Marine Leaders of The Americas Conference (MLAC) 2025

Lt. Col. John “TODS” Bopp, right, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 773, Marine Air Group 41, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, in support of Special Marine Air-Ground Task Force UNITAS LXIII, makes his final post-flight walk from a U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y “Venom” helicopter after landing aboard the flight deck of the USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19) off the coast of Brazil in support of exercise UNITAS LXIII, Sept. 17, 2022. Lt. Col. Bopp will continue service as a U.S. Marine Corps pilot aboard fixed wing C-12 aircraft following this exercise. UNITAS, which is Latin for “unity,” was conceived in 1959 and has taken place annually since first conducted in 1960. This year marks the 63rd iteration of the world’s longest-running annual multinational maritime exercise. Additionally, this year Brazil will celebrate its bicentennial, a historical milestone commemorating 200 years of the country’s independence. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Maj.Jeremy Wheeler)