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Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsmen, jump out of a CH-46E Sea Knight during the 116th Hospital Corps birthday ceremony aboard Camp Pendleton, California, June 13, 2014. The SARC's swam ashore and later built a battlefield cross in memory of fallen sailors and Marines.

Photo by Lance Cpl. David Silvano

Lance Cpl. Madison J. Kronberger, 18, from Dothan, AL (right) gets her gear ready for a static line jump out of a CH-46 Sea Knight aboard Camp Pendleton, California, June 5, 2014. The Marines conducted two day jumps and two night jumps at approximately 1,500 feet. Three Marines jumped with full combat gear in order to complete the requirements for their parachutist insignia.

Photo by Lance Cpl Ashton Buckingham

Lance Cpl. John Buckly, a CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter crew chief with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 774, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve, looks out for obstacles during an area familiarization flight as a part of Integrated Training Exercise 4-14 here June 7, 2014. The flight operation was the first during ITX 4-14, a two-week exercise and the first time for the pilots flying in a desert environment since last year’s ITX. ITX is the largest Marine Corps Reserve training exercise with more than 4,000 Marines and sailors participating from units across the United States. The exercise focuses on the tactical application of combined-arms during global contingencies.

Photo by Cpl. Codey Underwood

Reconnaissance Marines stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, prepare to board a CH-53E Super Stallion with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 465 for a parachute-operation exercise, June 3, 2014. The parachute operation was part of a collaborative training exercise, which also included an additional troop-lift exercise.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Michael Thorn

Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 1 prepare to hook a M777A2 lightweight howitzer up to a Ch-53E Super Stallion helicopter during Exercise Desert Scimitar at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., May 8 2014. Desert Scimitar is a two-week, combined-element exercise to prepare Marines for deployments. The Ch-53E is able to transport a howitzer quickly to locations that would otherwise be inaccessible. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ashton Buckingham)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Ashton Buckingham

The 35th commandant of the Marine Corps, General James F. Amos, greets Marine F-18 pilots upon arriving at the Reno International airport in Reno, NV, on May 16, 2014. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mallory S. VanderSchans)(RELEASED)

Photo by Sgt. Mallory S. VanderSchans

Landing support Marines with 2nd Combat Logistics Regiment, Task Force 2-8 prepare to load a 1,000 pound load of tires on a CH-47 Chinook, with the 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, 1st Armored Division, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, during training at the Dona Anna training area on Fort Bliss, Texas, April 7, 2014.

Photo by Cpl. Austin Long

Cpl. Timothy Antolini, left, anti-tank missileman, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, and Lance Cpl. Joseph Tyler, center, anti-tank missileman, provide security as a CH-53E Super Sea Stallion helicopter lands during a mission in Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 28, 2014. The company’s mission was to disrupt Taliban forces in Larr Village and establish a presence in the area. Five days prior to the helicopter-borne mission, the company confiscated two rocket-propelled grenades in the vicinity of the village.

Photo by Cpl. Joseph Scanlan

Members of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 467 take off in a UH-1Y Venom at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., April 21, 2014. The flight crew conducted visual and instrument flight rules flying to gain trust in their equipment. This type of flying improves the pilots as a whole by allowing the squadron to operate in all-weather conditions.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Joshua R. Heins

A CH-53E Super Stallion from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 163 (Reinforced), 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepares to land on the flight deck of the USS San Diego during Amphibious Squadron Marine Expeditionary Unit Integration Training (PMINT) off the coast of San Diego, April 17, 2014. For the 11th MEU and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group PMINT the first opportunity for the MEU/ARG team to exercise its planning processes and conduct sea-based operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jonathan R. Waldman/RELEASED)

Photo by Cpl. Jonathan R. Waldman

A CH-53E Super Stallion from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 163 (Reinforced), 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepares to land on the flight deck of the USS San Diego as part of Amphibious Squadron Marine Expeditionary Unit Integration Training (PMINT) off the coast of San Diego, April 11, 2014. PMINT is a two-week predeployment training event focused on the combined capabilities of the MEU and Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), conducting amphibious operations, crisis response and limited contingency operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Jimmy H. Bention, Jr./RELEASED)

Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Jimmy H. Bention

A Marine with the 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, loads an Internally Transportable Vehicle into the fuselage of a CH-53E Super Stallion during Amphibious Squadron Marine Expeditionary Unit Integration Training (PMINT) off the coast of San Diego, April 10, 2014. PMINT is conducted by the 11th MEU and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and is the first opportunity for the MEU/ARG team to exercise its planning processes and execute live operations at sea. (Photo by: U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Jonathan R. Waldman, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit Combat Camera/Released)

Photo by Cpl. Jonathan R. Waldman

Australian soldiers run out of a CH-53E Super Stallion April 4 in Pohang, Republic of Korea as part of a simulated vertical assault. The Australians assaulted a wooded area after disembarking and used techniques learned from U.S. Marines to clear the area defended by U.S. Marines. The soldiers are with 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Royal Australian Army. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Lena Wakayama/Released)

Photo by Cpl. Lena Wakayama

Marines load a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 onto a U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay here, March 23. This year’s deployment marks the first time an Aviation Combat Element has supported Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, a six-month deployment to Australia.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Estrada

Reconnaissance Marines and sailors board a CH-53E Super Stallion assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 as they prepare to conduct a low-level static line jump package on the fl ight line on Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, March 18, 2014. At an altitude between 1,500 feet to 2,000 feet, three to four service members jumped each time as the aircraft flew over the area. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew J. Bragg)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew J. Bragg

A landing support specialist with Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force gives hand and arm signals to a CH-53E Super Stallion from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461, Marine Aircraft Group 29, Marine Corps Air Station New River, during a Helicopter Support Team exercise at Davis Airfield aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 19, 2014. 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment brought two M777 howitzers for 2nd MLG Marines to train with.

Photo by Cpl. Devin Nichols

A flightline mechanic with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s aviation combat element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 163, cleans the engine bay of a CH-53E Super Stallion to ensure a constant state of readiness for flight operations during Realistic Urban Training Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise 14-1 aboard Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., March 16. RUTMEUEX is intended to be the first large-scale opportunity for integration between the ground combat element, aviation combat element, logistics combat element and command element of the MEU. The training places its participants in environments similar those they’ll see during their upcoming deployment.

Photo by Sgt. Melissa Wenger

Marines and sailors with Company G, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, board a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265, 31st MEU, for a night raid on the flight deck of the USS Bonhomme Richard, Mar. 10. The raid force captured an airstrip and village from simulated enemy forces under the cover of darkness. The 31st MEU is currently conducting amphibious integration training alongside Amphibious Squadron 11 while deployed for its regularly scheduled Spring Patrol.

Photo by Cpl. Henry Antenor

Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class directs a MV-22 Osprey as it conducts carrier qualification aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44). The carrier qualification gave the pilots from Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response and Spanish Maneuver Helicopter Battalion #4 a dedicated opportunity to practice fundamental skills associated with operating carrier-based aircraft and demonstrate acceptable levels of proficiency.

Photo by MCSN Jesse A. Hyatt

Maj. Norman Mitchell, left, a pilot, and Capt. William Barrett, right, a weapon systems officer with Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224, walk back to their hangar after a successful flight during Exercise Haribon Tempest 2014 aboard Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines, Feb. 20. HT 14 is a small-scale bilateral exercise between the United States Marine Corps and the Philippine Air Force. The exercise provides training in close-air support, section engaged maneuvering training and combined combat capabilities.

Photo by By Luis A. Ramirez