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PAKTIYA PATROL - U.S. Army soldiers patrol outside Ruwquiean village, Paktiya province, Afghanistan, June 9, 2011. The soldiers are assigned to the 34th Infantry Division's Company A, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, Iowa National Guard. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Guffey
FIELD COVER - U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Patrick Hendrickson takes cover in a wheat field behind a dirt mound as he moves his platoon into position before conducting a patrol in Ruwquiean village, Paktiya province, Afghanistan, June 9, 2011. Hendrickson is assigned to the 34th Infantry Division's Company A, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, Iowa National Guard. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Guffey
U.S. Army Spc. Daishon Newton, assigned to the Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team security force, provides security as members of the team make their way to a canal project site in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on June 14, 2011. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
A U.S. Army soldier with Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, walks through a valley during a patrol near Malajat, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on June 4, 2011. DoD photo by Sgt. Canaan Radcliffe, U.S. Army. (Released)
RECOVERY CREW - U.S. Marines arrive at the impact site with French soldiers to recover the wreckage of a French Mirage 2000 jet fighter aircraft northwest of Forward Operating Base Delaram in Afghanistan's Helmand province, May 25, 2011. The Marines are assigned to the Combat Logistics Battalion 8, 2nd Marine Logistics Group Forward. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Jeff Kaus
VILLAGE SECURITY - U.S. Army Spc. Myles Gaudet, left, and Spc. Matthew Tempesta pull security as members of Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul, Arghandab detachment, meet with elders from Deh Afghanan village, Afghanistan, May 27, 2011. Gaudet and Tempesta are assigned to the team's security force. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson
ENEMY WATCH - U.S. Army soldiers consolidate rounds and watch for enemy activity following a machine-gun and small arms attack on their position near the Pakistan border in Afghanistan, May 18, 2011. DOD photo by Karen Parrish STORY
EXPLOSIVE CHARGES - U.S. Army engineers set off explosive charges to disable a road serving as an illegal crossing point at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, May 16, 2011. DOD photo by Karen Parrish
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jordan Cruz provides security as U.S. soldiers walk through the village of Chil Gazy in Afghanistan, April 26, 2011. Afghans voiced their opinions to International Security Assistance Forces troops to improve the security situation in the village and throughout the area. The soldiers are assigned to the 1st Battalion, 84th Field Artillery Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Johnston
Through an interpreter, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jonathon Spataro asks Afghans about their personal and community concerns to try to offer solutions for those living in the village of Chil Gazy, Afghanistan, April 26, 2011. Afghans voiced their opinions to International Security Assistance Forces troops to improve the security situation throughout the area. Spataro is assigned to the 1st Battalion, 84th Field Artillery Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer Jason Johnston
A coalition U.S. Army soldier assigned to Special Operations Task Force West patrols villages and fields around Mirmandab, Afghanistan, April 7, 2011. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Marcus J. Quarterman
U.S. Army soldiers return fire during a firefight with Taliban forces in Barawala Kalay Valley in Kunar province, Afghanistan, March 31, 2011. The soldiers are assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Cameron Boyd
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Alexander Schell shakes hands with an Afghan soldier who helped to provide security for a mosque opening ceremony in the Tarok Kolache village in Arghandab District, April 1, 12011. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Breanne Pye.
U.S. Army Cpl. Anthony Gomez, right, shakes the hand of a young resident of Tarok Kolache, April 1, 2011, while Pfc. Roy Heggernes, left, interacts with a young boy during a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new village mosque in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Breanne Pye.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates presents the Purple Heart and the Army Commendation Medal with Valor to U.S. Army Capt. Jeffrey Mackinnon on Combat Outpost Kowall in Afghanistan, March 8, 2011. MacKinnon is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. DOD photo by Cherie Cullen. SPECIAL
TABIN CHILDREN - Afghan children watch as U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates tours the village of Tabin in Afghanistan, March 8, 2011. DOD photo by Cherie Cullen. MORE PHOTOS
U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, right, commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, speaks with U.S. Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, commander of European Command and NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe, at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 11, 2011. DOD photo by Cherie Cullen.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Herndon hands out wooden toys to village children in Paktika province, Afghanistan, March 9, 2011. Herndon, a Nebraska Guardsman, is assigned to the 623rd Engineer Company. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Anna Rutherford.
