U.S. Marines and Army Soldiers practice during a rehearsal for the Georgian Independence Day celebration at Freedom Square in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 25, 2021. On May 26, Georgia celebrates the adoption of the Act of Independence, which established the Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1918. This is also the country’s 30th year as a free and independent nation since its separation from the former Soviet Union. Marines from the 13th rotation of the Georgia Deployment Program-Resolute Support Mission, Georgia Training Team, and Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Calvary Regiment, 1st Calvary Division were the only foreign servicemembers invited to participate together with the troops of the Georgian Defence Forces during the celebration. These Marines represent the final GDP rotation to Georgia before the mission is sunset in the fall of this year due to the decision for U.S. troops to leave Afghanistan. For the past 17 years, U.S. Marines and Georgian troops have trained and deployed together, even fighting side-by-side, in support of various missions in the Middle East. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Kirstin Spanu)