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171026-N-XN518-112 PACIFIC OCEAN (Oct. 26, 2017) Capt. Robert Hawthorne, the air boss, and Master Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Aristotle Villahermosa, the air department leading chief petty officer, observe the takeoff of an F-35B Lightning II aircraft assigned to the “Wake Island Avengers” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 on the flight deck of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) during Dawn Blitz 2017. Dawn Blitz is a scenario-driven exercise designed to train and integrate Navy and Marine Corps units by providing a robust training environment where forces plan and execute an amphibious assault, engage in live-fire events, and establish expeditionary advanced bases in a land and maritime threat environment to improve naval amphibious core competencies. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Irwin Sampaga/Released)