First Lt. Taylor Bates, an Annapolis, Md., native and platoon commander with Transportation Support Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 6, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, reaffirms his oath of office during a promotion ceremony at Twentynine Palms, Calif., May 27, 2013. Bates stood atop a windswept mountain, where she pinned on the rank of first lieutenant on the verge of deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.