II MEF News

U.S. Marines with the Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Training Squadron (VMUT) 2, Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, pose for a photo during the graduation ceremony of several Marines at Marine Corps Air Station, North Carolina, Nov. 3, 2025. VMUT-2 graduated its first class of students from Marine Initial Qualification Training, the Marine Corps’ only Group 5, graduate-level school for MQ-9A Reaper pilots and sensor operators. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jacsive Betancourt Nava) - U.S. Marines with the Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Training Squadron (VMUT) 2, Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, pose for a photo during the graduation ceremony of several Marines at Marine Corps Air Station, North Carolina, Nov. 3, 2025. VMUT-2 graduated its first class of students from Marine Initial Qualification Training, the Marine Corps’ only Group 5, graduate-level school for MQ-9A Reaper pilots and sensor operators. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jacsive Betancourt Nava)

VMUT-2 graduates first Marine Corps trained MQ-9A Reaper pilots and sensor operators

U.S. Marines with Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Training Squadron (VMUT) 2, Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, graduated their first class of MQ-9A Reaper student pilots and sensor operators as a Fleet Replacement Squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, on Monday. The graduates are the first MQ-9A Reaper pilots and sensor operators to be trained through the Marine Corps’ organic MQ-9A training syllabus.

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U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Zachary Phillips, a military working dog (MWD) handler, Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune, and MWD Csonti walk toward a building holding a simulated aggressor on MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, July 21, 2025. During building search training, Phillips and Csonti rehearse locating threats and pursuing potential perpetrators, sharpening their instincts for real-world law enforcement and security scenarios. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alyssa J. DeCrane) - U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Zachary Phillips, a military working dog (MWD) handler, Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune, and MWD Csonti walk toward a building holding a simulated aggressor on MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, July 21, 2025. During building search training, Phillips and Csonti rehearse locating threats and pursuing potential perpetrators, sharpening their instincts for real-world law enforcement and security scenarios. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alyssa J. DeCrane)

Training, Trust and the Bond Behind the Badge

On a cold day in November, the wind cut across the suburban street like a whisper of warning. Cold and sharp, it swept through the fences and trees, rustling loose leaves like dry bones. U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Zachary Phillips, a military working dog handler with Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, held the leash loosely in his gloved hand, his breath fogging with each exhale. At the end of the leash, Csonti, a military working dog moved with precision, with his nose sweeping low, alert and working with the focused anticipation of a bomb threat.

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The official party salutes three wreaths honoring the connection of the military and civilian community, those who lost their lives in Beirut and Grenada and the memory of local Marines and Sailors killed in training, during the 42nd anniversary Beirut Memorial Observance Ceremony at the Lejeune Memorial Gardens in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Oct. 23, 2025. U.S. veterans, service members and families gather alongside the community each year on October 23, to remember the lives lost in the terrorist attacks at the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, and Grenada. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Loriann Dauscher) - The official party salutes three wreaths honoring the connection of the military and civilian community, those who lost their lives in Beirut and Grenada and the memory of local Marines and Sailors killed in training, during the 42nd anniversary Beirut Memorial Observance Ceremony at the Lejeune Memorial Gardens in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Oct. 23, 2025. U.S. veterans, service members and families gather alongside the community each year on October 23, to remember the lives lost in the terrorist attacks at the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, and Grenada. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Loriann Dauscher)

42nd Anniversary Beirut Memorial Observance Ceremony

More than 2,500 people attended the City of Jacksonville’s 42nd anniversary Beirut Memorial observance on Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Lejeune Memorial Gardens.

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U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Chuck Collins (retired), poses for a photo after completing his 2,000th mile swim as part of the Marine Corps Community Services Devil Fish Program at the Wallace Creek pool on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Sept. 30, 2025. Collins, a former naval aviator and executive officer of Marine Corps Air Station New River, credits swimming with preserving his health and promoting lifelong fitness and dedicates the milestone to the Marine Corps for instilling the discipline that carried him through every lap. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erica S. Padgett) - U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Chuck Collins (retired), poses for a photo after completing his 2,000th mile swim as part of the Marine Corps Community Services Devil Fish Program at the Wallace Creek pool on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Sept. 30, 2025. Collins, a former naval aviator and executive officer of Marine Corps Air Station New River, credits swimming with preserving his health and promoting lifelong fitness and dedicates the milestone to the Marine Corps for instilling the discipline that carried him through every lap. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erica S. Padgett)

Two thousand miles of determination: A Marine’s journey through water and will

Retired Lt. Col. Chuck Collins, a former Marine Corps helicopter pilot, Naval aviator and executive officer of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River, forged a path of resilience at Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) Aquatics Program on Camp Lejeune. Through the Devil Fish Program, a long-distance swimming initiative that encourages participants to log cumulative swim mileage toward major milestones, he completed a 2,000-mile journey at the MCCS Wallace Creek Fitness Center, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Sept. 30, 2025.

