SAN DIEGO (March 1, 2019) Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Robert Ritter, assigned to Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), shares the first kiss with his wife Lauryn Ritter, at Naval Base Coronado. Essex (LHD 2), flagship of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group, returned to its homeport of San Diego following a successful eight-month deployment to the 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet areas of operation. The deployment marked the first combat deployment of the Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II.

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Keywords: archive, armed, coming, defence, deployment, diego, essex, forces, home, military, nasni, navy, reportage, sailors, san, servicemen, usa, usn, uss