Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group and Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., erect Alaskan Shelter sleeping quarters at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The two units are joining forces to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group and Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., erect Alaskan Shelter sleeping quarters at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The two units are joining forces to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

Staff Sgt. Bruce Henderson, an infantryman assigned to Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, uses crossed ski poles to steady his aim Dec. 12, 2013 at the Malemute Drop Zone at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Henderson and his unit exited a C-130 Hercules Alaska Air National Guard aircraft from the tailgate with a full arctic combat load, demonstrating their unique ability to rapidly deploy troops into arctic environments in response to a variety of contingencies. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith/Released)

Spc. William Baker (left), an infantryman with Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 1-40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, works to secure his equipment in preparation for follow-on movement after successfully exiting a C-130 Hercules Alaska Air National Guard aircraft Dec. 12, 2013 at the Malemute Drop Zone at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Baker and his unit exited the aircraft from the tailgate with a full arctic combat load, demonstrating their unique ability to rapidly deploy troops into arctic environments in response to a variety of contingencies. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith/Released)

Super Bowl Champion.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Daniel Graham, a tight end with the Denver Broncos, shows his Championship ring from Super Bowl XXXVIII to Maj. Gen. David G. Perkins, Commanding General, 4th Infantry Division and U.S. Division-North, during the Super Sunday Tour at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Feb. 4, 2011. During the Morale, Welfare and Recreation-sponsored tour, National Football League players and cheerleaders visited with service members across Iraq to boost morale and thank troops for their sacrifices in support of the nation.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD-N PAO)

Bradley Fighting Vehicle drives off range.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Infantrymen from 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, drive their M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle off of Memorial Range after zeroing the 25mm main gun and M240B machine gun during a live fire exercise in support of Operation New Dawn near Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, July 29, 2011.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Quentin Johnson, 2nd AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD – N)

Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Special Traffic Operations, Traffic and Transportation Management Plan, and Program Contingency Engineers during the operation for the cicLAvia South Central to Leimert Park, Southwest Los Angeles Open Streets Bicycle Route and Western Avenue crossing points open to cross traffic for automobiles intersection traffic signal red lights, left turn protected red yellow green arrow lights, left turn yield on flashing yellow arrow lights and pedestrian crosswalk crossing don't walk orange hand lights located at King Estates in Southwest Los Angeles, California 90062.

(Los Angeles Police Department Southwest Division Patrol Station Number 3 and LAPD South Traffic Division Station Number 25, LADOT - Los Angeles Department of Transportation's Parking Enforcement South Los Angeles Division Agency 55 on 7510 South Figueroa Street in South Los Angeles, California 90003-1737 and Los Angeles City Council District 8, Office of Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson)

modification controlled by Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Special Traffic Operations, Transportation and Traffic Management Plan Contingency Engineers during the operation of the Homeboy Industries 5 km Run Race Course Route located at North of Chinatown and Solano Canyon district areas in the City of Los Angeles, California 90012.

End School Zone - Maximum Speed Limit 35 MPH (60 km/h).

Note: This route is used for Los Angeles Chinatown Firecracker 10k Run with a split of 5k route left turn on Bishops Road to Cathedral High School, Dodger Stadium and return to Chinatown, 10k run route continues going straight all the way to Elysian Park uphill east entrance (Park Drive). Uphill to Northeast Los Angeles Little League Baseball Field in Elysian Park and down the hill to Dodger Stadium combining with 5k run, returning to Chinatown with the same route. Kiddie K run turnaround here.

洛杉磯中國城華埠以北索拉諾 - 蘇蘭奥山谷北百老滙街及和主教道

洛杉磯中國城唐人街華埠五公里爆竹跑比賽參加者分開比賽路線在北百老滙街馬上必須要轉左在主教道前往運動場道至道奇體育場掉頭返回華埠終點結束完畢站場但是十公里跑步參加者直行走前往伊來筍公園上山.

________________________________________________

This is the 5k Run Race Route of the Homeboy - Homeboyle Industries Chinatown, Solano Canyon, Naud Industrial Junction and Outer Los Angeles State Historic Park.

這裡是5公里小家子 (家仔) 工業跑步比賽路線跑往洛杉磯華埠, 蘇蘭諾山峽谷, 諾德工業樞紐及外洛杉磯州立歷史公園區.

