Sergeant Edwin Lopez, a rifleman with 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, poses for a portrait aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., April 7, 2016. Lopez said the Marine Corps provided the 25-year-old, San Marcos native to become a successful leader within the infantry community, deploying four separate times to places such as Okinawa and Afghanistan. - Sergeant Edwin Lopez, a rifleman with 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, poses for a portrait aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., April 7, 2016. Lopez said the Marine Corps provided the 25-year-old, San Marcos native to become a successful leader within the infantry community, deploying four separate times to places such as Okinawa and Afghanistan.
A Marine Corps eight-point cover lays next to family photos, showcasing Staff Sgt. Maribel Valdez's balancing act between her family and her military career, May 15, 2012. She is the adjutant with 1st Marine Division (Forward). Valdez said she knows it's difficult for her family while she's deployed but plans on spending a lot of time with her family when she returns home.::r::::n::::r::::n::::r::::n::::r::::n::::r::::n:: - A Marine Corps eight-point cover lays next to family photos, showcasing Staff Sgt. Maribel Valdez's balancing act between her family and her military career, May 15, 2012. She is the adjutant with 1st Marine Division (Forward). Valdez said she knows it's difficult for her family while she's deployed but plans on spending a lot of time with her family when she returns home.::r::::n::::r::::n::::r::::n::::r::::n::::r::::n::