The Marine's 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment traveled from Camp Lejeune to “storm Virginia Beach” as part of a large-scale interoperability training exercise alongside Virginia Beach-based Sailors at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story.

The Army rolled out its parental leave policy Tuesday, making it the last branch to comply with a Department of Defense directive issued in January.

The sailor's death comes on the heels of a push for increased efforts to improve mental health services and suicide intervention after Norfolk-based Navy installations reported seven sailors died by suicide last year.

Among the policy changes is a leave extension from 3 weeks to 3 months for all marines and the inclusion of non-traditional families such as those who adopt or foster.

The Department of Defense released guidelines Jan. 4 to expand the military parental leave program, but the Army and Marines are lagging behind the other services.

The Department of Defense released guidelines Jan. 4 to expand the military parental leave program, giving uniformed parents 12 weeks at home to welcome new additions to their families — a departure from the scant three weeks given under the previous policy.

Of the three Washington sailors who died by suicide in April, only 24-year-old Natasha Huffman was a patient of the Washington mental health team. But a roughly 60-page report found the Washington’s psychologist and behavioral health technician were “overwhelmed” and struggle to keep up with the demand for mental health services.

Norfolk-based Navy installations reported seven sailors died by suicide last year, renewing concern about the progress of efforts to improve mental health services and suicide intervention within the military. One key piece of legislation, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021, the Brandon Act, has yet to be implemented by the Department of Defense.

A petition and detention order has been filed against Corbin Chase Winnington, 15, charging him with malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection with an early Sunday shooting that left one dead and another injured in Gloucester County.