________________________________________________

#chinatownla #lachinatown #chinatownlosangeles #losangeleschinatown #solanocanyon #solanocanyonlosangeles #northbroadway #broadwaybishopsroad #bishopsroadbroadway #bishopsroad #cathedralhighschool #losangelesstatehistoricalpark #firecrackerla #firecracker10k #firecracker10krun #firecracker10k2019 #homeboy #homeboyindustries #homeboy5k #homeboy5krun @lachinatown

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group and Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., erect Alaskan Shelter sleeping quarters at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The two units are joining forces to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

110815-A-FP886-064 CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Staff Sgt. Joshua Moody, squad leader with Company B from Killeen, Texas, 1-5 Calvary, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Calvary Division, advises an Iraqi soldier on the range during a week of marksmanship training on an Iraqi Military Post, August 16. The Iraqi soldiers are learning basic marksmanship, close quarters marksmanship, advanced marksmanship and how to enter and clear a room in an urban environment. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Crystal Hudson, 29th MPAD, USD - N PAO)

U.S. Soldier mentors Iraqi communications specialist

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Sgt. Christopher Cisco, a signal support specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, observes Pfc. Naiem Gelewa, a communications specialist assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, as he trains on a combat network radio system at the Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center, April 6, 2011. Cisco, a native of Freehold, N.J., trains the Iraqi soldiers at GWTC to program encrypted networks, secure radio channels, and communicate with adjacent units using radio systems.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Terence Ewings, 4th AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD-N)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Private 1st Class Anthony Richardson, an infantryman assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, walks with members of the Kirkuk expanded Combined Security Force during a patrol in Kirkuk City, Iraq, March 8, 2011. The eCSF is comprised of Iraqi Army soldiers, Kurdish Regional Guard and Iraqi Policemen serving together to provide security in Kirkuk province.

(U.S. Army photo by 1st Sgt. Steven Sierras, Company A, 2nd Bn.,12th Cav. Regt., 1st AATF, 1st Inf. Div.)

Sgt. Kellyn Furgiuele of the 372nd Inland Cargo Transportation Company, 275th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command and Pfc. Michael Doumas of 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Sust. Bde., receive applause Oct. 12 after winning in their respective groups for the 310th ESC’s Grey Ghost Stakes Best Warrior and NCO competition at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.

Tech. Sgt. Robert Shipp, an aerospace ground equipment specialist from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, prepares a 60-kilowatt electric generator during camp build-up at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The 123rd is joining forces with the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

Family members, friends, fellow Soldiers and Virginia Guard senior leaders bid a formal farewell to the Soldiers of the Virginia Beach-based 1945th Contingency Contracting Team, 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group Feb. 8, 2014, at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach. Virginia Sen. Jeffrey L. McWaters of the 8th District, Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Long Jr., the Adjutant General of Virginia, Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis A. Green, the Virginia National Guard Senior Enlisted Leader, Col. Michelle Rose, commander of the 329th RSG, Lt. Col. Michael Waterman, commander of the 529th CSSB, Lt. Col. Brent Carey, team leader of the 1944th CCT, and Capt. Bert Hankins, commander of the 1945th CCT, were among the speakers at the ceremony. The four-Soldier team will now head to Camp Shelby, Miss., for premobilization training before they head to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (Photo by Master Sgt. A.J. Coyne, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

Maj. Ryan Adams, airflow operations officer for the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, establishes secure voice communications with U.S. Transportation Command officials within one hour of landing at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The 123rd is joining forces with the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE COBRA, Iraq – Soldiers with 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Division – North, and local Iraqis load various commercial products and goods onto a truck at Contingency Operating Base Cobra, Iraq, July 2011. The supplies were part of a combined humanitarian aid project to support local Iraqi families in the villages surrounding COS Cobra in support of Operation New Dawn.

(U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Randy Warren, 2/1 CAV AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD-N)

PALU, Indonesia (Oct. 9, 2018) - A bird's-eye view of the airport hangar in Balikpapan, Indonesia. Members from the 36th Contingency Response Group at Andersen, Air and 374th Airlift Wing from Yokota Air Base, Japan are supporting the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) humanitarian relief efforts after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck Indonesia's Sulawesi Island Sept. 28, 2018. The airport is the staging ground for all humanitarian goods before being transported to Palu, Indonesia where they are received and distributed to those affected. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. JT May III) 181009-F-ZM606-076

** Interested in following U.S. Indo-Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/indopacom | twitter.com/PacificCommand |

www.instagram.com/indopacom | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/ **

Pictured: Okehampton Camp and 'tent city'

Ten Tors is one of the biggest multi-agency, tri service civil contingency exercises in Britain. It is run by more than nine hundred military personnel - almost all of them Reservists - from all three branches of the Armed Forces, led by the Army’s 43 (Wessex) Brigade with its HQ in Tidworth, Wiltshire.

The 54th running of the event this year comes just months after military personnel, including Reservists from the South West , assisted local authorities, the Environment Agency and blue-light services during the floods, carrying out a range of tasks from sandbagging to engineering.

As a military exercise Ten Tors provides the Armed Forces with an invaluable opportunity to practice these life-saving civil contingency responsibilities, to enable the military - assisted by the emergency services, including The British Red Cross and the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Group - to be ready to help when they are called upon during a national emergency.

Brigadier Piers Hankinson MBE, Director of Ten Tors, is the Commander of 43 (Wessex) Brigade and was the Joint Military Commander for the South West during the flooding.

“The severe flooding across parts of the South West earlier this year clearly demonstrates the importance of such training and the ability to react to fast changing conditions and working in a multi-agency tri-service team. It also highlights the way that Reservists, who have wide ranging civilian experience and employment (from plumbers to accountants), train to operate with their regular counterparts under a One-Army ethos.”