U.S. Army Capt. Garrett Gingrich (2nd from left), the commander of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, listens to Dr. Mehirulla Muslim (2nd from right), the Nurgaram district sub-governor, at the Nangaresh girlsí school in the Nurgaram district of Nuristan, Afghanistan, on Feb. 21, 2011. Gingrich represented Forward Operating Base Kalagush during a grand opening ceremony for a completed solar panel project. The project, which will supply village schools with 15 kilowatts of power and electricity, was sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team. DoD photo by Chief Master Sgt. Richard Simonsen, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Rebecca Wagner counts with the Afghan children of the Red Crescent Society orphanage and school as the 4th Calvary Aviation Brigade delivers school supplies, clothing items and toys on Feb. 12, 2011. Wagner is effects coordinator and female engagement team officer in charge, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Infantry Division's, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, International Assistance Security Force. DoD photo by Spc. Jeanita C. Pisachubbe, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. and Afghan soldiers move through Kherwar district to prevent Taliban freedom of movement in Logar province, Afghanistan, on Feb.12, 2011. The soldiers, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division's Company D, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, braved more than 3 feet of snow during the patrol. DoD photo by Sgt. Cooper T. Cash, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Clint Koerperich (left) patrols with Afghan soldiers to investigate possible insurgent cache locations in the Zormat district of Afghanistan on Feb. 5, 2011. Koerperich is assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment. The soldiers acted on a tip provided by the Guardians of Peace program, which rewards Afghan citizens who provide useful and actionable intelligence to Afghan and coalition forces. DoD photo by Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Smith, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army Sgt. David Smitt maintains over watch during an air assault patrol with U.S. soldiers and British gunners in Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Feb. 10, 2011. Smitt is assigned to 101st Combat Aviation Brigade and the gunners are assigned to the Royal Air Force Regiment's 15th Squadron. DoD photo by Sadie Bleistein, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army soldiers air assault from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter into a village inside Jowlzak valley in Afghanistan's Parwan province on Feb. 3, 2011. The soldiers, assigned to the 101st Division's Special Troop Battalion, Company A, and Afghan police searched the village while soldiers provided security and met with leaders. DoD photo by Spc. Scott Davis, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army Spc. Nicholas Francioso crosses a small irrigation canal during a patrol in the Arghandab district in Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Jan. 31, 2011. DoD photo by Spc. Breanne Pye, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army Pfc. Andrew Ballard jumps from a mud wall while his squad provides security during a foot patrol in the Arghandab district, Afghanistan, on Jan. 31, 2011. Ballard, assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's Company C, 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, is conducting the foot patrol to search orchards throughout the district and interact with residents. DoD photo by Spc. Breanne Pye, U.S. Army. (Released)
Gohr, Afghanistan (Feb. 07) – On the 5th and 6th of February, the Governor of Ghor province, together with Afghanistan National Police (ANP), Gohr commander and representatives of the Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) conducted a 2-day long range patrol to a remote district of Pasaband in order to discuss security situations and implementation of the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program (APRP). Photo made by PRT MT-A- Patrol to pasaband (1)
A C-130 Hercules takes off from an airfield near the Lithuanian Provincial Reconstruction Team in Chagcharan District, Ghowr Province, Afghanistan, Jan. 31, 2011. Italian army Brig. Gen. Marcello Bellacicco, Regional Command-West commander, said that America contributes greatly to the supply chain in his region, and is thankful for the U.S. Air Force’s unwavering commitment to the coalition. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace)
U.S. Army soldiers in four-wheel drive vehicles wait as bundles of fuel are air delivered by a C-17 Globemaster III to Forward Operating Base Waza K'wah in Paktika province, Afghanistan, on Jan. 30, 2011. The soldiers are assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team. DoD photo by the U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. forces help distribute blankets, coats, wool caps and scarves to local village elders in Shindand in Afghanistan's Herat province on Feb. 2, 2011. The NATO Air Training Command Afghanistan provided the materials, which members of the 838th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group distributed. DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Stephen Hickok, U.S. Navy. (Released)
U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, addresses troops during his visit to Forward Operating Base Lagman. Afghanistan, Jan. 17, 2011. The soldiers are assigned to the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Gerald Wilson.
