Marine 2nd Lt. Maxwell Bennett, a Communications Strategy

Marine 2nd Lt. Maxwell Bennett, a Communications Strategy and Operations officer with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, stands atop a WWII-era amphibious tractor on Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Nov. 11, 2018. Marines and sailors with the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions landed at “White Beach” aboard Amtraks on July 24, 1944 during the WWII Battle of Tinian. Marines with the 31st MEU and Combat Logistics Battalion 31 have been leading the multi-service Department of Defense’s Defense Support of Civil Authorities relief efforts here since Oct. 29 in the wake of Super Typhoon Yutu, which wreaked havoc as the second strongest storm to ever hit U.S. soil on Oct. 25. Tinian, host of a 1944 WWII battle during the Marianas Campaign, is part of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. More than 320 Marines, sailors and soldiers died during the battle here in June and July 1944 as allied forces moved toward Imperial Japan. As a historic battle site, Marines and sailors with both the 31st MEU and CLB-31 spent time exploring the island during the DSCA mission to learn about its significance in American history. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. T. T. Parish/Released)