The hospital where the Marines were sent had been planning a mass-casualty response training for the day of the real-life emergency.
The island of Mindanao has been reeling from the effects of heavy rain, displacing an estimated 795,000 people.
To save time and ditch unneeded gear, the Army recently began a pilot program to expedite removing excess equipment from unit inventories.
Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, whose promotion had been among hundreds blocked by one senator, took over III Marine Expeditionary Force on Friday.
Load More