U.S. Army Pfc. Ryan B. Stuart provides security for Afghan forces in the Kharwar district in Afghanistan's Logar province, Jan. 11, 2011. Stuart is assigned to the 10th Mountain Division's Company D, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, Task Force. U.S. and Afghan forces recovered two caches and detained four people during the two-day operation. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Cooper T. Cash.
U.S. Army Spcs. Jamus Grandstrom and Daniel Collazo sit on sandbags in the Daymirdad district of Wardak province, Afghanistan, Jan. 9, 2011. Grandstrom and Collazo are assigned to the 10th Mountain Division's Brigade Special Troops Battalion. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Sean P. Casey.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden awards a Bronze Star to Staff Sgt. Workman on Forward Operating Base Airborne in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Jan. 11, 2011. White House Photo by David Lienemann.
U.S. Army Maj. Bobbie Mayes (right), the women’s empowerment coordinator with the Kentucky Agribusiness Development Team, gives an Afghan woman supplies after a two-day beekeeping class at the Director of Agriculture Livestock and Irrigation Compound in Kapisa province, Afghanistan, on Jan. 6, 2011. DoD photo by Spc. Kristina Gupton, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army Sgt. Adam Dean (right), a combat engineer with 2nd Platoon, 832nd Engineer Company, attached to 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, speaks to a couple of young Afghan boys from the village of Qalah-ye Boland in Parwan province, Afghanistan, on Dec. 30, 2010. U.S. soldiers of 832nd Engineer Company visited the village to assess the area and to attend a key leader engagement with the Malik. DoD photo by Spc. Kristina Gupton, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Marines with 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment patrol in Kajaki, Afghanistan, on Oct. 22, 2010. The Marines patrolled the area to deter the placement of improvised explosive devices. DoD photo by Cpl. Matthew P. Troyer, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)
Sgt. Aaron Segovia, a squad leader with India Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, radios in their position during their patrol to the northern part of their area of operations in Kajaki on Sept. 29, 2010. The Marines' mission was to search for any suspicious activity in that area. DoD photo by Cpl. Eugenio Montanez, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)
U.S. Marines with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2 provide security during a compound search in Sangin Valley, Afghanistan, on Oct. 7, 2010. The battalion conducted counterinsurgency operations with International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan. DoD photo by Cpl. David Hernandez, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)
U.S. Petty Officer 3rd Class Justin Winters, a Seabee attached to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5, fires an M-240B machine gun during crew-served weapons qualification at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, on Oct. 16, 2010. Seabees with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 are deployed to Afghanistan to execute general engineering, infrastructure construction and project management in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. DoD photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ace Rheaume, U.S. Navy. (Released)
A U.S. Army soldier watches for insurgents during an air-assault mission with Afghan forces in the mountains of Khowst province, Afghanistan, Oct. 8, 2010. The operation resulted in the location and destruction of two insurgent weapons caches. The soldier is assigned to Troop A, 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brent C. Powell.
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Stephen Lutsky sets fire to insurgent clothing and bedding discovered during a raid on a weapons cache during an air-assault mission with Afghan forces in the mountains of Khowst province, Afghanistan, Oct. 8, 2010. Lutsky is the commanding officer of the 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brent C. Powell.
U.S. Army soldiers with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment look for suspicious activity from an observation point during an area reconnaissance mission off Highway 1 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on Oct. 1, 2010. DoD photo by Spc. Joshua Grenier, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeff Stuart walks by a stream during a clearing operation in Gowragi, Afghanistan, Oct. 1, 2010. Stuart is a corpsman with the Combined Action Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mark Fayloga.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Charles W. Douglass leads troops across the Darya-ye-Chamkani River in the Danda Patan district, Afghanistan, Sept. 27, 2010. Douglass is the commander of the Paktya Provincial Reconstruction Team. The team's troops and others from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gardez Resident Office surveyed two sites on the river for future projects. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Spencer Case.
