidden target buried underneath their current position during a training exercise aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., Sept. 9, 2015. Exercises like this are designed to help military working dogs familiarize themselves with the scent of potentially harmful substances that they may have to track in the field. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pvt. Robert Bliss/Released)