ARABIAN GULF (Aug. 7, 2015) U.S. Marine Sgt. Maj. Douglas Schaefer, right, and Gunnery Sgt. Shawn P. Lawson, left, take a photo with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s “Marine of the Week” awardee Lance Cpl. Christine Sanders aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). Schaefer is the sergeant major of the 15th MEU. Lawson is the senior enlisted with Combat Logistics Battalion 15, 15th MEU. Sanders is from Cortez, Colo., and is a water purification specialist with CLB-15, 15th MEU. Sanders seamlessly went onto a watch rotation to operate the ship’s 100,000 gallon per day distilling units, thereby providing drinking water to the crew and feed-water for the boilers, directly contributing to the ship moving through the water and carrying on with its mission. Sanders is a true force multiplier, cross-training and covering down on the tasks in the utilities field, and can be tasked with providing wiring to a tent, fixing a generator, hooking up an air-conditioning system, or working as a bulk fueler. She is currently a green belt pursuing her brown belt in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. The 15th MEU is embarked on the Essex Amphibious Ready Group and deployed to maintain regional security in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Elize McKelvey/Released)