U.S. Army soldiers gain ground security in Masamute Valley as they prepare to cordon and search the village of Bala in Laghman province, Afghanistan, Sept. 25, 2010. The soldiers are assigned to the 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, 86th Brigade Combat Team, Vermont National Guard. U.S. Army photo by Spc. David A. Jackson.
U.S. soldiers patrol the Khogyani district of the Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, in support of Afghan elections after encountering small-arms fire, Sept. 18, 2010. The soldiers are assigned to Company C, 161st Cavalry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Spc. David A. Jackson.
U.S. Army Spc. William B. James shoots at the enemy during a firefight that lasted more than three hours at an Afghan National Police Checkpoint in Kunar province, Afghanistan, Sept. 18, 2010. James is assigned to the 327th Infantry Regiment's Company D, 1st Battalion, Task Force Bulldog. An estimated two dozen insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and small arms at the post. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Gary A. Witte.
A member of Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul provides security during a quality assurance check of construction at the Zabul Provincial Hospital in Qalat City, Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2010. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Georganne Hassell.
Children from the Chinari Village school outside Kabul, Afghanistan, say goodbye to airmen assigned to the Afghan Air Force 201st Corps, the U.S. Air Force 438th Air Expeditionary Wing and the 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Wing who delivered school supplies for 600 students, sporting equipment, bedding, a large tent, and an all weather Afghanistan flag, Aug. 9, 2010. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class David R. Quillen.
U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Jason Marsh braces himself against the wind and dirt from the liftoff of an Mi-17v5 transport helicopter on the Chinari village on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 9, 2010. Airmen assigned to the Afghan Air Force 201st Corps, the U.S. Air Force 438th Air Expeditionary Wing and the 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Wing prepared and delivered humanitarian aid consisting of school supplies for 600 students, sporting equipment, bedding, a large tent, and a flag. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class David R. Quillen.
U.S. Army soldiers advance through the town of Barge Matal as part of Operation Azmaray Fury in Kunar province, Afghanistan, July 28, 2010. The soldiers are assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Battalion, 237th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Anthony Jackson.
A U.S. Army soldier from 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division finds a cache of mortar rounds outside the town of Barge Matal as part of Operation Azmaray Fury in Kunar province, Afghanistan, on July 28, 2010. DoD photo by Spc. Anthony Jackson, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Carolyn McIlvaine hands out book bags to girls in the village of Kohe-sur in Panjshir province, Afghanistan, July 24, 2010. Members of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team met with the Paryan District Development Assembly for women's affairs to discuss various projects and make a humanitarian drop to a girls' school in the Paryan district. Mcllvaine is the Panjshir team's noncommissioned officer in charge for the medical team. U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Holly A. Hess. HI-RES
U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Georganne Hassell walks down a street during a presence patrol in Qalat City, Zabul province, Afghanistan, July 23, 2010. Hassell, an information operations office, is assigned to the Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nathanael Callon.
U.S. Army Cpl. Robert Graves kneels while providing security as the 401st Military Police Company walks through the village of Udkheyl, Logar province, Afghanistan, on July 7, 2010. DoD photo by Spc. De'Yonte Mosley, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army Sgt. Anthony Limon (right) and Sgt. Aaron Hestand, both from White Tank, 2nd Platoon, Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, keep watch during a patrol near Combat Outpost Sangar, Zabul province, Afghanistan, on July 3, 2010. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. William Tremblay, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Georganne Hassell, information operations officer of Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul, teaches Afghan girls to count at the Zarghona Girls' School in Qalat City, Afghanistan, on July 8, 2010. Members of the Provincial Reconstruction Team visited the school and distributed new head scarves as part of an ongoing humanitarian assistance mission. DoD photo by Senior Airman Nathanael Callon, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
Commander of the International Security Assistance Force Gen. David H. Petraeus (3rd from left), U.S. Army, speaks with Afghan Minister of Security Gen. Munir Mangal during the Commander's Conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 7, 2010. Commander of ISAF Joint Command and the Deputy Commander of U.S. Forces - Afghanistan Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez (2nd from right), U.S Army, and Commander of Joint Task Force 435 Vice Adm. Robert Harward (left) were also in attendance. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Bradley Lail, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
U.S. Army soldiers walk along the bank of a stream looking for weapons caches while on patrol in Zabul province, Afghanistan, June 25, 2010. The soldiers are assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. William Tremblay.
