U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Terrell Bautista, an admin clerk attached to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, left, shakes hands with the Lt. Gen. Benjamin T. Watson, commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force, aboard the America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, after concluding a dynamic six-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operation, July 22, 2026. Forward deployed to Okinawa, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit serves as a flexible, sea-based Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). Together, they routinely operate with allies and partners to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific, remaining a global force ready to respond to crises anywhere in the world. Tripoli is forward deployed to Sasebo, Japan, and the flagship of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 7 / Commander, Task Force (CTF) 76. Within the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, ESG7 / CTF-76 is responsible for conducting expeditionary warfare operations with Navy and Marine Corps capabilities to support theater contingencies that range from crisis response to full combat operations. Bautista is from California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Eadan Avramidis)
| Date Taken: | 07.22.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.23.2026 00:27 |
| Photo ID: | 9826140 |
| VIRIN: | 260722-M-EA007-1289 |
| Resolution: | 5472x3648 |
| Size: | 5.95 MB |
| Location: | WHITE BEACH NAVAL FACILITY, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 31st MEU Returns to Okinawa After Six-Month Deployment [Image 17 of 17], by LCpl Eadan Avramidis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.