1st Marine Division > Units

5 Years Later; The Marines of the Kabul Evacuation and the Legacy of the Fallen

Ten battlefield crosses stand in honor of fallen Marines with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, during a memorial ceremony at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sept. 12, 2021.  The ceremony was held to honor the 10 Marines with 2nd Bn., 1st Marines, who were killed in a suicide attack on Aug. 26, 2021, during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

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5 Years Later; The Marines of the Kabul Evacuation and the Legacy of the Fallen

Ten battlefield crosses stand in honor of fallen Marines with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, during a memorial ceremony at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sept. 12, 2021.  The ceremony was held to honor the 10 Marines with 2nd Bn., 1st Marines, who were killed in a suicide attack on Aug. 26, 2021, during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

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5 Years Later; The Marines of the Kabul Evacuation and the Legacy of the Fallen

Ten battlefield crosses stand in honor of fallen Marines with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, during a memorial ceremony at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sept. 12, 2021.  The ceremony was held to honor the 10 Marines with 2nd Bn., 1st Marines, who were killed in a suicide attack on Aug. 26, 2021, during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

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Joint Fire Integration

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Christian Nava, a joint terminal attack controller instructor with Fire Support Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, writes evaluations of his students during a Tactical Air Control Party exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Aug. 13, 2026. The exercise was the culminating event for the TACP School, which trains forward air controllers and joint terminal attack controllers to better coordinate air support assets and calls for fire. Nava is a native of California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Stella Tedesco)

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Joint Fire Integration

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Christian Nava, a joint terminal attack controller instructor with Fire Support Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, observes downrange during a Tactical Air Control Party exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Aug. 13, 2026. The exercise was the culminating event for the TACP School, which trains forward air controllers and joint terminal attack controllers to better coordinate air support assets and calls for fire. Nava is a native of California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Stella Tedesco)

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2/1 Live-Fire Ranges

U.S. Marines with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, fire a mortar during an M252 81 mm mortar range as a part of Adversary Force Exercise 4-26 at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, Aug. 9, 2026. AFX serves as an opportunity for units to receive training and certification across multiple warfighting functions in realistic force-on-force scenarios. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Vincent Needham)

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3rd AA Bn. conduct QUART

A U.S. Marines Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle assigned with 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division debarks off the well deck of Whidbey Island class amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) during Quarterly Underway Amphibious Readiness Training 26.4, off the coast of California, July 26, 2026. QUART is a joint training exercise that strengthens amphibious readiness through realistic maritime training, sharpening the warfighting skills of Marines and Sailors to prepare them for crises and to fight west of the International Date Line. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ronnie Mejia)

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260725-M-XW765-1010

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 11th Marines Regiment, 1st Marine Division, fire a 155mm round from an M777A2 Howitzer during a battery movement to contact exercise as part of Service Level Training Exercise 4-26 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, July 25, 2026. SLTE is a premier training event that ensures the Marine Corps remains a highly lethal, adaptable force capable of dominating the future multi-domain fight. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Emilio Murphy)

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260615-M-XA242-1025

U.S. Marines from across the Western Region Fleet Marine Force pose for a picture during a Western Reginal Infantry Operations Chiefs Symposium at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, June 15, 2026. The symposium brought together infantry operations chiefs and infantry unit leaders from across the West Coast to discuss Marine Air-Ground Task Force operations and develop recommendations for the Marine Corps Ground Combat Element Operations Chief Symposium. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Anamile Arce)

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260701-M-NM916-1390

U.S. Marines with Charlie Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, walk along the shoreline during amphibious reconnaissance skills training at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, June 30, 2026. The training provides Marines with the opportunity to strengthen and refine critical amphibious capabilities, including open-water swimming, beach trafficability assessment, reporting, and night photography, enhancing their readiness for future operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Mia Ocampo)

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3rd AABN conduct PEX

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Daniel Fuller, a squad leader with Echo Company, 3d Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, runs forward during a patrolling exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, June 25, 2026. The PEX provides Marines with an opportunity to reinforce and refine skills with communication, patrolling, and coordinating movements under sustained physical and mental pressure in a realistic warfighting scenario. Fuller is a native of California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Mia Ocampo)

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260520-M-BX248-1361

U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, debrief during a Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel course at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, May 20, 2026. The TRAP course develops Marines with the knowledge and skills required to recover aircraft and personnel in potential search and rescue situations on deployment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ronnie Mejia)

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260428-M-HL403-1225

Soldiers with the Singapore Armed Forces and U.S. Marines with 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, pose for a photo inside a LAV-25 Light Armored Vehicle during a subject matter expert exchange as part of Valiant Mark 26 at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, April 28, 2026. Valiant Mark 26 is an annual, bilateral training exercise conducted between the Singapore Armed Forces and U.S. Marines with 1st MARDIV, I Marine Expeditionary Force, designed to enhance interoperability, improve combined arms and amphibious warfighting skills, and strengthen military-to-military relationships. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Khalil Brown)

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Today 1st Marine Division is a multi-role, expeditionary ground combat force. The Division is employed as the ground combat element (GCE) of I MEF or may provide task-organized forces for assault operations and such operations as may be directed. The 1st Marine Division must be able to provide the ground amphibious forcible entry capability to the naval expeditionary force (NEF) and to conduct subsequent land operations in any operational environment.