Videos

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Thomas Swanson, an F-35B Lightning II pilot with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242, reads and answers questions sent from Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, at Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni, Japan, Dec. 19, 2023. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Marines of VMFA-242!

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Samson A. George, an Air Traffic Control Mobile Team Instructor with Marine Air Control Squadron 4, discusses his team’s participation in setting up at a pick-up zone to ensure pilots were able to take off and land without mishaps during a 1st Marine Aircraft Wing Weapons and Tactics Instructor primer (PWTI) operation on Aug. 6, 2020, at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan. The exercise was held as part of PWTI to enhance the interoperability, relationships and communication between U.S. Marine Corps air, ground components with the U.S. Air Force. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Brennan J. Beauton)

U.S. Marine Capt. Patrick Kelly, a CH-53 pilot from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462 with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing's Unit Deployment Program, elaborates on the unique capabilities offered by rapid deployment operations on Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 24, 2019. As the only forward-deployed MEF, III MEF is strategically postured to quickly and effectively respond to any crisis within the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Sgt. Ryan Siddell)

Maj. Stephen W. Pless commissioned in the United States Marine Corps as a second lieutenant in 1959. When he arrived in Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam as a captain, he would be given the chance to become the only Marine aviator of that conflict to receive the Medal of Honor. Pless, with the support of his crew, would disregard their own safety to save the lives of others--using their aircraft as a shield between an overwhelming Viet Cong force and four wounded U.S. Soldiers. During his tour in Vietnam, Pless was with Marine Observation Squadron 6, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Sgt. Natalie Dillon)