Photos

UC-12B pilots Maj. James Combs, left, and Capt. Daniel Groeling, center, review their flight plan with crew chief Sgt. Garrett Temple in the Search and Rescue hangar at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., prior to a flight June 2, 2009. Before each flight, the pilots and the crew chief fill out required paperwork and review weather briefings and flight schedules. The U.S. Transportation Command, approves flight requests and tasks the station with missions. There are 19 C-12s Corpswide, all used to fly service members across the nation on official business. (Photo by Cpl. Laura A. Mapes)

Photo by Cpl. Laura A. Mapes

Pfc. Logan Griffith, left, and Lance Cpl. Tyler Peha, military policemen, prepare to enter and clear a room while MPs Lance Cpl. Dustin Hill and Lance Cpl. Andrew Boothman provide rear support during a school shooting simulation in a training house June 2, 2009, at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz. The exercise, which included the use of nonlethal live ammunition, was designed to improve the officers' tactics and confidence in shootouts.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Austin Hazard

Officer Jose Valencia, left, and Lance Cpl. Malcolm Aranda, military policeman, secure a room after neutralizing an enemy shooter during a school shooting simulation in a training house at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., June 2, 2009. The exercise, which included the use of nonlethal live ammunition, was designed to improve the officers' tactics and confidence in shootouts.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Austin Hazard

Lance Cpl. Malcolm Aranda, military policeman, enters a room during a school shotting simulation June 2, 2009, in a training house at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz. The exercise, which included the use of nonlethal live ammunition, was designed to improve the officers' tactics and confidence in shootouts.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Austin Hazard

Lance Cpl. Justin Cooper, Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 plane captain, waits to direct a pilot in a TAV-8B Harrier before its flight from the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., May 29, 2009. VMAT-203 has the only two-seated Harriers in the Corps, used for training purposes.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Graham J. Benson

Capt. Chris Nicholson, left, Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 student pilot, and Capt. Joey Widmayer, VMAT-203 instructor, climb into an TAV-8B Harrier parked on the flight line at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., before their flight May 29, 2009. VMAT-203 has the only two-seated Harriers in the Corps, used for training purposes.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Graham J. Benson

Joe Hill, an ordnance technical representative, explains the mechanics of the advanced medium-range air-to-air missile to aviation ordnance technicians of Marine Attack Squadron 211 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, May 28, 2009.(Photo by Lance Cpl. John M. Raufmann)

Photo by Lance Cpl. John M. Raufmann

1st Lt. Jarrod Klement, Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 student pilot, inspects his TAV-8B Harrier before departing for his flight from the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., May 29, 2009. The training squadron comes to Yuma four times a year to sharpen their air-to-ground attack skills, while taking advantage of the air station’s ideal flying conditions and range availability.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Graham J. Benson

Capt. Kyle Buchina, Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 instructor, speaks to students May 28, 2009, about the CBU-99 cluster bombs the students will use in their upcoming flight at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz. While visiting Yuma, VMAT-203 student pilots participate in a number of live-fire exercises designed to sharpen their air-to-ground bombing skills, on Yuma’s ranges.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Graham J. Benson

Cpl. Michael Hinson, Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 powerlines technician, makes preflight adjustments to a TAV-8B Harrier on the flight line at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., May 29, 2009. The squadron arrived in Yuma May 5, 2009, and will complete their training schedule and depart June 6, 2009.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Graham J. Benson

Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 load one of their CH-53D Super Stallions into a commercial Russian An-124 Condor transport aircraft on the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. flight line May 21, 2009 for their journey back to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. HMH-463 arrived in Yuma April 18, 2009, to participate in the Weapons and Tactics Instructors course. The An-124 Condor is designed for long-range delivery and air dropping of heavy and large size cargo, including machines, equipment and troops. Due to the distance to Hawaii, the helicopters are routinely transported by the Condor or American C-5s.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Josue Aguirre

Student Cpl. Stolf Short fights off one of his instructors at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. May 21, 2009 after being sprayed with Oleoresin Capsicum, a nonlethal weapon used by law enforcement. This Marine Corps Martial Arts Program instructor course is scheduled to graduate May 29, 2009 at the station chapel.(Photo by Cpl. Laura A. Mapes)

Photo by Cpl. Laura A. Mapes

Cpl. Stolf Short, a Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. Search and Rescue maintenance administrator, crawls under simulated barbed wire after being sprayed with Oleoresin Capsicum during a martial arts instructor course May 21, 2009.(Photo by Cpl. Laura A. Mapes)

Photo by Cpl. Laura A. Mapes

Cpl. Stolf Short, a Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. Search and Rescue maintenance administrator, is sprayed with Oleoresin Capsicum during the martial arts instructor course here, May 21, 2009 before beginning the circuit course. (Photo by Cpl. Laura A. Mapes)

Photo by Cpl. Laura A. Mapes

Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Hollingsworth, a Marine Air Control Squadron 1 radar technician, fights his way through a circuit course after being sprayed with Oleoresin Capsicum, May 21, 2009 in the martial arts instructor course at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. Each student went through a nine station circuit course after being sprayed with the nonlethal weapon.(Photo by Cpl. Laura A. Mapes)

Photo by Cpl. Laura A. Mapes

Marines in the current martial arts instructor course at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., pull numbers May 21, 2009 to see what order they will be sprayed with Oleoresin Capsicum, a nonlethal weapon used by law enforcement. While the spray is not a mandatory part of the curriculum, the 15 students in the class volunteered to get sprayed and receive a special certification. (Photo by Cpl. Laura A. Mapes)

Photo by Cpl. Laura A. Mapes

Students in a recent Corporal’s Course carry a simulated victim from a UH-1N Search and Rescue helicopter into the SAR hangar May 19, 2009, on the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz. After receiving a class from Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Conley, a station SAR corpsman, the 34 Marines in the course practiced loading and unloading simulated victims on and off a helicopter. This is the first time the course has done this training, and instructors are considering making it a permanent part of the curriculum. The course graduated May 22, 2009.

Photo by Cpl. Laura A. Mapes

Maj. Grant Pennington, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., Marine Aviation Training Systems Site officer in charge, performs tests run of the new AV-8B Harrier simulator May 19, 2009. The simulator, which can run both day and night missions, is scheduled to be available to pilots Aug. 31, 2009. MATSS plans to receive two F-35 Joint Strike Fighter simulators and possibly one unmanned aerial vehicles simulator within a year or two, and have them linked on a local network with its two Harrier simulators. MATSS also plans for the simulators to eventually be linked to a joint, nationwide network by 2012, allowing pilots here to fly simulated scenarios with other services and their respective aircraft.(Photo by Lance Cpl. Austin Hazard)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Austin Hazard

Maj. Grant Pennington, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., Marine Aviation Training Systems Site officer in charge, performs tests run of the new AV-8B Harrier simulator May 19, 2009. The simulator, which can run both day and night missions, is scheduled to be available to pilots Aug. 31, 2009. MATSS plans to receive two F-35 Joint Strike Fighter simulators and possibly one unmanned aerial vehicles simulator within a year or two, and have them linked on a local network with its two Harrier simulators. MATSS also plans for the simulators to eventually be linked to a joint, nationwide network by 2012, allowing pilots here to fly simulated scenarios with other services and their respective aircraft.(Photo by Lance Cpl. Austin Hazard)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Austin Hazard

Yuma's Marine Attack Squadron 214 maintenance personnel prepare to move the squadron’s AV-8B Harriers at the Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan, May 19, 2009. The squadron, which falls under the recently activated Marine Aircraft Group 40, is currently preparing for combat missions.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Gregory Aalto