CAMP PENDLETON, California — If thousands of Marines are off a hostile shore, it's typically an exercise in futility for the enemy to stick around and wait for the assault.
On Thursday, US Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked on a training exercise, carrying out an amphibious assault on a town littered with notional insurgents — and as should be expected from a premier maritime force, the grunts dominated.
Business Insider was on hand to watch as Marines left their ship, the USS San Diego, and headed onshore, practicing landing on and taking over an enemy beach.
Here's what we saw.
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It's a beautiful day to check out the beach in Southern California.
But today there's something lurking off the coast: The USS San Diego, an amphibious transport packed with thousands of Marines and sailors from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The infantry grunts in the main assault are with Battalion Landing Team 1/5. Cpl. Rafael Anderson, a squad leader, has the battalion motto of "Make Peace or Die," on his flak jacket.
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