U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division stand in formation after returning from supporting Operation Southern Guard on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, July 24, 2025. Joint Task Force Southern Guard supported illegal alien holding operations aboard Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba led by the Department of Homeland Security. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brian Bolin Jr.)
U.S. Marines with 2d Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division conduct a night live fire range using the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System during Service Level Training Exercise 4-25 at the Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, July 25, 2025. SLTE 4-25 is designed to be a challenging, realistic training environment that produces combat-ready forces capable of operating as an integrated Marine Air Ground Task Force across all domains of military operations. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Noelia Vazquez)
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. – U.S. Marine Corps Major Justin Wirth, a native of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, and the Assistant Air Officer of Headquarters Battalion, 2d Marine Division, celebrated his retirement with a ceremony, here, May 9, 2025.
Major Wirth dedicated 26 years of service to the defense of the United States of America. Wirth began his career by enlisting in the Marine Corps Reserves.
“[Wisconsin] was a really great place to grow up,” Major Wirth said. “There was very little military presence, so this was a very unforeseen experience.
“The recruiter really inspired me to join because he talked about how much of a challenge it was, and he was right.”
Wirth spent two years in the Reserves as a...
