U.S. Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit stand in formation during a relief and appointment ceremony at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 31, 2024. U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Charles B. Peoples relinquished his role as sergeant major of the 31st MEU to Sgt. Maj. Julio A. Mercedes. 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 premiere crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Raul SotoVilla) - U.S. Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit stand in formation during a relief and appointment ceremony at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 31, 2024. U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Charles B. Peoples relinquished his role as sergeant major of the 31st MEU to Sgt. Maj. Julio A. Mercedes. 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 premiere crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Raul SotoVilla)