Thousands of Sailors, Marines Deploy
SAN DIEGO -- Thousands of sailors and Marines began leaving local waters Monday when their expeditionary strike group deployed.
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The Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group began leaving at about 6 a.m. for a scheduled six-month deployment. There are more than 5,500 military members in the strike group, which includes the amphibious ships USS Tarawa, USS Cleveland, USS Germantown as well as the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Pearl Harbor-based USS Port Royal and USS Hopper, and the USS Ingraham from Everett, Wash.
The ship and expeditionary group are named for a tiny Pacific atoll that was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting in World War II.
"Today is the culmination of a lot of hard work that has gone into getting ready for this deployment," said John Miley, the commander of Amphibious Squad 1. "The sailors and Marines of the Tarawa ESG have been working hard over the last few months, getting ready to go."
The strike group will eventually make its way to the Middle East, according to military officials.