Lt. Gen. John M. Paxton Jr., commanding general, II

Lt. Gen. John M. Paxton Jr., commanding general, II Marine Expeditionary Force, speaks to Marines and sailors with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard USS Iwo Jima Feb. 8, 2012. The visit, which included Lt. Gen. Dennis Hejlik, commander, Marine Forces Command, was held to visit Marines and sailors of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and discuss new capabilities with their leadership. The 24th MEU is conducting their certification exercise with Iwo Jima ARG, scheduled Jan. 27 to Feb. 17, which includes a series of missions intended to evaluate and certify the unit for their upcoming deployment.