U.S. Army Sgt. Anthony Limon sets up a tactical satellite antenna while on patrol in Zabul province, Afghanistan, June 25, 2010. Limon is assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion 4th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. William Tremblay.
U.S. Army soldiers from 1st Platoon, Bulldog Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment make their way into Paspajak in Logar province, Afghanistan, during a patrol to check on conditions in the village on June 20, 2010. DoD photo by Sgt. Russell Gilchrest, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army Spc. Brandon Rodriguez crosses a stream while patrolling the area surrounding Forward Operating Base Baylough in Zabul province, Afghanistan, on June 21, 2010. Rodriguez is from 1st Platoon, Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army Europe. DoD photo by Spc. Eric Cabral, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army Pfc. Justin Coats, from Red Tank, 1st Platoon, Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, keeps watch on a patrol near Forward Operating Base Baylough, Afghanistan, on June 16, 2010. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. William Tremblay, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Daniel Franke overlooks a hill with his military working dog in Towrah Ghundey in Bar Now Zad, Afghanistan, June 11, 2010. Franke, a dog handler, is assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Daniel Blatter.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet flies over the Kajaki Dam reservoir in Afghanistan, May 20, 2010. The aircraft is part of Strike Fighter Squadron 83. The squadron is assigned to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which is at sea in the Persian Gulf and Middle East regions. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Ben Stickney.
U.S. Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, greets an Afghan soldier at a combat outpost near the village of Muqur in Afghanistan's Badghis province, June 3, 2010. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Mark O’Donald.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Naoto Nakamura scans a village on the other side of a canal near Parghee Bagat in southern Afghanistan, May 31, 2010. Nakamura is assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. The Marines have been patrolling the villages and open terrain near Parghee Bagat to identify trends in the day-to-day lives of local Afghans. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Dean Davis.
U.S. Army soldiers move through the mountains on a patrol to Kusuk village in eastern Laghman province, Afghanistan, May 24, 2010. The soldiers are assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment. International Security Assistance Force members provided security, allowing civil affairs soldiers assigned to the Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team to visit with villagers and discuss their needs. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Gary A. Witte.
U.S. troops speak with residents, May 22, 2010, in Omarkhel, Afghanistan. Approximately 100 U.S. airmen and soldiers working with representatives from the U.S. State Department, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Agency of International Development worked hand-in-hand with the Zabul Provincial Governor Mohommad Asraf Naseri to develop projects focused on assisting and meeting Afghan citizen's needs throughout 11 districts in the region. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel J. Martinez.
An interpreter working with the Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul crosses a creek on the way to Omarkhel village for a shura or meeting in Zabul province, Afghanistan, May 22, 2010. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel Martinez.
Commander of the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Col. William Roy, U.S. Army, out of Jericho, Vt., pets a military working dog during an operation in Parwan province, Afghanistan, on May 11, 2010. U.S. Army soldiers of Alpha Troop, 1st Squadron, 172nd Cavalry Regiment, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team visited a remote village in Parwan province to conduct a key leader engagement with village elders. DoD photo by Sgt. Jason Brace, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua Morris shoots a mortar round from a 120 mm mortar tube during a training and certification test at a combat outpost in Afghanistan on May 18, 2010. DoD photo by Sgt. Derec Pierson, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Thomas Goodman, of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Lethal Warrior, patrols through a local village in Sekret Valley, Afghanistan, on May 5, 2010. DoD photo by Spc. David A. Jackson, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army 1st Sgt. James Herrington, first sergeant with the Parwan Provincial Reconstruction Team, provides security for a helicopter transporting Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction Arnold Fields as it departs a vegetable dehydration and packaging plant in the Parwan province of Afghanistan on May 10, 2010. The Special Inspector visited the area to assess the plant and meet with the province’s governor. DoD photo by Senior Airman Jim Araos, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
U.S. Army Spc. Andrew Powell provides security during a presence patrol to the village of Margah at Combat Outpost Margah in Paktika province, Afghanistan, on May 6, 2010. Powell is assigned to 4th Platoon, ABU Company, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment (Air Assault). DoD photo by Sean McKenna, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army soldiers wade through a small creek while conducting a dismounted patrol in the village of Babus in Pole-Elam district, Afghanistan, May 7, 2010. The soldiers are assigned to the 264th Route Clearance Company, 27th Engineer Battalion, Task Force Tiger Engineer Brigade. U.S. Army photo by Spc. De'Yonte Mosley.
