Stories

Faculty advisors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit stand at attention for the Marines’ Hymn during a corporal’s course graduation aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), underway in the South China Sea, Sept. 27, 2018. Corporal’s course, usually a three-week course, is condensed to two weeks while underway. The course helps Marine leaders/Noncommissioned Officers refine their understanding of small unit leadership principles.The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released) - Faculty advisors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit stand at attention for the Marines’ Hymn during a corporal’s course graduation aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), underway in the South China Sea, Sept. 27, 2018. Corporal’s course, usually a three-week course, is condensed to two weeks while underway. The course helps Marine leaders/Noncommissioned Officers refine their understanding of small unit leadership principles.The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released)

ROTA, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands - Col. Robert Brodie, right, commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), shakes hands with Efraim Atalig, left, the mayor of Rota, during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Corporal Joe Junior G. Charfauros Veterans Memorial Park in Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Sept. 14, 2018. Service members from the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command are providing Department of Defense support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and working with Guam and CNMI civil and local officials for Typhoon Mangkhut recovery efforts. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released) - ROTA, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands - Col. Robert Brodie, right, commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), shakes hands with Efraim Atalig, left, the mayor of Rota, during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Corporal Joe Junior G. Charfauros Veterans Memorial Park in Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Sept. 14, 2018. Service members from the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command are providing Department of Defense support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and working with Guam and CNMI civil and local officials for Typhoon Mangkhut recovery efforts. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released)

Col. Scott Fosdal, Expeditionary Operations Training Group senior evaluator, shakes hands with Marines and Sailors during a celebration honoring his retirement aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, Sep. 3, 2018. - Col. Scott Fosdal, Expeditionary Operations Training Group senior evaluator, shakes hands with Marines and Sailors during a celebration honoring his retirement aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, Sep. 3, 2018. Fosdal, a native of Rockdale, Wisconsin, graduated Texas A&M University December 1988; he commissioned that same month. He lived, experienced and participated in the the most recent consequential decades of the Corps’ storied history; Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom – Fosdal has had a front row view of America’s wars during three decades as a Reconnaissance Marine. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released)

Col. Robert Brodie, commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, speaks to Marines, Sailors and their families during a pre-deployment brief at Camp Shields, Okinawa, Japan, July 31, 2018. - Col. Robert Brodie, commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, speaks to Marines, Sailors and their families during a pre-deployment brief at Camp Shields, Okinawa, Japan, July 31, 2018. The 31st MEU conducts pre-deployment briefs to inform Marines, Sailors and their families about programs that are available to alleviate any problems before the unit deploys. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations across the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released)

. - Marines with Echo Company, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, riding Assault Amphibious Vehicles, head toward the shore during a mechanized assault as part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s MEU Exercise, near Ginoza Village, Okinawa, Japan, June 28, 2018. Marines and Sailors with Echo Company performed the final training event of MEUEX, an assault launched from Camp Schwab and targeting Combat Town, part of Okinawa’s Central Training Area. Marines with Echo Company, the mechanized assault element with BLT 2/5, partner with AAV crews to perform raids and assaults launched from the sea. MEUEX is the first in a series of three pre-deployment training events that prepare the 31st MEU to deploy at a moment’s notice. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations. (Official Marine Corps Photo by Gunnery Sgt. T. T. Parish/Released)

Colonel Robert Brodie, newly appointed commander of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, accepts the unit guidon from Col. Tye R. Wallace during a change of command ceremony at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, June 13, 2018. - Colonel Robert Brodie, newly appointed commander of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, accepts the unit guidon from Col. Tye R. Wallace during a change of command ceremony at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, June 13, 2018. Brodie assumed command after recently serving at 1st Air Force, 601st Air Operations Center. Wallace, a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, led the 31st MEU through four deployments during his tenure, including the historic operational MEU deployment featuring the F-35B Lightning II fighter jet earlier in 2018. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps' only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Gunnery Sgt. T. T. Parish/Released)

Noncommissioned officers with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit sprint as a warm-up for a Force Fitness Instructor led High Intensity Tactical Training session at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, June 8, 2018. - Noncommissioned officers with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit sprint as a warm-up for a Force Fitness Instructor led High Intensity Tactical Training session at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, June 8, 2018. The 31st MEU is adopting an NCO-led FFI program to improve overall physical fitness while reducing injury and building unit morale. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps' only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Gunnery Sgt. T. T. Parish/Released)

An MV-22B Osprey belonging to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced) prepares to land on Farallon de Medinilla Range, Commonwealth Northern Mariana Islands, Sept. 16, 2016. - An MV-22B Osprey belonging to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced) prepares to land on Farallon de Medinilla Range, Commonwealth Northern Mariana Islands, Sept. 16, 2016. Valiant Shield is a biennial U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps exercise held in Guam, focusing on real-world proficiency in sustaining joint forces at sea, in the air, on land and in cyberspace. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. T.T. Parish)

The LST Type SHIMOKITA prepares to set sail during an amphibious warfare exercise at Camp Ainoura, Sasebo, Japan, May 16, 2018. - The LST Type SHIMOKITA prepares to set sail during an amphibious warfare exercise at Camp Ainoura, Sasebo, Japan, May 16, 2018. Marines and Sailors with Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, joined Japan Ground Self-Defense Force service members to embark with the newly formed Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade to enhance the ARDB’s capabilities to deal with various situations on islands. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released)

Marines with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, load onto busses headed to Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, May 18, 2018. - Marines with Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, load onto busses headed to Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, May 18, 2018. BLT 2/5 will be taking up the role as the Ground Combat Element of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matt Navarra/Released)