Staff Sgt. Dallas Allen, the platoon sergeant for Weapons

Staff Sgt. Dallas Allen, the platoon sergeant for Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, addresses Marines during a corporal’s course graduation aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), underway in the South China Sea, Sept. 27, 2018. Allen was the guest speaker for the graduation ceremony. Corporal’s course, usually a three-week course, is condensed to two weeks while underway. The course helps Marine leaders/Noncommissioned Officers refine their understanding of small unit leadership principles. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released)