GULF OF THAILAND (Feb. 13, 2011) Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU) debark from a CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopter aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). The 31st MEU and the Essex Amphibious Ready Group is participating in exercise Cobra Gold 2011, a U.S. and Thailand cosponsored multinational exercise designed to improve interoperability between participating nations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eva-Marie Ramsaran/Released)
