CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit recently arrived in the Northern Arabian Gulf aboard ships from the Essex Amphibious Ready Group.

1st Lt. Tryiokasus W. Brown, spokesman for the Okinawa-based 31st MEU, said the transit took three weeks, during which the Marines and sailors continued to train “in preparation to assist coalition forces in the global war on terrorism.”

About 1,000 Marines assigned to the MEU departed White Beach Naval Facility on Okinawa aboard the USS Essex, USS Harpers Ferry and USS Juneau in mid-August. The 31st MEU includes the Battalion Landing Team, consisting of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment; 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 (Reinforced); and MEU Service Support Group 31.

“Combined with the sailors of Amphibious Squadron 11 in the U.S. Central Command’s area of operations, the MEU continues to represent a force in readiness in the global war on terrorism with ‘Strike from the Sea’ capability,” Brown stated in the release.

Migrated