Deck Department sailors help balance a box as it’s lifted from the well deck of the forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42). Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit began backloading personnel and equipment onto the ship after participating in Exercise Cobra Gold. Germantown, with embarked elements of the 31st MEU, is currently underway in support of Exercise Cobra Gold 2012, an annual Thai-U.S. co-sponsored joint and multinational exercise designed to advance security throughout the Asia-Pacific region and enhance interoperability with participating nations.