Staff Sgt. Justin Schmidt prepares to sound the five

Staff Sgt. Justin Schmidt prepares to sound the five minute warning before the beginning of the official ceremony Nov. 13, 2015, at the Butler Officers Club on Camp Foster Okinawa, Japan. The Marine Corps Ball has been a Marine Corps tradition since 1951 and continues to be a time every year where current Marines set aside an evening to honor fallen Marines and toast to the future success of the Corps. The ball ceremony includes a sword detail, the reading of Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune’s birthday message and an official cake cutting for the oldest and youngest Marines present as well as the guest of honor who recieves the first piece before giving a speech to those present. Schmidt, from Wauconda, Illinois, is the small ensemble leader and a vocalist with the III Marine Expeditionary Force Band, III MEF Headquarters Group, III MEF. Marine Corps Installations Pacific is the strength behind America's ability to respond quickly to crisis in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. MCIPAC strengthens power projection with our allies and partners; enables the strategic launch and recovery of military capabilities to save lives and to preserve regional peace, stability and security; and enables operating force readiness to guarantee victory. (U.S. Marine Photo by Cpl. Royce Dorman/Released)