Lt. Col. Joseph E. Rupp, air officer with the III Marine

Lt. Col. Joseph E. Rupp, air officer with the III Marine Expeditionary Force Flood Relief Command Element, boards the USS Lassen to brief senior leaders on the current status of the command element assisting the relief assessment effort here Nov. 16. In coordination with the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok and the government of Thailand, U.S. Pacific Command directed theater service components to conduct joint operations in support of disaster assessment and relief operations in Thailand. III Marine Expeditionary Force Flood Relief Command Element consisting of Marines and sailors from Okinawa, Japan, will provide additional U.S. forces to assist the government of Thailand.