Great East Japan Earthquake
Operation Friends
March 22, 2011, a U.S. Marine with the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262 (HMM-262), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) stacks water jugs on a pallet in the hangar bay aboard the forward deployed amphibious assault ship U.S.S. Essex (LHD-2), during Operation Tomodachi. The 31st MEU makes preparations for potential humanitarian assistance/disaster relief effort in the wake of the earthquakes and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan. (Photo by USMC/AFLO) [0006]