CAMP LEJEUNE, Fla. — Marines and sailors with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit began returning home Monday after completing a nearly 10-month deployment.
The deployment supported Operation Southern Spear and U.S. Southern Command priorities, including countering illicit threats, strengthening regional partnerships and protecting the homeland.
The 22nd MEU is made up of Battalion Landing Team 3/6, Combat Logistics Battalion 26 and Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263.
The unit was deployed aboard the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, which included the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale.
According to the Marine Corps, the unit was initially scheduled to deploy to the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility before pivoting south to support SOUTHCOM.
During the deployment, Marines and sailors supported embassy reinforcement missions in Haiti and Venezuela, maritime interception operations across the Caribbean Basin, special operations integration and humanitarian assistance in Jamaica.
The Marine Corps said five maritime interception operations disrupted illicit trafficking networks across the Caribbean Basin.
The unit also supported security at U.S. embassies in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Caracas, Venezuela.
On March 14, Marines played a security role during the raising of the American flag at the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela, according to the Marine Corps.
The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and 22nd MEU spent more than 90% of the deployment in the Central Caribbean Basin and traveled more than 130,000 nautical miles.
“This deployment proved a fundamental truth about our naval expeditionary forces: nobody can do what a ARG/MEU can do organically, across all warfighting functions and all domains,” said Col. Tom “Banshee” Trimble, commanding officer of the 22nd MEU.
During Hurricane Melissa relief operations in Jamaica, the unit delivered more than 780,000 pounds of supplies, dispensed more than 6,000 pounds of fuel at forward refueling points and mapped 72 landing zones, according to the Marine Corps.
The deployment also included military exchanges with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, a bilateral exercise in Ecuador and participation in Exercise Tres Kolos with French and Dutch forces in Martinique.
As the 22nd MEU returns home, the Marine Corps said the incoming 24th MEU will continue SOUTHCOM’s mission in the Caribbean.
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