Maj. Roman P. Vitkovitsky, communications officer with the command element, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, listens to Sgt. Kenneth Van Dame, a field radio operator with the command element, as Petty Officer 2nd Class Maria J. Perez, an aerographer's mate with Meteorological and Oceanographic section, Strike Group Oceanography Team, Norfolk, Va., holds a weather balloon prior to releasing it during an Amphibious Squadron/Marine Expeditionary Unit Integration training exercise aboard USS Kearsarge near the coast of North Carolina, April 24. Attached to the weather balloon is a data transmission system which sends information to a receiver on the ship. METOC Sailors and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit weather forecasters use the data for real-time weather forecasting and analysis. The 26th MEU is embarked aboard USS Kearsarge, USS Carter Hall and USS New York for PMINT.
<dl><dd>Unit: 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit</dd>
<dd>DVIDS Tags: USS Kearsarge; 26th MEU; METOC; weather balloon; PMINT; sailors; marine weather forecasters</dd></dl>
Lance Cpl. Santiago G. Colon Jr.
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