By ANDREW DYER | The San Diego Union-Tribune | Published: May 21, 2021 CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Tribune News Service) — After a seven-month deployment to the Middle East and Africa, the more than 5,000 Marines and sailors of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit began disembarking at Camp Pendleton Friday, the Marines said in a statement. The MEU includes the San Diego-based amphibious assault ship Makin Island and amphibious transport docks Somerset and San Diego. The sailors and Marines deployed in November. The unit supported the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Somalia as well as operations in Iraq and Syria. After its combat support and training missions, the unit sailed to Alaska this month to participate in a joint training exercise — meaning the unit went from the hot, desert climes of the Persian Gulf to the cold waters of the Arctic.