2nd Battalion, 4th Marines reported to have been killed in a helicopter crash that occurred northwest of Baghdad. He was actually killed by a suicide bomber at a checkpoint. From January to July 2008, 2/4 deployed to Okinawa, Japan, as the Battalion Landing Team for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. BLT 2/4 spent time in the Philippines for Balikatan 2008, while Fox Company conducted training exercises in Indonesia. In May 2008, the 31st MEU supported Operation Response off the coast of Burma, due to the Cyclone Nargis making landfall in the Irrawaddy Delta. BLT 2/4 deployed in September 2009 as the Battalion Landing Team
Cyclone Giri Cyclone Nargis which struck the Irrawaddy Delta region as a low-end Category 4 equivalent in May 2008. However, according to the International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies, substantial weakening had taken place within the hours before landfall; they estimated that Cyclone Giri struck the coastline with winds of 175 km/h (110 mph ). Once overland, the cyclone rapidly decayed as convection dissipated. Despite having estimated winds of 150 km/h (90 mph ), the JTWC issued their final advisory on Giri just six hours after landfall. By early October 23, only scattered bursts of convection remained around the