U.S. Army soldiers prepare to load onto UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters upon completion of their first combat air assault missions in Paktya province, Afghanistan, May 1, 2010. The soldiers are assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment, Maine National Guard. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Christopher McKenna.
U.S. Airman 1st Class Claudia Segovia boards a Boeing 737 bound for Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, April 29, 2010, Segovia is assigned to the 492nd Fighter Squadron at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Eboni Knox.
U.S. and Afghan soldiers watch as the CH-47 Chinook helicopter that brought them to the village of Mengal Kheyl in the Zormat district of Afghanistan’s Paktya province, lands after completing an air assault mission, April 22, 2010. The soldiers, who captured the district’s largest weapons cache in three years are assigned to Company C, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment, Vermont National Guard. U.S. Army photo.
A U.S. Army medic treats an Afghan child for sunburn in the village of Meryanay in the Kherwar district of the Logar province of Afghanistan on April 9, 2010. Coalition forces are conducting a mission to check on humanitarian conditions of area villages and help maintain security. DoD photo by Sgt. Russell Gilchrest, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army Master Sgt. Matthew Lamonica secures a landing zone in the Ajeristan district of Afghanistan's Ghazni province, April 19, 2010. Lamonica is assigned to the Texas Agribusiness Development Team, which provided security for an Afghan National Police Combat Outpost re-supply mission. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Ross Dobelbower.
U.S. Marine Corps 1st Sgt. Raqual Painter gives candy to an Afghan girl while the girl's mother receives medical attention from U.S. Navy Lt. Michelle Lynch as part of a medical outreach program in the village of Now Abad in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on March 15, 2010. The clinic is being conducted by the Female Engagement Team with Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan. DoD photo by Cpl. Mary E. Carlin, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)
U.S. Army Pvt. Michael S. Walters monitors an Afghan National Army visit to Nishigam village in the eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan on April 6, 2010. The Afghan National Army-led mission involved meeting with villagers and inspecting important community gathering places, such as the school and local bazaar. The overwatch position near Combat Outpost Bar Alai is used to prevent anti-Afghan forces from attacking Afghan National Security Forces as they work with residents. Walters is a forward observer with 2nd Platoon, Charlie Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Gary A. Witte, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gerald Frushon, right, and Pvt. Samuel Lima, provide security during a school assessment in Wesh, Afghanistan, March 16, 2010. Frushon and Lima are assigned to C Troop, 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Francisco V. Govea II.
U.S. Army soldiers prepare to move from cover during an attack by anti-Afghan forces in the Tantil village in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province, March 13, 2010. The soldiers are assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment. Afghan National Security Forces and International Security Assistance Forces visited the community and its elders in response to a high number of recent attacks in the area. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Gary A. Witte.
U.S. Army Sgt. Jose Gonzalez gives snacks to Afghan children during a patrol in Dagyan village in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 21, 2010. Gonzalez is assigned to Company C, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Christine Jones.
U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers conduct a patrol near Marja, Afghanistan, Feb. 21, 2010. The Marines are assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Albert F. Hunt.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporals Daniel Garner, kneeling, and Chris Ducharme investigate a possible improvised explosive device while on a patrol in Marjah in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 22, 2010. Garner and Ducharme are assigned to India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Crops photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde.
A U.S. Marine fires a Javelin anti-armor missile at a Taliban position on the outskirts of Marja, Afghanistan, Feb. 10, 2010. The Marines, assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, are supporting Operation Moshtarak to clear Taliban fighters from the city. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Andres Escatel.
