Staff Sergeant Jeff Ruffenach, a fire fighter assigned to the 18th Civil Engineering Squadron, pulls a dummy away from a flaming aircraft during a training scenario of the Beverly High 09-2 Local Operational Readiness Exercise May 14. The LORE tests base personnel on their combat readiness for real world emergency/combat events. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Chad Warren)
YOKOSUKA, Japan (May 21, 2009) - The Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Richard E. Byrd (T-AKE 4) prepares to moor at Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka. Byrd, part of the Military Sealift Command, replenishes U.S. Navy ships and provides combat cargo to deployed members of the U.S. Armed Forces. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Charles Oki/Released)
One hundred and six servicemembers, including 94 soldiers, 10 Marines and two sailors, from countries from Mexico to Japan, celebrate their first Memorial Day as U.S. citizens at a naturalization ceremony, May 25, 2009 at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo.
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U.S. Air Force Capt. Don Moss, Chief of Intelligence, Paktya Provincial Reconstruction Team, walks to new school being built in a village near Forward Operating Base Herrara, Afghanistan, April 16, 2009. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Shawn Weismiller)
U.S. Sailors from the deck department aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) man a messenger line at a fuel sending station on board the ship during a replenishment at sea with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88) while under way in the Pacific Ocean May 11, 2009. The John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled six-month deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kyle Steckler, U.S. Navy/Released)
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Lt. Col. Terry Cook, commander, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, pins a U.S. Army Achievement Medal to the uniform of an Iraqi Emergency Services Unit Policeman, May 11. The IP were being rewarded for their hard work and dedication in Kirkuk City. Photo by Pfc. Justin Naylor, 1st Cavalry Division.
GULF OF ADEN (May 24, 2009) Somali migrants, including a nine-month pregnant female, are treated aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), after being rescued from a disabled skiff.
The skiff, originally ferrying 52 passengers, was spotted in distress by Lake Champlain helicopter pilots while patrolling the area.
Lake Champlain is deployed as part of the Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Barker/Released)
PACIFIC OCEAN (May 22, 2009) Lance Cpl. Michael Rogers awaits instruction after firing an M-240B machine gun during a live-fire exercise aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). Marines from Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team Pacific (FASTPAC) are conducting training with George Washington security forces. George Washington, the Navy's only permanently forward deployed aircraft carrier, is underway conducting a combat operations efficiency evaluation in the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Rachel N. Clayton/Released)
Col. Raymond Strasburger, 455th Expeditionary Operations Group commander, shares his thoughts about Lt. Col. Wayne Straw's one-year tenure as the operations support squadron commander during a change of command ceremony May 20. Colonel Straw relinquished command of the 455th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron to Lt. Col. Cloyce Adams. (Air Force/Staff Sgt. Jason Lake)
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U.S. Army Capt. Cory Clayton, a native of Randolphman, N.C., Commanding Officer of Echo Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment,2nd Heavy Combat Brigade Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, walks alongside officials during a visit to the city of Altun Kapri,Iraq, on May 18, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Gustavo Olgiati/Released) 090521-A-6851O-013
INDIAN MOUNTAIN, Alaska -- Several remote sites are known as "split camp" sites. Lower camps consist of living quarters and industrial facilities, while upper camps consist of the radars themselves. Site contractors access upper camps by road or a ski lift-like tram car. Winter presents logistical challenges due to extreme weather and low temperatures. Bill Miranda, an ARCTEC contract employee, returns from the upper camp at Indian Mountain Long Range Radar Site via a track rig. (U.S. Air Force file photo)
LAKE TEXOMA, Texas – In this photo by the U.S. Coast Guard, Ens. Warren Fair, Sector Houston chief of boat operations verifies ownership of a vessel, while Lt. j.g. Alberto Martinez, Sector Houston-Galveston law enforcement officer reviews safety checks with recreational boaters on the lake, May 23, 2009.
05/21/2009 - U.S. Air Force Majs. Charles D. Cooley and Mark Heffernan, both C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane pilots assigned to the 816th Airlift Squadron, fly over Islamabad, Pakistan, May 21, 2009, after delivering 120,000 prepackaged halal meals and tents for Pakistanis displaced by fighting against militant groups in the Northwest region of the country. The supplies were the first of $10 million in aid scheduled to be provided by the U.S. Department of Defense. The U.S. government has committed to provide more than $100 million in aid. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Shawn Weismiller/Released)
PACIFIC OCEAN (May 22, 2009) An F/A-18F Super Hornet from the "Diamondbacks" assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102 launches from the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington, the Navy's only permanently forward deployed aircraft carrier, is underway conducting a combat operations efficiency evaluation in the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Rachel N. Clayton/Released)
