Marine Corps Col. Daniel Whitley, left, the deputy commander of Marine Corps Installations West, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and Francisco Roman Jr., a veteran of 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and now a police officer with the San Diego Police Department, shake hands during a Purple Heart medal award ceremony held at MCB Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 23, 2024. This ceremony honored Roman Jr.’s sacrifice during his deployment to Ramadi, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005. Both Roman Jr. and Whitley were recruited out of New Jersey.

---

Size: 5018px × 3345px
Photo credit: © Operation 2024 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1st, 5th, bn., camp, department, diego, francisco, heart, marines, pendleton, police, purple, roman, san