This holiday season, many United States Marines are training coalition forces in Iraq.Those that are, are stationed at Al Asad Airbase in Iraq, which is the closest Marine base to the Syrian border.
The deployed Marines still celebrate the holidays with cheer; bases are decorated, and a turkey feast is provided to the men and women serving in the Middle East.
Marines enjoy the longer break they get during the holidays, but still miss their loved ones. One Marine, on his 7th deployment, remembers his first, in which he used phone cards to call home.
"Modern technology makes it easy to connect," the corporal said. These days, they are able to connect to wireless internet on the base and FaceTime their families.
Story and editing by Adam Banicki
INSIDER is on Facebook: Follow us here
SEE ALSO: We went inside the giant desert base where Marines are trained in artillery warfare