U.S. Sailors and Marines expressed heartfelt good-byes to their Republic of Korea (ROK) counterparts who disembarked ships of the Sasebo, Japan-based Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG) on April 1. The ARG-wide off-load came at the conclusion of Foal Eagle '07, the annual joint/combined exercise meant to improve interoperability and combat readiness between U.S. and ROK forces and build on the long-standing alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea. The exercise culminated in a combined amphibious landing March 29, which was a testament to the two forces' interoperability in the Foal Eagle Amphibious Task Force (FE-ATF). The landing displayed the flexibility of the 7th Fleet's amphibious ships USS Essex (LHD 2), USS Tortuga (LSD 46) and USS Juneau (LPD 10).