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Retired Marine Sgt. Maj. Martin Vasquez (left) and Maj. Gen. Daniel J. O’Donohue, commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, attach campaign streamers to the division colors during a Battle Colors Rededication Ceremony in honor of the division’s 75th anniversary, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Feb. 4, 2016. Veteran and active duty Marines and Sailors who served in the division over the years participated in the ceremony, celebrating the oldest, largest, and most decorated division in the Marine Corps. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Will Perkins) - Retired Marine Sgt. Maj. Martin Vasquez (left) and Maj. Gen. Daniel J. O’Donohue, commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, attach campaign streamers to the division colors during a Battle Colors Rededication Ceremony in honor of the division’s 75th anniversary, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Feb. 4, 2016. Veteran and active duty Marines and Sailors who served in the division over the years participated in the ceremony, celebrating the oldest, largest, and most decorated division in the Marine Corps. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Will Perkins)

1st Marine Division Celebrates 75th Anniversary

Marines and Sailors gathered in front of 1st Marine Division’s historic, “White House,” which serves as the unit’s headquarters building, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the oldest, largest, and most decorated division in the Marine Corps, Feb. 4, 2016.Retired and veteran Marines and Sailors, some members of the 1st Marine Division

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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Marines with Company A., 3rd Assault Amphibious Battalion conduct maintenance on an Assault Amphibious Vehicle engine at Camp Pendleton, Feb. 2, 2016. Marines from 3rd AAB supported 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Division and 1st Bn, 1st Mar. Div. infantry battalions as they conducted raid drills for Expeditionary Operations Training Group and their Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation. “We are being mechanics, changing engines, changing transmissions and troubleshooting issues so we can get the infantry units back in the fight with the full power of their AAVs,” said Staff Sgt. Nicholas R. Faltynski, recovery chief for Company A., 3rd AAB. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Justin E. Bowles) - MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Marines with Company A., 3rd Assault Amphibious Battalion conduct maintenance on an Assault Amphibious Vehicle engine at Camp Pendleton, Feb. 2, 2016. Marines from 3rd AAB supported 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Division and 1st Bn, 1st Mar. Div. infantry battalions as they conducted raid drills for Expeditionary Operations Training Group and their Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation. “We are being mechanics, changing engines, changing transmissions and troubleshooting issues so we can get the infantry units back in the fight with the full power of their AAVs,” said Staff Sgt. Nicholas R. Faltynski, recovery chief for Company A., 3rd AAB. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Justin E. Bowles)

3rd Assault Amphibious Battalion Support EOTG and MCCRE Operations

The smell of oil and engine exhaust emit from two adjacent Assault Amphibious Vehicles’ engines, as Marines in oil-splattered jumpsuits work tirelessly to ensure the engines are in good order. A sergeant operates a crane atop an Assault Amphibious Vehicle as other Marines direct him on when and where to lift the broken engine. The sergeant sets the

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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Marines shield themselves from a detonated explosive charge during an urban leaders course, Jan. 29, 2016. During the course, Marines learned four different types of charges used to make a safe entrance into an objective. This type of training allows Marines to practice for possible scenarios when they are deployed to combat zones anywhere on the globe. An instructor with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, taught this portion of the course to infantrymen of 1st MarDiv. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Emmanuel Ramos) - MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Marines shield themselves from a detonated explosive charge during an urban leaders course, Jan. 29, 2016. During the course, Marines learned four different types of charges used to make a safe entrance into an objective. This type of training allows Marines to practice for possible scenarios when they are deployed to combat zones anywhere on the globe. An instructor with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, taught this portion of the course to infantrymen of 1st MarDiv. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Emmanuel Ramos)

Combat engineers teach infantrymen breaching tactics

As the rising sun warmed the air, Marines placed demolition charges on entryways of an urban combat training environment. “Get back, get back,” said Cpl. Brett Sorteberg, an infantryman with 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Bn., 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.Five, four, three, two, one…BOOM! A charge blows open a door, the

