U.S. Marines with 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and volunteers from Camp Courtney English School plant flowers during a town beautification at Kin, Okinawa, Japan, May 21, 2022. Marines with the 31st MEU regularly seek opportunities to build relationships with members of the local community that fosters a clear understanding of the 31st MEU’s purpose in Japan, and develops mutual respect between service members and the local Okinawan population. The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps' only continuously forward-deployed MEU, provides a flexible and lethal force ready to perform a wide range of military operations as the premier crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific region.