U.S. Army Spc. Jamie Groce, a medic with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, shows Afghan National Army soldiers how to splint a leg during a combat life saver course at Coalition Outpost Sabari, Afghanistan, on Jan. 16, 2010. DoD photo by Sgt. Jeffrey Alexander, U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Army Cpl. Robert S. Garapola, with 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, greets Afghan villagers in Kashk-E Nokhowd, Hutal, Afghanistan, on Jan. 9, 2010. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Dayton Mitchell, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
U.S. Army soldiers, from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, watch the surrounding hills for insurgents while fellow U.S. soldiers, of Charlie Company, race to their positions dodging heavy sniper fire during a three-hour gun battle with insurgent forces at Waterpur Valley, in Kunar province, Afghanistan, on Nov. 3, 2009. DoD photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller, U.S. Army. (Released)
Members of Provincial Reconstruction Team Ghazni and Afghan national police walk up a snowy hill after their vehicles became stuck in the mud in the Nawur district, Ghazni province, Afghanistan, Nov. 8, 2009. The team's members visited the district to perform quality assurance control on a collapsed karza and two comprehenisve health clinics. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Rebecca F. Corey.
U.S. Marine Sgt. Jason Swofford conducts a security patrol through the Nawa district in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 20, 2009. Swofford is assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Artur Shvartsberg.
U.S. Marine Cpl. Piet provides security as a herd of goats pass through the Nawa District, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 19, 2009. Piet is assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Freddy G. Cantu.
U.S Army soldiers cross the Arghandad River to assist Afghanistan police on a humanitarian mission in Kashani village in Zabul province, Afghanistan, Oct. 9, 2009. The soldiers are assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Tia P. Sokimson.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joe Helmick runs for cover during an attack on Patrol Base Bracha in the Garmsir district in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 9, 2009. Helmick, assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, is deployed with Regimental Combat Team 3. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Pete Thibodeau.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Brian Kightlinger crosses a bridge during a security patrol in Helmand province's Nawa district, Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2009. Kightlinger is assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, and deployed with Regimental Combat Team 3, which conducts security patrols to decrease insurgent activity and gain the trust of the Afghan people. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Artur Shvartsberg.
U.S. Army Sgt. Nathan Schrock tries to keep warm after waking up on a cold morning in the mountains near Sar Howza in Paktika province, Afghanistan, Sept. 4, 2009. Schrock is assigned to the 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Smith.
U.S. Army Spc. Henry Rosenquist locates enemy forces during a patrol near Combat Outpost Honaker Miracle in Konar province, Afghanistan, July 29, 2009. Rosenquist is assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Mountain Warrior. U.S. and Afghan forces were patrolling the area on the way to a meeting with village elders. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Evan D. Marcy.
A U.S. Army soldier watches as U.S. Air Force F-15 Fighter Jets destroy insurgent positions with a bomb after a 20-minute gun battle in Korengal Valley in Kunar province, Afghanistan, Aug. 13, 2009. The soldiers are assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller.
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian Sandau treats an Afghan girl for burns on her leg during a civil affairs patrol with Marines in the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 17, 2009. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. William Greeson.
U.S. Army Spc. Jonathan Araiza uses a mine detector during a mission with Afghan police officers to search for enemy weapons caches near Shah Wali Zarat in Khost province, Afghanistan, July 24, 2009. Araiza is deployed with the 25th Infantry Division's Company A, 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Smith.
A U.S. Marine helps his budy up as they prepare along with about 650 Afghan soldiers and national police officers prepare to board CH-53D Sea Stallion and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters on Forward Operating Base Dwyer, Afghanistan, July 2, 2009. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Philippe E. Chasse.
U.S. Marines and about 650 Afghan soldiers and national police officers prepare to board CH-53D Sea Stallion and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters on Forward Operating Base Dwyer, Afghanistan, July 2, 2009.U.S. Marine Corps photo by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Philippe E. Chasse.
