Marines with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, stand at attention during a promotion ceremony at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., Dec. 7, 2013. The infantrymen took a brief pause during their Mission Readiness Exercise to promote Marines and award Good Conduct Medals. Promotion ceremonies are one of the numerous ongoing traditions upheld in the Marine Corps. The battalion is slated to continue a rigorous training schedule before deploying to Afghanistan this spring.