Marines with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, practice proper techniques to clear a stairway during an Urban Operations exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 9, 2014. Each building is designed differently to offer an unpredictable layout that Marines would normally experience in UO. The rooms are filled with distracting elements including holes in the walls, open ceilings and multiple doorways.
Lieutenant Gen. John Toolan, commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force, oversees the reenlistment of Staff Sgt. Timothy Williams, a section leader with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, during an award ceremony held at Camp Las Flores, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Calif., Jan. 7, 2014. Williams, a native of Hudson, Mich., was awarded the Silver Star Medal and Purple Heart for his heroic actions in Afghanistan when he maintained a tactical advantage while being ambushed by a larger enemy force. Williams helped save the lives of multiple Marines and destroyed several enemy positions during the 10 hour attack.
A Marine with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, provides security during a clearing operation in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Dec. 21, 2013. The company established temporary patrol bases and conducted dismounted patrols during a three day operation to build relations with local residents and counter any insurgent presence in the area.
Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines patrol towards their objective during an airfield seizure exercise as a part of Exercise Steel Knight 2014 aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., Dec. 11, 2013. Steel Knight enables 1st Marine Division to test and refine its command and control capabilities by acting as the headquarters element for a forward-deployed Marine expeditionary force.
Pfc. Christina Fuentes Montenegro and other Marines from Delta Company, Infantry Training Battalion , School of Infantry-East, receive final instructions prior to assaulting an objective during the Infantry Integrated Field Training Exercise aboard Camp Geiger, N.C., Nov 15, 2013. Montenegro is one of three female Marines to be the first women to graduate infantry training with the battalion. Delta Company is the first company at ITB with female students as part of a measured, deliberate and responsible collection of data on the performance of female Marines when executing existing infantry tasks and training events, the Marine Corps is soliciting entry-level female Marine volunteers to attend the eight week basic infantryman and infantry rifleman training courses at ITB.