U.S. Army soldiers from Bravo Battery, 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment cross a creek during a dismounted patrol in the Nerkh Valley of the Wardak province of Afghanistan on June 4, 2009. DoD photo by the U.S. Army. (Released)
U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment relax at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, on June 3, 2009. The Marines are currently deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. DoD photo by Lance Cpl. James Purschwitz, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)
U.S. Army soldiers scan a wadi for suspicious traffic during a patrol near Combat Outpost Sabari, Afghanistan, April 25, 2009. The soldiers are assigned to the 25th Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, Company D, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team. A wadi is an Arabic term referring to a valley that may contain water during times of heavy rain. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christopher T. Sneed.
U.S. Army soldiers and Afghan National Police cross a clearing during a patrol near Combat Outpost Sabari, Afghanistan, April 24, 2009. The soldiers are assigned to the 25th Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, Company D, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christopher T. Sneed.
An Afghan volunteer guard walks with American troops assigned to the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team during, a March 5, 2009, site visit in Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.
U.S. Army Sgt. Ramon Guzman walks past villagers during a site visit to Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan, March 5, 2009. Guzman is one of the team's civil affairs members. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Salvador Lopez, left, and Spc. Jeffery Lewis, use the scopes on their weapons to scan for the enemy from a mountain ridge near Forward Operation Base Lane in Zabul province, Afghanistan, March 8, 2009. Lopez and Lewis are assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Adam Mancini.
A U.S. Army soldier searches a mud hut during a weapons cache patrol in Bagram, Afghanistan, March 2, 2009. The soldier is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's Company A, 1st Platoon Personnel Security Detail. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Phoebe R. Allport
Paktia provincial Deputy Governor Abdal Rahma Mangal, left, talks with tribal leaders in the Jani Khel district during a visit to a remote village Feb. 15, 2009. The visit is part of the provincial reconstruction team’s efforts to connect the locals with the provincial leadership. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III.
Semi-trucks haul goods to eastern Afghanistan along the narrow and dangerous “K-G Pass” that works its way through steep mountains and connects the Khowst and Paktia provinces, Feb. 25, 2009. A $100 million, 100-kilometer improved road, funded by the U.S. Agengy for International Development, is slated to start construction through the pass this summer. Coalition forces will build and improve numerous other roads in Afghanistan in the next few years. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Phillip Wire stands atop Ghar Mountain at Kabul Military Training Center in Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 6, 2009. Wire, assigned to Delta Security Force on Camp Phoenix in Kabul, made the early morning climb for a re-enlistment of four fellow soldiers. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. James D. Sims.
Villagers line a new road waiting for the local governor to arrive to officially open a paved road in the Deywagal Valley of Afghanistan’s Konar province, Feb. 6, 2009. The Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team and the 1st Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team spent two years building the seven-mile road, offering Afghans better access to hospitals, schools and markets. U.S Army photo by Staff Sgt. David Hopkins.
U.S. Navy Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7 exit an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft after arriving at a forward operating base in the Helmand province of Afghanistan on Jan. 25, 2009. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7 is deployed to Afghanistan to provide contingency construction support to alliance forces supporting NATO International Security Assistance Forces. DoD photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael B. Lavender, U.S. Navy. (Released)
An interpreter explains how an Afghan man was injured to U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Alan Boles in the Farah province of Afghanistan on Jan. 21, 2009. Boles splinted and rewrapped the manís ankle. U.S. Marines with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division assigned to Special Marine Air Ground Task Force are in the area conducting road improvements to Highway 515. DoD photo by Gunnery Sgt. James A. Burks, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber from the 34th Expeditionary Squadron flies a combat patrol over Afghanistan on Dec. 10, 2008. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
U.S. Air Force KC-10 Extender tanker pilot Capt. Justin Simms from the 908th Expeditionary Aerial Refueling Squadron pilots the aircraft on a combat mission over Afghanistan on Dec. 15, 2008. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Bower, a rifleman with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, patrols a village in the Helmand province in Afghanistan on Dec. 22, 2008. Bower's battalion is the ground combat component of the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Afghanistan. DoD photo by Cpl. Pete Thibodeau, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Warren Burton, a combat correspondent, fires a 60-mm mortar system during live-fire training outside of Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, on Dec. 12, 2008. Burton is with the command element for the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force ñ Afghanistan, deployed in support of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan. DoD photo by Cpl. Pete Thibodeau, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)
