A Landing Craft Air Cushion hovercraft lands on the beach at Naval Station Rota, Spain, to offload military vehicles and equipment from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in preparation for wash down procedures, Nov. 11, 2012. Marines conducted the wash down to clean dirt and debris from their vehicles and equipment in preparation for their scheduled return to their home bases in North Carolina later this year. The 24th MEU is deployed with the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and is currently in the 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility as a disaster relief and crisis response force. Since deploying in March, they have supported a variety of missions in the U.S. Central and European Commands, assisted the Navy in safeguarding sea lanes, and conducted various bilateral and unilateral training events in several countries in the Middle East and Africa.