Marines and Sailors, with Task Force Koa Moana, hike
Summary
Marines and Sailors, with Task Force Koa Moana, hike through the jungle of the Kokoda Trail, Papua New Guinea with Soldiers from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force in remembrance of the battles fought there during WWII, June 22, 2016, during Exercise Koa Moana, as part of their deployment in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. and PNG service members hiked to the Goldie River together to bond and learn about their history. Koa Moana is the first multi-national, bilateral exercise between the PNGDF and U.S. Marines directly, and is designed to increase interoperability and relations by sharing infantry, engineering, law enforcement and medical skills. The Marines and Sailors with the task force are originally assigned to I and III Marine Expeditionary Force. The Soldiers are with 1st Battalion, 1st Royal Pacific Islands Regiment, PNGDF. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. William Hester/ Released)