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Logo of the 1st Marine Division, headquartered in Camp Pendleton, Calif. - Logo of the 1st Marine Division, headquartered in Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Exercise Steel Knight 2013 showcases Marine Corps large scale response capabilities

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Steel Knight 2013 is an annual exercise designed to train and prepare the 1st Marine Division for deployment as the Ground Combat Element (GCE) of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). The focus of the exercise is to ensure that 1st Marine Division is fully prepared to deploy as a military force across the full spectrum

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Sergeant William Whetzel, left, squad leader, Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 7, holds the company’s standard guidon while Sgt. Erik Frederiksen, squad leader, Fox Co., holds the guidon paying tribute to the Marines who came before them. - Sergeant William Whetzel, left, squad leader, Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 7, holds the company’s standard guidon while Sgt. Erik Frederiksen, squad leader, Fox Co., holds the guidon paying tribute to the Marines who came before them.

Building on past traditions, legacy: Fox Company pushes forward in Afghanistan

MUSA QAL’ AH DISTRICT CENTER, Afghanistan – The phrase "The Few, The Proud" has been associated with Marines for years, but for one infantry company the words have a deeper meaning.Marines with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 7, are currently deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. For them,

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U.S. Marines and sailors serving with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, and guardsmen of the 3rd Battalion Singapore Guards present their respective battalion colors during the opening ceremony of Exercise Valiant Mark 2012 here, Nov. 29. Valiant Mark is conducted annually by U.S. Marines and Singaporean Armed Forces to promote military relationships and maintain a high level of operational readiness. (Official United States Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Corey Dabney.) - U.S. Marines and sailors serving with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, and guardsmen of the 3rd Battalion Singapore Guards present their respective battalion colors during the opening ceremony of Exercise Valiant Mark 2012 here, Nov. 29. Valiant Mark is conducted annually by U.S. Marines and Singaporean Armed Forces to promote military relationships and maintain a high level of operational readiness. (Official United States Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Corey Dabney.)

Marines, Singaporean guardsmen kick off partnered training for Valiant Mark

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Fighting forces from two nations came together to unite under one common mission. Marines serving with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, are hosting the 3rd Battalion Singapore Guards for Exercise Valiant Mark, a yearly training event conducted by the Singapore Armed Forces and 1st Marine Division.The

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Corporal Raymond H. Tulkki is currently deployed to Afghanistan with Regimental Combat Team 7. On his second deployment to Afghanistan, the Phoenix native and Marine Air-Ground Task Force planning specialist has seen Afghanistan at its highest troop numbers and now aids in the drawdown of U.S. servicemembers as the Afghans take security of their own country. - Corporal Raymond H. Tulkki is currently deployed to Afghanistan with Regimental Combat Team 7. On his second deployment to Afghanistan, the Phoenix native and Marine Air-Ground Task Force planning specialist has seen Afghanistan at its highest troop numbers and now aids in the drawdown of U.S. servicemembers as the Afghans take security of their own country.

Phoenix native aids in transition to independent Afghanistan

AFGHANISTAN - With the end of the war in Afghanistan drawing closer, the demand for an overwhelming presence of Marines is not needed.A transition to an Afghan-led country is steadily occurring, and with that, the redeployment of U.S. forces.Afghan independence means fewer Marines in Afghanistan, but these Marines need to be accounted for and

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U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Scott A. Samuels (left), Sergeant Major, Regimental Combat Team 7, recognizes Pfc. Clifford C. Dietrich, the youngest Marine present, prior to a cake cutting ceremony on Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Nov. 10, 2012. The ceremony was conducted in celebration of the Marine Corps 237th birthday. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alejandro Pena/Released) - U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Scott A. Samuels (left), Sergeant Major, Regimental Combat Team 7, recognizes Pfc. Clifford C. Dietrich, the youngest Marine present, prior to a cake cutting ceremony on Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Nov. 10, 2012. The ceremony was conducted in celebration of the Marine Corps 237th birthday. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alejandro Pena/Released)

RCT-7’s youngest Marine serves country on first deployment

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – As a senior in high school, Pfc. Clifford Dietrich made the decision to defend his country. A year and a half later he was on his way to Afghanistan.Dietrich, a data helpdesk clerk with Regimental Combat Team 7, graduated high school during June 2011. Four months later, he was on his way to Marine Corps Recruit Depot

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A local villager repairs the front end of the ferry that carries passengers and vehicles across the Helmand River in Sangin, Afghanistan, Nov. 10, 2012. The ferry is one of the few options the local people can use to cross the river. - A local villager repairs the front end of the ferry that carries passengers and vehicles across the Helmand River in Sangin, Afghanistan, Nov. 10, 2012. The ferry is one of the few options the local people can use to cross the river.

Operation Golden Gate to connect Sangin, Musa Qal'ah

SANGIN DISTRICT, Afghanistan – Ground was broken for the start of Operation Golden Gate in the Sangin District of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Nov. 4.Marines, sailors and soldiers are working together in an effort to build a bridge more than 24 feet wide that will span more than 150 feet across the Helmand River, allowing for easy passage for the

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Lieutenant Col. Jeffrey J. Kenney, Afghan security forces officer in charge, Regimental Combat Team 7, is serving his 12th deployment. He has 37 years of experience in the Marine Corps and will be honored Nov. 10, during the cake cutting ceremony, as the oldest Marine in the regiment. - Lieutenant Col. Jeffrey J. Kenney, Afghan security forces officer in charge, Regimental Combat Team 7, is serving his 12th deployment. He has 37 years of experience in the Marine Corps and will be honored Nov. 10, during the cake cutting ceremony, as the oldest Marine in the regiment.

Lifelong mentor serves 37 years in Marine Corps

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Twenty years is the retirement goal for many young Marines, but one Marine’s time in service nearly doubles the mark.With 37 years in the Marine Corps, the grand old man of Regimental Combat Team 7, Lt. Col. Jeffrey J. Kenney, intended to retire during 2003. But when the war began, he could not say goodbye while

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