Stories

Multinational service members, veterans, Solomon Islands government leaders, members of the diplomatic community, and civilians attend the 83rd Anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal Ceremony at the Guadalcanal American Memorial in Honiara, Solomon Islands, Aug. 7, 2025. The ceremony commemorated the 83rd anniversary of the battle and served to honor the fallen and strengthen the U.S. relationship with the Solomon Islands and other Pacific allies and partners. The historic battle was codenamed Operation Watchtower and was the first major offensive and decisive victory for Allied forces in the Pacific theater. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Anita Ramos) - Multinational service members, veterans, Solomon Islands government leaders, members of the diplomatic community, and civilians attend the 83rd Anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal Ceremony at the Guadalcanal American Memorial in Honiara, Solomon Islands, Aug. 7, 2025. The ceremony commemorated the 83rd anniversary of the battle and served to honor the fallen and strengthen the U.S. relationship with the Solomon Islands and other Pacific allies and partners. The historic battle was codenamed Operation Watchtower and was the first major offensive and decisive victory for Allied forces in the Pacific theater. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Anita Ramos)

U.S. Marine Corps Col. Jason C. Armas, center, the commanding officer of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3, and Sgt. Maj. Michael T. Escobar, right, the sergeant major of MRF – D 25.3, pose for a photo with Group Captain Melissa Neilson, the commander of Northern Command, at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, March 17, 2025. - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Jason C. Armas, center, the commanding officer of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 25.3, and Sgt. Maj. Michael T. Escobar, right, the sergeant major of MRF – D 25.3, pose for a photo with Group Captain Melissa Neilson, the commander of Northern Command, at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, March 17, 2025. MRF-D 25.3 is part of an annual six-month rotational deployment to enhance interoperability with the Australian Defence Force and allies and partners and provide a forward-postured crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ezekieljay Correa)

From Left; U.S. Marine Corps Col. Brian T. Mulvihill, the commanding officer of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3, Royal Australian Air Force Wing Cmdr. Lauren Guest, the senior Australian Defence Force officer of RAAF Base Darwin, Royal Australian Navy Capt. Mitchell Livingstone, the commanding officer of Headquarters Northern Command, and Australian Army Brigadier Douglas Pashley, the commander of 1st Brigade, stand at attention during the 82nd Battle of the Coral Sea commemorative service at the USS Peary Memorial, Darwin, NT, Australia, May 4, 2024. MRF-D 24.3 Marines paid their respects alongside their Australian Allies during the ceremony. The ceremony commemorated U.S. and Australian service members who lost their lives in the Battle of the Coral Sea, which took place from May 4-8, 1942, during WWII. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Manuel Rivera) - From Left; U.S. Marine Corps Col. Brian T. Mulvihill, the commanding officer of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3, Royal Australian Air Force Wing Cmdr. Lauren Guest, the senior Australian Defence Force officer of RAAF Base Darwin, Royal Australian Navy Capt. Mitchell Livingstone, the commanding officer of Headquarters Northern Command, and Australian Army Brigadier Douglas Pashley, the commander of 1st Brigade, stand at attention during the 82nd Battle of the Coral Sea commemorative service at the USS Peary Memorial, Darwin, NT, Australia, May 4, 2024. MRF-D 24.3 Marines paid their respects alongside their Australian Allies during the ceremony. The ceremony commemorated U.S. and Australian service members who lost their lives in the Battle of the Coral Sea, which took place from May 4-8, 1942, during WWII. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Manuel Rivera)

U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Kevin Jurek, the Navy senior enlisted leader of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3, uses the Joint Operational Medicine Information Systems Medical Common Operating Picture as part of a mass casualty training event during Exercise Predator’s Run 24 at Mount Bundey Training Area, July 24, 2024. - U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Kevin Jurek, the Navy senior enlisted leader of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3, uses the Joint Operational Medicine Information Systems Medical Common Operating Picture as part of a mass casualty training event during Exercise Predator’s Run 24 at Mount Bundey Training Area, July 24, 2024. Exercise Predator’s Run 24 is a littoral-focused, multilateral training exercise led by the Australian’s Army 1st Brigade, involving the Australian Defence Force, the United Kingdom Commando Force, the Republic of the Philippines Army, the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy. MedCOP is an interactive decision-support platform arming command surgeons and medical commanders with near real-time health surveillance and medical operations visibility to enable well-informed decisions. Jurek is a native of Oklahoma. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Kassie McDole)