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Sgt. Tyler Felts, an LAV crewman, sights in on a target during a live-fire gunnery qualification test with an M240B machine gun at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Jan. 22, 2016. Live-fire tests like these allow the Marines of 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force to train for how they will execute their mission when they are deployed in a combat zone. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pvt. Robert Bliss) - Sgt. Tyler Felts, an LAV crewman, sights in on a target during a live-fire gunnery qualification test with an M240B machine gun at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Jan. 22, 2016. Live-fire tests like these allow the Marines of 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force to train for how they will execute their mission when they are deployed in a combat zone. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pvt. Robert Bliss)

1st LAR trains for real-world combat

The LAV-25, or light armored vehicle, is a versatile, amphibious vehicle in the Marine Corps. Its mission is to provide combined arms reconnaissance and security in support of a ground combat element. From its M242 25mm chain-driven auto cannon, to its top speed of approximately 62 mph, the LAV-25 is a useful addition to the combat capabilities of

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The 1st Marine Division Band plays music before the start of 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 7th Marine Regiment’s reactivation ceremony at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field, Sept. 17, 2015. - The 1st Marine Division Band plays music before the start of 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 7th Marine Regiment’s reactivation ceremony at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field, Sept. 17, 2015.

'Darkside' returns

Third Battalion, 4th Marines, 7th Marine Regiment, unfurled its battle colors during a reactivation ceremony held at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field, Sept. 17, 2015.

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Staff Sgt. John R. Purcell, administrative course instructor and manpower operations chief at 1st MarDiv (Fwd), gives a class on absence-without-leave reporting procedures during an administration course July 16, 2012. Nineteen members of the ANSF completed a two-week administration course that taught the students the basic functions of a military administration and personnel section. - Staff Sgt. John R. Purcell, administrative course instructor and manpower operations chief at 1st MarDiv (Fwd), gives a class on absence-without-leave reporting procedures during an administration course July 16, 2012. Nineteen members of the ANSF completed a two-week administration course that taught the students the basic functions of a military administration and personnel section.

Afghan Forces graduate 19 advance administrators under Marine tutelage

After more than 10 years of war in Afghanistan, the Afghan National Security Forces have gained a certain proficiency in war fighting unlike any they have ever experienced in past years. As they’ve developed their tactics, techniques and procedures in counterinsurgency operations while fighting alongside U.S. Forces, they’ve earned the respect of

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Lance Cpl. Kyle Yudin, a machine gunner with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, patrols through the town of Zamindawar, a known insurgent stronghold, June 1, 2012. Marines fought through hostile enemy contact and temperatures reaching 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the operation. - Lance Cpl. Kyle Yudin, a machine gunner with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, patrols through the town of Zamindawar, a known insurgent stronghold, June 1, 2012. Marines fought through hostile enemy contact and temperatures reaching 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the operation.

Marines overcome insurgents, clear Kajaki town during Operation Jaws

The Marines of 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment added to their rich history when they trekked through Zamindawar, one of the few remaining insurgent strongholds in Afghanistan, May 26-June 9 to disrupt the insurgents’ leadership and logistics chain. For 15 days Marines engaged the insurgents in and around the town located within the Kajaki

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U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David H. Berger, right, commanding general of Task Force Leatherneck (TFL) and Sgt. Maj. Terry L. Jones, TFL Sergeant Major, salute the American Flag during an evening colors ceremony on Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province Afghanistan May 28, 2012. Berger held the ceremony as a Memorial Day Commemoration in remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Sheila M. Brooks)::r::::n::::r::::n::::r::::n:: - U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David H. Berger, right, commanding general of Task Force Leatherneck (TFL) and Sgt. Maj. Terry L. Jones, TFL Sergeant Major, salute the American Flag during an evening colors ceremony on Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province Afghanistan May 28, 2012. Berger held the ceremony as a Memorial Day Commemoration in remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Sheila M. Brooks)::r::::n::::r::::n::::r::::n::

Memorial Day for Marines at Afghanistan’s Helmand post honors fallen warriors

As the blistering sun sets, disappearing in the horizon, a solemn wind of silence breezes through the dusky sky along with the first hints of cool evening air here at this remotely located operating base in Helmand province at precisely 7:12 p.m., May 28, 2012. Flanked by a bugler, who plays the ceremonial hymn, Retreat, three formations of U.S.

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