ABOARD USS BONHOMME RICHARD (LHD-6), At Sea, (Sept. 2, 2016) - Cpl. Taylor W. Torrence spends a moment with his partner, Eesther, in the hangar bay of the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6), while waiting to depart for a training mission as part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, at sea, Sept. 2, 2016. Torrence, a native of Fairfield, California, is a combat tracking-dog handler with the 31st MEU's Maritime Raid Force. Eesther is a four-year-old Belgian Malinois, and a combat tracking dog with the 31st MEU MRF. The hangar bay is a common feature of amphibious assault ships, where Marines and Sailors maintain aircraft; troops gather before departing ship; and, occasionally, where the ship's crew go to get a breath of fresh air when the doors are open throughout the day. The 31st MEU is the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed Marine Air-Ground Task Force, and combines air-ground-logistics into a single team capable of addressing a range of military operations in the Asia-Pacific region – from force projection and maritime security to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in cooperation with host countries and partner militaries. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Staff Sgt. T.T. Parish/Released)