U.S. Marines, families of the fallen, and members of the Australian Defence Force participate in a Pukumani ceremony hosted by the Tiwi Island-Mantiyupwi clan, in collaboration with the Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation, at Melville Island, Tiwi Islands, Australia, Sept. 27, 2024. The Pukumani Ceremony is a traditional Tiwi people ritual that honors the deceased and helps guide their spirits to the afterlife, marking the official end of mourning. For the first time, U.S. Marines and family members of the fallen were honored by the Tiwi and Larrakia people during the week leading up to two culturally significant ceremonies: a healing ceremony and a Pukumani ceremony. These ceremonies commemorated the three U.S. Marines who tragically lost their lives in a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey crash on Melville Island on Aug. 27, 2023. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Kassie McDole) - U.S. Marines, families of the fallen, and members of the Australian Defence Force participate in a Pukumani ceremony hosted by the Tiwi Island-Mantiyupwi clan, in collaboration with the Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation, at Melville Island, Tiwi Islands, Australia, Sept. 27, 2024. The Pukumani Ceremony is a traditional Tiwi people ritual that honors the deceased and helps guide their spirits to the afterlife, marking the official end of mourning. For the first time, U.S. Marines and family members of the fallen were honored by the Tiwi and Larrakia people during the week leading up to two culturally significant ceremonies: a healing ceremony and a Pukumani ceremony. These ceremonies commemorated the three U.S. Marines who tragically lost their lives in a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey crash on Melville Island on Aug. 27, 2023. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Kassie McDole)

U.S. Sailors with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3 and Royal Australian Navy Sailors participate in an OPRES Resilience and BattleSMART brief at Larrakeyah Defence Precinct, NT, Australia, Sep. 2, 2024. The OPRES Resilience and BattleSMART brief serves to bring awareness to mental health in the military and ways to cope or get help for problems that occur. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Manuel Rivera) - U.S. Sailors with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3 and Royal Australian Navy Sailors participate in an OPRES Resilience and BattleSMART brief at Larrakeyah Defence Precinct, NT, Australia, Sep. 2, 2024. The OPRES Resilience and BattleSMART brief serves to bring awareness to mental health in the military and ways to cope or get help for problems that occur. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Manuel Rivera)

U.S. Navy medical personnel with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3 and researchers with the Menzies School of Health Research pose for a photo at the Menzies School of Health Research laboratory, Darwin, NT, Australia, May 14, 2024. MRF-D 24.3 medical personnel visited the Menzies School of Health Research as part of a 13-week study, done in partnership with the school, which will test air, water and soil samples from across Australia for Burkholderia pseudomallei, the bacteria that can cause Melioidosis. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Earik Barton) - U.S. Navy medical personnel with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3 and researchers with the Menzies School of Health Research pose for a photo at the Menzies School of Health Research laboratory, Darwin, NT, Australia, May 14, 2024. MRF-D 24.3 medical personnel visited the Menzies School of Health Research as part of a 13-week study, done in partnership with the school, which will test air, water and soil samples from across Australia for Burkholderia pseudomallei, the bacteria that can cause Melioidosis. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Earik Barton)

U.S. Marines with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and Indonesian National Armed Forces service members, board an MV-22B Osprey assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 268 (Reinforced), Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3, during on and off drills as part of Super Garuda Shield 2024 at Juanda International Airport, East Java, Indonesia, Aug. 30, 2024. Super Garuda Shield is an annual exercise that has significantly grown in scope and size since 2009. Super Garuda Shield 2024 is the third consecutive time this exercise has grown into a combined and joint event, focused on commitment to partnership and a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Migel A. Reynosa) - U.S. Marines with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and Indonesian National Armed Forces service members, board an MV-22B Osprey assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 268 (Reinforced), Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3, during on and off drills as part of Super Garuda Shield 2024 at Juanda International Airport, East Java, Indonesia, Aug. 30, 2024. Super Garuda Shield is an annual exercise that has significantly grown in scope and size since 2009. Super Garuda Shield 2024 is the third consecutive time this exercise has grown into a combined and joint event, focused on commitment to partnership and a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Migel A. Reynosa)

U.S. Sailors with Combat Logistics Battalion 5 (Reinforced), Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3, Australian Defence Force Soldiers, and Indonesian National Armed Forces, prepare a simulated casualty for treatment as part of a mass casualty exercise during Exercise Bhakti Kanyini AUSINDO 24 at Robertson Barracks, NT, Australia, Aug. 20, 2024. - U.S. Sailors with Combat Logistics Battalion 5 (Reinforced), Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3, Australian Defence Force Soldiers, and Indonesian National Armed Forces, prepare a simulated casualty for treatment as part of a mass casualty exercise during Exercise Bhakti Kanyini AUSINDO 24 at Robertson Barracks, NT, Australia, Aug. 20, 2024. BKA 24, previously named Crocodile Response, is a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise focused on strengthening the cooperation and readiness of the U.S. Marine Corps, TNI, ADF, and other government agencies. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Cristian Bestul)