U.S. Army soldiers search the location of a improvised explosive devise cache found in Sharana, Paktika province, Afghanistan, Feb. 15, 2010. The soldiers are assigned to the 25th Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 178th Infantry Division's 3rd Battalion, and 101st Airborne Division Air Assault, 3rd Brigade. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jeffrey Alexander
GULF OF OMAN (Feb. 19 2010)
Members of the weapons department, G2 Gunnery Division of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) hold small arms qualifications.
Dwight D. Eisenhower is on a scheduled six-month deployment as part of the on-going rotation of forward-deployed forces.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Gina K. Wollman/Released)
U.S. Soldiers destroy an abandoned compound near Highway 1 in Hutal, Afghanistan, Feb. 18, 2010. The Soldiers are with 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Dayton Mitchell, U.S. Air Force/Released)
Staff Sgt. Nicholas Ives and Capt. Mohammad Ali Yazdani discuss the progress of the Afghan National Army 209th Corps Route Clearing Company's efforts on its first mission. An eight-member U.S. Embedded Training Team assigned to Task Force 2nd Battalion 121st Infantry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Georgia National Guard, stationed at Camp Mike Spann, has been training the ANA for more than nine months as part of a plan to establish route-clearing capabilities in each of the five regional commands. (Photo courtesy of the Georgia National Guard)
NORWAY — A member of the Norwegian avalanche forecasting group identifies a potential avalanche risk area as he surveys the terrain on a mountain slope at the Setermoen Training Range during the Cold Response 2010 exercise here. More than 9,000 military personnel from 14 countries, including elements of U.S. Special Operations Command Europe, will participate in the exercise held in extreme winter conditions. (Special Operations Command Europe photo by Master Sgt. Donald Sparks)
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The District governor of Bakwa, Hodgi Labujohn, listens to Darren Richardson's explanation of the new 40-50 meter deep water wells that are going to be constructed across Bakwa by residents of Bakwa themselves, in Farah province, Afghanistan, Feb. 15. "We're not just subcontracting these well projects out," said Richardson, the U.S. Department of Agriculture adviser for the Farah Provincial Reconstruction Team. "Our representatives will work with the contractors in Bakwa to actually construct these wells and they will provide on the job training in order to share new techniques to help them build better wells on their own in the future." Photo by 2nd Lt. Karl Wiest
Sgt. First Class Josh Watson, 2nd Infantry Division, checks out a produce stand in Falahaut, Iraq, Feb. 12, 2010, while assessing election poll site security in the area. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Vanessa Hernandez.
Aerial view of Camp Hope where Naval Beach Group Two is living. NGB-2 is conducting humanitarian and disaster relief operations as a part of Operation Unified Response after to the 7.0 earthquake Jan 12. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Meranda L. Keller
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan (Feb. 14, 2010) Marines with Alpha Company, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion build a makeshift bridge over a canal in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan. Alpha Company built numerous bridges for Marines and vehicles to have a clear route to the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. (U.S Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Walter Marino/Released)
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (Feb. 18, 2010) The contracted motor vessel (MV) Enchanter offloads four newly-acquired landing craft mechanized (LCM 8) in the harbor at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NAVSTA GTMO). The LCM 8 will be used to ferry relief supplies, equipment and personal across the harbor. NAVSTA GTMO is the primary logisitical hub for providing support to Operation Unified Response. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Bill Mesta/Released)
NORFOLK (Feb. 18, 2010) Sailors man the rails as the guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) returns to Naval Station Norfolk following a seven month deployment. The Donald Cook deployed to the 6th Fleet area of responsibility supporting theater security cooperation by participating in regional exercises with allies. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Scott B. Boyle/Released)
U.S. Marines wait to move from the hangar bay to the flight deck during a medical evacuation drill aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) while under way in the Gulf of Thailand Feb. 1, 2010. The Marines are assigned to Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment and are embarked aboard the ship as part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. Essex is in the area to participate in Cobra Gold 2010, an annual bilateral training exercise conducted between the Armed Forces of Thailand and the U.S. military designed to enhance military interoperability and improve communities through humanitarian assistance and civil action projects. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Greg Johnson, U.S. Navy/Released)
U.S. Navy Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Marcialiced Arrendondo, left, and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Airman Christina Marszalek build a snowman on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) Jan. 29, 2010, during a snow storm off the coast of Virginia.
(DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mike Lenart, U.S. Navy/Released)
Zamarai Barak, the owner of the Zamarai Barak Construction Company who built the Farah Provincial Reconstruction Team sponsored Bakwa Medical Clinic, demonstrates the recently installed plumbing in a new exam room inside the clinic for PRT engineers, Feb. 14, Bakwa, Afghanistan. Located next to the local bazaar and the district center, the new clinic and its local staff will provide much needed medical care to a vast number of district residents who previously had to travel over 40 kilometers to Farah City Hospital to receive care. Not only is the remote clinic equipped with running water, but it also includes electricity, lighting, and ceiling fans thanks to the work of Barak's company. Photo by 2nd Lt. Karl Wiest.
