Capt. John Christensen, an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor

Capt. John Christensen, an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft pilot with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced), watches as the sun sets from the starboard side of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) off the coast of Okinawa, Aug. 25, 2018. Christensen, a native of Springfield, Virginia, graduated from Auburn University and commissioned as a Marine officer in May 2014. VMM-262 (Rein.) is the Aviation Combat Element for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. Marines and Sailors with the 31st MEU, comprised of a Command Element, a Ground Combat Element, an Aviation Combat Element and a Logistics Combat Element, embarked aboard the U.S. Navy vessels of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group and are currently underway. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible force ready to perform a wide-range of military operations across the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. T. T. Parish/Released)