Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit salute

Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit salute the American flag during the National Anthem as part of a cake-cutting ceremony on the flight deck of the USS New York to celebrate the Marine Corps’ 237th birthday, Nov. 10, 2012. This was the first of perhaps many more Marine Corps birthday celebrations aboard the New York, built with seven-and-a-half tons of steel from the World Trade Center, as she sails on her maiden deployment. The 24th MEU is deployed with the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and is currently in the 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility as a disaster relief and crisis response force. Since deploying in March, they have supported a variety of missions in the U.S. Central and European Commands, assisted the Navy in safeguarding sea lanes, and conducted various bilateral and unilateral training events in several countries in the Middle East and Africa. The 24th MEU is scheduled to return to their home bases in North Carolina later this year. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Fisher III/Released)