Col. Robert “Bams” Brodie, commanding officer of the

Col. Robert “Bams” Brodie, commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, speaks with Marines and sailors of Combat Logistics Battalion 31 during U.S. Defense Support of Civil Authorities relief efforts on Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Nov. 4, 2018. Businesses, government buildings, homes and schools were heavily damaged by Super Typhoon Yutu, which made a direct hit with devastating effect on Tinian Oct. 25 packing 170 MPH winds – it is the second strongest storm to ever hit U.S. soil and the strongest storm of 2018. Marines with the 31st MEU and Combat Logistics Battalion 31 have been leading the multi-service U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency-directed DSCA mission here since Oct. 29. The Marines arrived at the request of CNMI officials and FEMA to assist relief efforts in the wake of Yutu, the largest typhoon to ever hit a U.S. territory. 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 Lance Cpl. Hannah Hall/Released)