Marine Door Gunners Pour Fire on Burning Vessel at Sea

Marine door gunners fired from a helicopter on a vessel burning on the open sea during a maritime interdiction operation in the Pacific Ocean on September 15.

Footage released by the U.S. Marine Corps, filmed from inside the aircraft, shows a gunner leaning out of the open cabin behind a mounted weapon as thick smoke pours from a boat on the water below, with the USS San Antonio visible in the distance.

The operation involved Marines with Littoral Combat Force-24 and sailors from the amphibious transport dock, the Marine Corps said.

U.S. forces have been deployed to the waters of Latin America under U.S. Southern Command in a campaign the military says aims to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland.