First Sgt. Vernon E. Derby, Company First Sgt., India Battery, Battalion Landing Team 2/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, congratulates a Marine with the 15th MEU during the graduation ceremony of Corporals Course 1-09 in the hangar bay aboard USS Peleliu (LHA 5).::r::::n:: Corporals from all elements of the 15th MEU, including the Command Element, Battalion Landing Team 2/5, Combat Logistics Battalion-15 and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron-165 (REIN), graduated from Corporals Course Oct. 1. ::r::::n:: Col. B.D. Beaudreault, the guest speaker during the ceremony, reminded the graduating Marines of past generations of Noncommissioned Officers in the Marine Corps, specifically the Marines of the Battalion Landing Team 2/5, whose forbears in the 5th Marine Regiment fought during the invasion of Peleliu in WWII, the battle for which the USS Peleliu (LHA 5) is named.::r::::n:: Corporals Course is a period of instruction designed to solidify the leadership of junior Marine NCOs to better serve Marines in their charge.::r::::n:: The Camp Pendleton, Calif. based 15th MEU is comprised of approximately 2,200 Marines and Sailors and is a forward deployed force of readiness capable of conducting numerous operations, such as Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations, Humanitarian Assistance Operations and a wide range of amphibious missions. ::r::::n:: The 15th MEU is currently deployed aboard the USS PELELIU (LHA-5), USS DUBUQUE (LPD-8) and USS PEARL HARBOR (LSD-52). (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Timothy T. Parish)(RELEASED)::r::::n::