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Lal-lo, Cagayan, Philippines. (April 11, 2025): American and Filipino forces staged a “full-scale battle scenario” this week as part of Exercise Balikatan 25, an annual military exercise. In this photo by Lance Corporal Roger-Junior Annoh, Philippine Air Force A2C Melvin Mendoza, an engineer with the 357th Air Engineering Squadron, laughs alongside U.S. Marine Corps combat engineers assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 174, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, at a local construction site. While these engineers labored on civic relations projects, thousands of American and Filipino forces conducted combat drills that included repelling a simulated attack against the island.
Based at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, Marine Wing Support Squadron 174 is an aviation ground support unit that is part of the 9,000 U.S. military participating in the exercises which run through May 9th. Over 5,000 Filipino troops will join the Americans in conducting mock counter assaults against an enemy attack on the island including using a barrage of artillery and missiles to sink an enemy ship. The U.S. will deploy its new anti-ship missile system, called the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, as well as a series of unmanned sea vessels. Throughout the exercises, U.S. and Philippine forces will conduct joint patrols in the disputed South China Sea to assert international law and freedom of navigation.
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Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. (April 19, 2025): When the U.S. Air Force needs to move mountains of cargo around the world, it turns to the new C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft. In this photo by Airman 1st Class Devin Morgan, Airmen from the 709th Airlift Squadron and the 512th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron load a Pierce Arrow Telesquirt fire truck for long range transport. Weighing approximately 33,000 pounds without water, the fire truck’s size and weight required careful coordination and precision handling during the loading process.
The fire truck was donated to the Denton Humanitarian Assistance Program, a U. S. government effort launched in 1987 that allows for space available on military aircraft to be used to carry humanitarian aid supplies to countries in need.
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Washington, D.C. (April 17, 2025): Talk about one of the few and the brave! In this photo by Lance Corporal Abigail Hutcheson, Marine Corps Sergeant Dakota Meyer, a Medal of Honor recipient, reenlists in a ceremony held at the Pentagon. Sergeant Meyer is the only Medal of Honor recipient currently serving in the Marine Corps.
He received the nation’s highest honor for his actions during the Battle of Ganjgal on September 8, 2009, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. Meyer is the second-youngest living Medal of Honor recipient and the third living recipient for either the Iraq War or the War in Afghanistan.
Meyer deployed to Fallujah, Iraq in 2007 as a scout sniper with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines. On September 8, 2009, near the village of Ganjgal, Meyer was told that three Marines and a Navy Corpsman, who were members of Meyer's squad, were missing after being ambushed by a group of insurgents.
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Syracuse, Utah. (April 11, 2025) You do not have to tell Brad Chapple how difficult life can be for a military child; he’s lived it. Now all grown up and Principal of Syracuse Junior High School, he does everything he can to make them feel welcome. In this photo by the Air Force’s Todd Cromar, Captain Aaron Peters greets students during a military parade to celebrate the Month of the Military Child, a series of events acknowledging the resilience, strength, and adaptability of military children.
Principal Chapple was raised in a military family and his father retired here. Chapple and his family have retained close ties with the local military community. That is why he invited Airmen from Hill Air Force Base along with community veterans, students, and faculty for discussions on the impact of military life on children, including frequent moves and the potential for a spouse (or both) being deployed. Many positive aspects of being a “military brat” were explored including the chance to travel and meet new people and experience diverse cultures.
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Kakinada Beach, India. (April 11, 2025): In this photo by Air Force Staff Sergeant Aaron Irvin, Indian soldiers simulate securing a beach as a U.S. Navy air-cushioned landing craft arrive during a large-scale amphibious landing drill. The maneuvers were part of Exercise Tiger Triumph, a joint exercise focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster response readiness involving U.S. and Indian troops.
The exercise aims to enhance interoperability between American and Indian military equipment and tactics and to improve mutual understanding. In particular, both countries exercised their ability to cooperate in humanitarian emergencies. The amphibious landing drill on the beaches of Kakinada last Friday was to simulate moving humanitarian relief forces from ships to shore. Marine Corps LAV-25s and Indian Army BMP-2s practiced securing the beachhead while U.S. Air Force C-130s practiced supply drops. Meanwhile, ground elements prepared a field hospital and supply point for the humanitarian efforts.
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Pacific Ocean. (April 2, 2025): It is not just a fashion statement, there is a reason why some Sailors wear green every day. In this photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Hannah Kantner, Sailors decked out in green remove a bolt during maintenance on an F/A-18E Super Hornet in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. The Navy uses a color-coding system to identify crewmembers and their roles on the busy decks of its aircraft carriers.
Green shirts are typically worn by catapult and arresting gear personnel, air wing maintenance personnel, and other maintenance-related roles. They are also involved in ground support including jobs like helicopter landing signaler.