Marines say Palau mission proves deployments are possible without bringing coronavirus along for...

Marine Corps efforts to dispose of unexploded bombs on Palau in recent weeks could serve as a blueprint for exercises in other parts of the Pacific during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a spokesman for the service.

One hundred Marines and sailors from Task Force Koa Moana of the I Marine Expeditionary Force conducted the bomb disposal along with medical engagements and airfield expansion on the islands of Peleliu and Angaur last month, task force spokesman 1st Lt. Oscar Castro, 29, of Pomona, Calif., said in a telephone interview from Guam on Thursday.

The Marines made extraordinary efforts to avoid bringing the coronavirus to Palau, which has yet to report a case of the disease, he said.