U.S. Marines place cages on drainage pipes to prevent insurgents from inserting explosive materials along a road in Helmand province, Afghanistan, Aug. 19, 2011. The Marines are assigned to the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group. The engineers covered nearly 33 miles of Route 606, one of the country's busiest roads. The cages will improve safety for troops and travelers.U.S. Marines Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Bruno J. Bego.
Airman 1st Class Kristofer Gantenbein, Kadena Honor Guardsman from the 18th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, practices a two-man flag fold with the aid of another guardsman at the Honor Guard building on Kadena Air Base, Japan, Aug. 17. Guardsmen typically practice Wednesdays and Saturdays for a few hours at a time to ensure they stay at their best. Members who try out for honor guard must first attend the two-week training course or T-flight every few months, where they learn a more in-depth sense of attention to detail, a stronger military bearing and how to stay sharp despite being the center of attention. U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Maeson L. Elleman.
Staff Sgt. Crystal Sheffield (right) and Airman 1st Class Amber Hoedebeck, 623rd Air Control Flight weapons directors, control a mission by using a Base Air Defense Ground Environment system at Naha Air Base, Japan. The 623rd ACF is in charge of commanding and controlling 85 percent of local F-15 daily training as well as real-world operations, providing overlapping command and control support with AWACS aircraft and providing primary support when AWACS is not available. U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Steven Nabor.
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SOUTH CHINA SEA (Aug. 26, 2011) The guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93), front center, leads a formation of U.S. and Republic of Singapore navy ships during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Singapore 2011. The formation of ships includes the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3), middle center; the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54), rear center; Republic of Singapore navy corvette RSS Vigour (FFG 92), front left; Republic of Singapore navy frigate RSS Supreme (FFG 73), rear left; Republic of Singapore navy corvette RSS Valiant (FFG 91), front right; and the Republic of Singapore navy frigate RSS (FFG 72). CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Katerine Noll/Released)
TOKYO BAY (Aug. 27, 2011) Friends and family members of Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) observe the launch of an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Royal Maces of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 27 as part of a friends and family day cruise. The cruise allowed Sailors' families and friends to get a first-hand look at what life for their Sailor is like at sea. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Juan Pinalez.
NORFOLK (Aug. 28, 2011) Aviation Ordnancemen 3rd Class Jessica Pine saws tree branches during clean-up efforts at Naval Station Norfolk in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Sunderman.
Transport teams at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Aug. 27, 2011, receive one of the last 18 patients from Walter Reed Army Medical Center being transferred to what will become the new Walter Reed National Medical Center. DOD photo by Donna Miles.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Garner cleans up tree branches knocked loose during heavy rains and winds from Hurricane Irene at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., Aug. 27, 2011. Garner is a pavement and equipment operator from Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling Public Works. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brittany E. Jones.
Maryland National Guard Soldiers from units across the state, seen here Aug. 28, 2011, worked around the clock to provide critical support to civilian law enforcement and firefighting agencies in Salisbury, Md., during Hurricane Irene. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Rick Breitenfeldt)
U.S. Navy Seaman Rachel Foster wraps cargo nets on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis during a vertical replenishment in the Pacific Ocean, Aug. 22, 2011. The John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the western Pacific Ocean and the Arabian Gulf. Foster is a logistics specialist. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin Crossley.
Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of NATO and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan, promoted Airman 1st Class Gabriel J. Poling, a cyber transport systems airman deployed from 325th Communications Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Aug. 25 to the rank of senior airman. The impromptu promotion ceremony took place on the flightline of Kabul International Airport following a battlefield circulation of Regional Command-Southwest. Airman Poling is part of COMISAF's joint communications team who help keep Gen. Allen connected to military and civilian leaders about all things Afghanistan. ISAF is a key component of the international community's engagement in Afghanistan, assisting Afghan authorities in providing security and stability while creating the conditions for reconstruction development. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Michael O'Connor).
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kenneth Gormley from Medway, Mass., Charlie Company 1-182nd Infantry Regiment, security force for Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah pulls security while other PRT members check on the quality of Sheik Mahmoud Road, Shib-e Koh District, Farah Province, Afghanistan, Aug. 25. PRT Farah conducts quality assurance checks on road projects to ensure that contractors meet the construction requirements outlined by the PRT and government officials. Constructing improved roads enables better security, economic development and governance throughout the province. (ISAF photo/ USAF SrA Alexandra Hoachlander)
Army 1st Lt. Katie Elkins begins rappelling from the tower at the Joint Maneuver Training Center on Camp Atterbury, Ind., Aug. 18, 2011. Elkins is assigned to the Indiana National Guard's 81st Troop Command. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Will Tyndall.
Army soldiers teach students sling load operations with a CH-47 Chinook helicopter at the Army Pathfinder School on Fort Pickett, Va., Aug. 19, 2011. The soldiers are assigned to the Fort Benning-based Warrior Training Center. The mission of a Pathfinder is to provide technical assistance and advise the ground unit commander on combat assault operations, sling load operations, air movement, airborne operations, and aerial re-supply by fixed and rotary wing aircraft. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew H. Owen.
