James N. Mattis

New with Bravo Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion conduct the rappel training during the fourth phase of .
Rappelling builds confidence and teaches Marines how to tie a rappel seat, inspect their equipment, and apply proper braking techniques.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Grace J. Kindred)

A MV-22B Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 266 (Reinforced) approaches the flight deck of the U.S. Navy's USS Hershel "Woody" Williams.
USS Hershel "Woody" Williams, named after the Marine Corps recipient, is deployed in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations.
📷 (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Conner D. Blake)

New with Lima Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, conduct a motivational run.
The motivational run is the last physical fitness event during .
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Grace J. Kindred)

with Battalion Landing Team 2/4, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, conduct fast rope operations aboard the U.S. Navy's USS Anchorage.
A force in readiness, the trains in fast rope operations to rapidly respond to crises in all domain environments.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Austin Gillam)

with 1st Battalion, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, throw M67 fragmentation grenades and fire M240B machine guns during a live-fire range.
This training enhances skills on multiple weapons systems to improve versatility and lethality.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Israel Chincio)

and U.S. Navy Sailors with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 152 hike to the summit of Mt. Suribachi.
This trip to Iwo Jima served as an opportunity for Marines and to learn about the history of the island and pay their respects to the Marines and Sailors who fought and died in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. David Getz)

Military Working Dogs (MWD) conduct suspect apprehension drills.
MWD handlers employ their dogs to conduct vehicle searches, searches of open areas, buildings, and other locations for the detection of suspects, explosives, or illegal drugs.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alex Devereux)

In 1991, two CH-53E helicopters carrying a security detail of 51 and nine U.S. Navy SEALs arrived in Mogadishu, Somalia during increasing unrest and instability and began the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy during Operation Eastern Exit.
The security detail established a perimeter around the embassy compound as the helicopters returned to the USS Guam with the first 61 evacuees, including all American civilians and four heads of mission.
Threats and hostility escalated as it became evident the U.S. was planning a full evacuation from Somalia. By the early morning on Jan. 6, five CH-46 helicopters from the USS Guam and USS Trenton continued the evacuation while the U.S. Ambassador to Somalia, James Keough Bishop, continued negotiations with Somali military leaders.
As negotiations were settled, the Marines withdrew from their security positions and departed on the final wave of helicopters alongside the SEALs and Ambassador Bishop, who then declared the evacuation complete.
In 1992, 1,800 Marines returned to Mogadishu to spearhead a multinational force aimed at restoring order and humanitarian assistance known as Operation Restore Hope.
Backed by U.S. troops, international aid workers were able to deliver food and water to starving Somalians, and base camps were constructed at humanitarian relief sites. Troops also assisted in restoring water wells, fixing schools and placing orphans, clearing streets, fixing bridges, and renovating the Baidoa airstrip.

and U.S. Navy Corpsmen assigned to the 3rd Marine Division conduct squad attacks during Exercise Fuji Viper 23.1.
exemplifies a commitment to realistic training that produces lethal, ready, and adaptable forces capable of decentralized operations across a wide range of missions.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jaylen Davis)

with the 3rd Marine Division conduct a nine-mile conditioning hike.
The Headquarters Battalion routinely completes conditioning hikes to ensure all Marines maintain physical fitness and readiness.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt Albert J. Carls)

with the 2d Marine Division conduct a Stand-in Force Exercise (SiF-EX).
SiF-EX is a Division-level exercise involving all elements of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. It focuses on strengthening multi-domain awareness, maneuvering, and fires across a distributed maritime environment.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jerry Edlin)

assigned to the 3rd Marine Division provide security for a platoon attack during a Stand-in Force Exercise (SiF-EX).
SiF-EX is a Division-level exercise involving all elements of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. It focuses on strengthening multi-domain awareness, maneuvering, and fires across a distributed maritime environment.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mario A. Ramirez)

These Marines would remain on guard duty until 1927, when they were withdrawn and redeployed for operations in Nicaragua in the Banana Wars.

with Combat Logistics Battalion 6, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, drive a Finnish G-Class landing craft while operating the Amy, an unmanned surface vehicle.
Task Force Red Cloud, headquartered by elements of CLB-6, is deployed to Finland in support of Exercises and to enhance bilateral maritime maneuver within the Finnish littoral environment.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jackson Kirkiewicz)

with Hotel Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, conduct the Crucible.
The Crucible is the final 54-hour test recruits must pass to earn the title of United States Marines.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Bradley Williams)

Gen. Eric Smith, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, speaks with members of the Corps of Cadets during his visit to Texas A&M University.
Gen. Smith fielded questions on leadership, current events, and the future of the Marine Corps from the cadets of Texas A&M, which commissions more ROTC officers every year than any other institution in the country.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hollerud)

Always Thankful - No Matter Where
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, Marines take the opportunity to reflect and give thanks. As Marines, we are family - take care of each other during this holiday season.

assigned to 3rd Marine Division conduct an air assault in support of a United Nations Command Honor Guard alert contingency disbursement rehearsal during the Korea Marine Exercise Program (KMEP) 23.1.
KMEP is conducted routinely to maintain the trust, proficiency, and readiness of the ROK-U.S. Alliance.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Michael Taggart)

with Golf Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, participate in 12 stalls during the crucible.
The crucible is a 54-hour event that challenges all the skills a recruit has learned throughout recruit training.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Grace J. Kindred)

with the 3rd Marine Logistics Group conduct a conditioning hike and combat skills training.
The hike prepares the battalion for the rigors of a combat environment with denied vehicle mobility and tests the Marines’ capabilities to conduct operations after rigorous physical exertion.
The red patches worn on the Marines' legs are used during beach landing exercises to differentiate Landing Support specialists from the Marines who are disembarking from the landing craft.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Sydni Jessee)

F-35B Lightning II aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 takes off from MCAS Iwakuni in support of exercise Keen Sword 2023.
is a biennial exercise designed to enhance Japan-U.S. readiness, interoperability, and bilateral relations while demonstrating U.S. resolve to support the security interests of in the Indo-Pacific region.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jose Angeles)

with Fox Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, conduct various aquatic events during their swim qualification.
Recruits are required to pass all swim events in the water survival course to graduate as a trained Marine.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Grace J. Kindred)

with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing conduct air-delivered ground refueling (ADGR).
VMGR-152 conducts ADGR to train on rapid refueling in austere environments for aircraft that cannot be refueled in flight, allowing them to stay in the fight.
📷 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Emily Weiss)

General Krulak said, when he was Commandant of the Marine Corps, every year, starting about a week before Christmas, he and his wife would bake hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Christmas cookies. They would package them in small bundles. Then on Christmas day, he would load his vehicle. At about 4 a.m., General Krulak would drive himself to every Marine guard post in the Washington-Annapolis-Baltimore area and deliver a small package of Christmas cookies to whatever Marines were pulling guard duty that day. He said that one year, he had gone down to Quantico as one of his stops to deliver Christmas cookies to the Marines on guard duty. He went to the command center and gave a package to the lance corporal who was on duty.

Over the weekend, the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. David H. Berger, participated in a panel discussion with Senator Tammy Duckworth, Representative Mike Gallagher, and Undersecretary Gil Cisneros, talking about the trust between American citizens and the military.
"We talk about service, and what it does for the country, but what service does for the individual - that’s what we have to talk about more often," said Berger.
The transformational process of becoming a Marine and earning the Eagle, Globe and Anchor instills our core values of honor, courage and commitment, and it shapes young men and women to have the discipline and grit to pursue whatever goals they may seek.

If anybody in the White House wants to mess with Mattis, they’re going to have to go through Kelly.
By Thomas E. Ricks