STORYTELLING
PENNSYLVANIA NATIVE AWARDED THE GOLD DISK PROGRAM AWARD
Sgt. Mullins was a recipient of the Chief of Naval Operations Gold Disk Program Award, which recognizes Marines and Sailors for cost-saving miniature and micro-miniature repairs on critical electronic systems. He earned the award for repairing nine electronic modules and circuit card assemblies, saving the Marine Corps over $197,000 and improving the operational readiness of the 3d Marine Division. Mullins, a native of Pennsylvania, is an artillery electronics technician with 3d Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3d Marine Division.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Daniel Mullins repairs a circuit board on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, March 6, 2025.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Daniel Mullins looks through a microscope during a circuit board repair on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, March 6, 2025.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Daniel Mullins solders components while looking through a microscope during a circuit board repair on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, March 6, 2025.
“This award is a testament to how the Marine Corps values innovation and problem-solving,” said Mullins. “It shows that hard work and technical skills make a difference, not just for our unit, but for the entire force.”
Read more about Mullins’ story here
FACES OF THE FORCE
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Nicholus Orr poses for a photograph during Artillery Relocation Training Program 24.2 at the Yausubetsu Maneuver Area, Hokkaido, Japan, Sept. 14, 2024. ARTP, established by the 1997 Special Action Committee in Okinawa, relocates live-fire artillery training from Okinawa to mainland Japan to maintain readiness of the Marine Corps’ only permanently forward-deployed artillery unit. Orr, a native of New Jersey, is an artillery cannoneer with 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Fernando Medrano maintains road safety to warn incoming vehicles of road repairing operations during Artillery Relocation Training Program 24.2 at the Yausubetsu Maneuver Area, Hokkaido, Japan, Sept. 11, 2024. ARTP, established by the 1997 Special Action Committee in Okinawa, relocates live-fire artillery training from Okinawa to mainland Japan to maintain readiness and stabilize U.S. Forces’ basing, enhancing regional security across Japan and the Indo-Pacific. This Training boosts the capabilities and readiness of the Marine Corps’ only permanently forward-deployed artillery unit, enabling accurate indirect fire support. Medrano, a native of Florida, is a combat engineer with 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3d Marine Logistics Group.
U.S. Navy Lt. James Block maneuvers through an obstacle during a Jungle Religious Ministry Course (JREL) at the Jungle Warfare Training Center, Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 28, 2023. JREL is executed biannually to enhance the expeditionary skills of religious ministry personnel in an expeditionary advanced base jungle environment. Block is a chaplain with 3d Medical Battalion, 3d Marine Logistics Group.
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Diego Garcia, a combat videographer with III Marine Expeditionary Force, watches Marines patrol through an urban operations training facility during the Communication Strategy and Operations Field Training Exercise on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, April 10, 2025. Garcia, a Maryland native, and COMMSTRAT Marines from across III MEF and Marine Corps Installations Pacific participated in urban operations training to improve tactical knowledge. The COMMSTRAT FTX is a five-day event focused on increasing technical acumen and tactical proficiency to provide commanders with capable COMMSTRAT forces at the tactical level.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Mason Miller poses for a photograph during Warrior Shield 24 at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex, Pocheon, South Korea, March 7, 2024. Warrior Shield 24 is an annual joint, combined exercise held on the Korean Peninsula that seeks to strengthen the combined defensive capabilities of ROK and U.S. forces. This routine, regularly scheduled, field training exercise provides the ROK and U.S. Marines the opportunity to rehearse combined operations, exchange knowledge, and demonstrate the strength and capabilities of the ROK-U.S. Alliance. Miller, a native of Mississippi, is a rifleman with 2nd Battalion 8th Marine Regiment and is forward deployed in the Indo-Pacific under 4th Marines, 3d Marine Division as part of the Unit Deployment Program.
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Aaron Ede establishes communications during Stand-in Force Exercise 24 at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, Dec. 6, 2023. SIFEX 24 is a division-level exercise involving all elements of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force focused on strengthening multi-domain awareness, maneuver, and fires across a distributed maritime environment. This exercise serves as a rehearsal for rapidly projecting combat power in defense of allies and partners in the region. Ede, a native of Boaz, Alabama, is a rifleman with 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. 2/7 is forward deployed in the Indo-Pacific under 4th Marine Regiment, 3d Marine Division as part of the Unit Deployment Program. *Note: This image is currently on display at the National Museum of the Marine Corps located in Quantico, Virginia
RYUKU GLASS VILLAGE WORKSHOP
Glassblowing artisans at Ryukyu Glass Village craft vibrant glass products in a workshop, utilizing a kiln reaching 2372 F (1300 C). Amid their creative process, the workshop's internal temperature can soar up to 105 F (40 C). This artistic endeavor involves shaping molten glass by blowing air through a blowpipe, resulting in items such as cups, plates, bowls and more, enhanced with color and meticulous shaping.
Glass artists at the Ryukyu Glass Village factory dip molten glass in small colored fragments, creating Ryukyu Glassware's distinctive vibrant colors.
Glass-blowing artists at the Ryukyu Glass Village factory immerse their blowpipes, bearing molten glass, into small colored rock fragments. These fragments give the distinctive vibrant hues to the glass products. The artisans repeat this process until the desired coloration is attained. The craftsmen then will shape the glass by maneuvering the blowpipe or gently blowing into it. These globs of molten glass will later transform into meticulously crafted vibrant glass products.
Mr. Sueyoshi, one of the many talented glass-blowing artisans, poses for a portrait inside of the Ryukyu Glass Village factory.
