First Lt. Thomas Smith, a Lexington, S.C., Native with the Command Element, 24th MEU, pose for a family photo prior to talking with his wife and children through a video teleconference aboard the USS Iwo Jima, June 9, 2012. The 24th MEU is deployed with the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group as a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.