U.S. Marines pause to rest between their dismounted patrolling at Saber Strike 2012. The mortarmen and other Marines assigned to 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, were involved in a 24-hour field training exercise to culminate the two-week event. 3/25 is a Pennsylvania-based Reserve unit. Saber Strike 2012 is a multinational, tactical field training and command post exercise that involves more than 2,000 personnel from the U.S. Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, the 4th U.S. Marine Division, the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian armed forces, with contingents from Canada, Finland, France and the U.K. The exercise, led by U.S. Army Europe, is designed to enhance joint and combined interoperability between the U.S. Forces and partner nations, and will help prepare participants to operate successfully in a joint, multinational, interagency, integrated environment. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Ray Lewis)

Sgt. Maj. Micheal P. Barrett, 17th sergeant major of the Marine Corps, personally thanks every Montford Point Marine in attendance before a Congressional Gold Medal presentation ceremony at the historic parade grounds of Marine Barracks Washington June 28. In 1942, President Roosevelt established a presidential directive giving African Americans an opportunity to be recruited into the Marine Corps. Between 1942 and 1949 approximately 20,000 African American Marines received basic training at the segregated Montford Point instead of the traditional boot camps of Parris Island, S.C. and San Diego, Calif. These men fought for their country with honor and valor that are hallmarks of the Corps, but they were not treated as equals to their white counterparts at the time. Gen. James F. Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, set out to begin to right this wrong when he invited the Montford Point Marines to the Barracks Aug. 26, 2011 to be the guests of honor at a Friday Evening Parade, bringing their story to the national forefront and starting a chain of events that lead to this historic day. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jeremy Ware)

During a ceremony, a Marine of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, hangs the identification tag of a Marine killed in action during a ceremony to honor the regiment´s fallen Marines and sailors while serving in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, at Boondocker training area on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, June 1, 2012. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. James Sauter)

The Marine Corps Base Quantico Band, based at MCB Quantico, Va., performs in front of a MV-22 Osprey at Voinovich Park in Cleveland, June 11, 2012, as part of Marine Week Cleveland scheduled from, June 11-17. The Marine Week showcases the Marine Corps’ capabilities and community ties. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Reagan Lodge)

Two U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopters from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 466, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) infiltrate Marines with 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance (3rd LAR) Battalion to execute Operation Halberd V in Helmand province, Afghanistan, June 20, 2012. HMLA-469 provided aerial reconnaissance and security for the Marines of 3rd LAR during operation Halberd V to prevent the distribution of contraband in support of counter insurgency operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Meghan Gonzales)

Lance Cpl. Isaac Ramirez, Marine Wing Support Squadron 471, stands guard over Pfc. Nicolai ‘Cola’ Jensen at the Church of St. Patrick June 24 while his girlfriend, Abby Cuttell, says goodbye. Jensen passed away recently while attending the School of Infantry. Jensen enlisted out of Recruiting Station Twin Cities’ Woodbury, Minn., office. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Staff Sgt. Clinton Firstbrook)

Cpl. Adeoluwa Sopade, a meteorology and oceanography analyst with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force 12.2, and native of East Windsor, N.J., fires non-lethal rounds from a Mossberg 590 shotgun with other Marines during an exercise designed to familiarize them with the weapon system. The service members participated in non-lethal weapons and familiarization exercises June 8 and 9, 2012. The training, which included firing multiple weapon systems and different fire maneuvers, is to prepare the Marines to provide limited support in the event of a crisis in the U.S. Africom area of responsibility. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Adwin Esters)