Marines watch the USS Iwo Jima off the coast of Onslow

Marines watch the USS Iwo Jima off the coast of Onslow Beach in Camp Lejeune, N.C., as Marines and Sailors with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct ship-to-shore operations, Dec. 18, 2012. Approximately 2,300 Marines and Sailors with the 24th MEU returned to the U.S. after being deployed for nine months as an expeditionary crisis response force with the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group. They spent three days offloading from the Iwo Jima as well as the USS New York and USS Gunston Hall using amphibious vehicles, aircraft, and the Morehead City Port facility. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Michael Petersheim)