Beaufort’s own U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Ryan Cerrillo was hard at work on the other side of the world last week. Cerrillo, an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, was photographed defusing a smoke grenade on Saturday, Oct. 24, during Exercise Keen Sword 27.
Keen Sword is a routine field training exercise held every two years between the U.S. military and the Japan Self-Defense Forces, with partner nations also taking part. This year’s exercise ran Oct. 19 to 29 and is the 18th in the series, bringing together roughly 56,000 personnel to build readiness and strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance.
Photos by Cpl. Ella Cadby/USMC