U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Skillbred high-fives

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Skillbred high-fives an Armed Forces of the Philippines soldier after successfully placing a roof truss position at Victor O’De Guia Jr. Memorial Elementary School in Balian, Pangil, Laguna, Philippines, March 27, 2019, as part of Exercise Balikatan. Marines with Engineer Company A, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group are working shoulder-to-shoulder with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Australian Defence Forces to build school houses as part of their engineering civic action projects during Exercise Balikatan 2019. Balikatan, in its 35th iteration, is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the U.S. military, and Australian Defense Forces that allows the countries to strengthen relationships, increase interoperability and enhance operational readiness. Skillbred, a combat engineer with Combat Engineer Co. A, 9th ESB, 3rd MLG, is a native of Staples, Minnesota. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Mark Fike)