Marines and sailors with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group load equipment and supplies onto the USS New York, March 29, 2012, before embarking upon a scheduled eight-month deployment. The 24th MEU, partnered with the Navy's Iwo Jima ARG, is deploying to the European and Central Command theaters of operation to serve as a theater reserve and crisis response force capable of a variety of missions from full-scale combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.