Marines from the Dominican Republic stand in formation

Marines from the Dominican Republic stand in formation as they prepare to watch the 236th Marine Corps birthday celebration and video message from the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. The service members gathered for a cake-cutting ceremony and to honor the sacrifices of Marines past and present, with U.S. Marines, who are temporarily assigned to the High Speed Vessel Swift as part of the Marine Corps Security Cooperation Group, in support of Southern Partnership Station 2012. Southern Partnership Station 2012 is an annual deployment of U.S. ships to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in the Caribbean and Latin America.