U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Peter Garcia, dental officer with Combat Logistics Battalion 13, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, speaks about the dentistry mission and its significance in support of exercise Koa Moana 24 at George B. Harris Elementary School at Koror, Palau, July 29, 2024. During Koa Moana’s deployment throughout the Indo-Pacific region, U.S. Marines and Sailors from I Marine Expeditionary Force work to strengthen alliances and partnerships with development of interoperable capabilities, combined operations, theater security cooperation, and capacity-building efforts. Exercises like Koa Moana administer 1st MLG to tackle complex challenges by fostering collaboration among bold thinkers and employing creative methods to optimize prepositioning, enhance sustainment and distribution networks, and bolster readiness in distributed environments such as Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Papua New Guinea. Garcia is a native of Downey, California. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Sgt. Nello Miele) This video contains music from a USMC enterprise licensed asset from De Wolfe: Standing Tall_DWCD 0621_66 Hermann Langschwert_De Wolfe Ltd

U.S. Navy Lt. Vincent Vaughn demonstrates the process of doing a filling on Hospitalman Devin Simmons acting as a patient on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan May 13, 2020. Vaughn, a native of Arlington, Virginia, is a dental officer with 3rd Dental Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group. Simmons, a native of Sherman, Texas, is a hospital corpsmen with 3rd Dental Bn., 3rd MLG. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Jamin M. Powell)

With the New Year comes a plethora of unchecked boxes, one being your dental checkup. While it may seem routine, service members in a class three or four dental classification are considered at increased risk to experience a dental emergency and compromise unit combat effectiveness or ability to deploy, so follow up with your dentist and ensure you’re ready to answer the call when needed. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Sgt. Hector DeJesus)

U.S. Sailors with 3d Marine Logistics Group teach a dental hygiene course to Filipino locals at Concepcion Elementary School in Palawan, Philippines, during Amphibious Landing Exercise 2015 (PHIBLEX 15), Sept. 24. PHIBLEX 15 is an annual, bilateral training conducted the Armed Forces of the Philippines in order to strengthen our interoperability and working relationships across a wide range of military operations from disaster relief to complex expeditionary operations. (U. S. Marine Corps Motion Imagery by MCIPAC Combat Camera Lance Cpl. Juan Esqueda/Released)

Members of the Utah National Guard conducted humanitarian/civic assistance operations as part of Exercise African Lion 15, May 17-21 at various locations near Tiznit, Morocco. Medical and dental personnel with the UTNG worked alongside members of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and Tunisian Armed Forces to provide medical and dental care to local Moroccans in need of services. The combined operations emphasizes the strong military bond between the U.S. and it's allies, improves interoperability between nations, building relationships with this key strategic region within the AFRICOM area of responsibility (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Elizabeth A. Case/Released).