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MCAS New River Go Getter: Cpl. Juan Vasquez III

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Juan Vazquez III, an aviation operations specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River, has been recognized as the MCAS New River Go-Getter for October 2025.

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U.S. service members with Joint Task Force-Bravo load supplies aboard a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook with 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, JTF-B, in support of foreign assistance following Hurricane Melissa, in Kingston, Jamaica, Nov. 6, 2025. At the direction and request of U.S. Southern Command and Jamaica's government, the 22nd MEU(SOC) supports Joint Task Force-Bravo by providing foreign assistance in the wake of Hurricane Melissa to alleviate suffering and help stabilize affected communities. (U.S. Marine Corps photo) - U.S. service members with Joint Task Force-Bravo load supplies aboard a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook with 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, JTF-B, in support of foreign assistance following Hurricane Melissa, in Kingston, Jamaica, Nov. 6, 2025. At the direction and request of U.S. Southern Command and Jamaica's government, the 22nd MEU(SOC) supports Joint Task Force-Bravo by providing foreign assistance in the wake of Hurricane Melissa to alleviate suffering and help stabilize affected communities. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)

U.S. Marines and Sailors with 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit Support Foreign Assistance Efforts in Jamaica Following Hurricane Melissa

CARIBBEAN SEA – At the request of the Government of Jamaica and under the direction of U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Marines and Sailors from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit have commenced foreign humanitarian assistance operations in response to Hurricane Melissa, which struck the region on Oct. 28, 2025.

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42nd Anniversary Beirut Memorial Observance held at Lejeune Memorial Gardens

More than 2,500 people attended the City of Jacksonville’s 42nd anniversary Beirut Memorial

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A French Foreign Legionnaire with 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment, 6th Light Armored Brigade, reads a plaque during an award ceremony as part of Service Level Training Exercise 4-25, on Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, Aug. 23, 2025. SLTE 4-25 is designed to be a challenging, realistic training environment that produces combat-ready forces capable of operating as an integrated Marine Air Ground Task Force across all domains of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Judith Ann Lazaro) - A French Foreign Legionnaire with 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment, 6th Light Armored Brigade, reads a plaque during an award ceremony as part of Service Level Training Exercise 4-25, on Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, Aug. 23, 2025. SLTE 4-25 is designed to be a challenging, realistic training environment that produces combat-ready forces capable of operating as an integrated Marine Air Ground Task Force across all domains of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Judith Ann Lazaro)

U.S. Marines and French Foreign Legionnaires Improve Interoperability and Continue Shared Warrior Legacy at SLTE 4-25

U.S. Marines and French Foreign Legionnaires recently completed Service Level Training Exercise (SLTE) 4-25 at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) in Twentynine Palms, California. Through a series of cumulative exercises, Marines and Legionnaires familiarized themselves with each other’s gear, shared tactics and strategies, and integrated operational and fire support planning to increase our ability to interoperate together as expeditionary forces in readiness.

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Bipartisan Congressional Delegation Tours MCB Camp Lejeune - U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Ralph J. Rizzo, Jr., center, commanding general, Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune, greets Congressman Jake Ellzey, (TX-06), during a bipartisan congressional delegation (CODEL) tour on MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Sept. 12, 2025. The delegation of U.S. Representatives was held to inform the For Country Caucus on updates to Force Design 2030, quality of life issues and aerial refueling initiatives. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alyssa DeCrane)

Bipartisan Congressional Delegation Tours MCB Camp Lejeune

U.S. Representatives Jake Ellzey (TX-06), and Don Davis (NC-01), lead a bipartisan congressional delegation visit to Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune, North Carolina on Sept. 12, 2025, providing updates to House of Representatives members about Force Design 2030, quality of life issues and aerial refueling initiatives.

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A U.S. Marine Corps heavy-lift Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion helicopter with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461, Marine Aircraft Group 29, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, off-loads a F-35B Lightning II after a long-range external lift operation at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, Aug. 27, 2025. The F-35B Lighting II aircraft, known as BF-1, was the first F-35B Lightning II variant ever built, ushering in a new era for Marine Corps Aviation. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Isabella Renaud) - A U.S. Marine Corps heavy-lift Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion helicopter with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461, Marine Aircraft Group 29, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, off-loads a F-35B Lightning II after a long-range external lift operation at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, Aug. 27, 2025. The F-35B Lighting II aircraft, known as BF-1, was the first F-35B Lightning II variant ever built, ushering in a new era for Marine Corps Aviation. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Isabella Renaud)

First F-35 B ever built makes its way to MCAS Beaufort

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, S.C. – Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort welcomed a piece of aviation history. The F-35B Lightning II, known as BF-01 is the first F-35B variant ever built, and it has made its way to the Lowcountry to serve as a permanent static display, ushering in a new era for Marine Corps Aviation.

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