Lance Cpl. Matthew D. Upton, a Marine with Lima Battery, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and Monmouth, Ore., native, prepares to board an MV-22 Osprey, with Marine Medium Tilt Rotor Squadron 263 Reinforced, 22nd MEU, aboard dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41), just before it carries the Marines to their training site ashore near Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Oct. 3, 2011. The Marines spent four days in Djibouti and completed three training exercises, crew-served weapons training, irregular warfare training and a fire-team attack exercise. The 22nd MEU is currently deployed as part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (BATARG) as the U.S. Central Command theatre reserve force, also providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.