Ten Tors:

As well as a vital high-level military exercise, The Ten Tors Challenge is also one of the biggest outdoors adventure events for young people in Britain today. In all, 2400 youngsters aged between 14 and 19 will take part in Ten Tors, with a further 300 youngsters with physical or educational needs taking part in the Jubilee Challenge.

The majority of the teams who enter Ten Tors are from schools and youth groups from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. As usual, scores of scout groups, sports and ramblers teams and Armed Forces cadet units have accepted the challenge and are taking part.

Those teenagers taking on the Ten Tors Challenge will trek unaided over 35, 45 or 55 miles of some of the toughest terrain and highest peaks in Southern England relying on their navigational skills and carrying all their food, water, bedding, tents and other essentials as they go.

It is a feat they must complete as a team and without any help from adults and they’ll remain entirely self-sufficient during their arduous expeditions, including camping out overnight on the moor.

They do it for the challenge; to test themselves against one of the last remaining wildernesses in Britain. What they get in return for their months of hard training and commitment, as well as determination and bravery during the event itself, is an experience they’ll remember forever and the chance to learn a set of skills and values which will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s a rite of passage which has played a positive and formative role in shaping the lives of more than a quarter of a million people.

NOTE TO DESKS:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain Crown Copyright 2013.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Si Longworth RLC (Phot)

Email: simonlongworth@mediaops.army.mod.uk

richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk

shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk

Si Longworth - 07414 191994

Richard Watt - 07836 515306

Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723

The North Dakota Army National Guard’s C-12 aircraft arrives at the Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility, in Bismarck, on Sept. 10, 2013. The aircraft brought home the final three Soldiers of a four-Soldier team of the 1919th Contingency Contracting Team (CCT) that served nine months in Qatar and Afghanistan supporting contracting operations. (National Guard Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Steve Urlacher, N.D. National Guard Visual Information/Released)

For more on the North Dakota National Guard, check out:

Website: www.ndguard.ngb.army.mil

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NDNationalGuard

YouTube: www.youtube.com/NDNationalGuard

Twitter: www.twitter.com/NDNationalGuard

Copyright information: www.ndguard.ngb.army.mil/news/pressroom/Pages/Copyright.aspx

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group and Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., erect a tent at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The two units are joining forces to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

Members of the 36th Contingency Response group board a C-17 Globemaster III destined for Kathmandu, Nepal, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 4, 2015. The CRG will join U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development led humanitarian and disaster relief operations in support of the government and armed forces of Nepal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Ashley Conner/Released)

Super Bowl Champion.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Daniel Graham, a tight end with the Denver Broncos, shows his Championship ring from Super Bowl XXXVIII to Maj. Gen. David G. Perkins, Commanding General, 4th Infantry Division and U.S. Division-North, during the Super Sunday Tour at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Feb. 4, 2011. During the Morale, Welfare and Recreation-sponsored tour, National Football League players and cheerleaders visited with service members across Iraq to boost morale and thank troops for their sacrifices in support of the nation.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, USD-N PAO)

Pictured:

Ten Tors is one of the biggest multi-agency, tri service civil contingency exercises in Britain. It is run by more than nine hundred military personnel - almost all of them Reservists - from all three branches of the Armed Forces, led by the Army’s 43 (Wessex) Brigade with its HQ in Tidworth, Wiltshire.

The 54th running of the event this year comes just months after military personnel, including Reservists from the South West , assisted local authorities, the Environment Agency and blue-light services during the floods, carrying out a range of tasks from sandbagging to engineering.

As a military exercise Ten Tors provides the Armed Forces with an invaluable opportunity to practice these life-saving civil contingency responsibilities, to enable the military - assisted by the emergency services, including The British Red Cross and the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Group - to be ready to help when they are called upon during a national emergency.

Brigadier Piers Hankinson MBE, Director of Ten Tors, is the Commander of 43 (Wessex) Brigade and was the Joint Military Commander for the South West during the flooding.

“The severe flooding across parts of the South West earlier this year clearly demonstrates the importance of such training and the ability to react to fast changing conditions and working in a multi-agency tri-service team. It also highlights the way that Reservists, who have wide ranging civilian experience and employment (from plumbers to accountants), train to operate with their regular counterparts under a One-Army ethos.”

Ten Tors:

As well as a vital high-level military exercise, The Ten Tors Challenge is also one of the biggest outdoors adventure events for young people in Britain today. In all, 2400 youngsters aged between 14 and 19 will take part in Ten Tors, with a further 300 youngsters with physical or educational needs taking part in the Jubilee Challenge.

The majority of the teams who enter Ten Tors are from schools and youth groups from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. As usual, scores of scout groups, sports and ramblers teams and Armed Forces cadet units have accepted the challenge and are taking part.

Those teenagers taking on the Ten Tors Challenge will trek unaided over 35, 45 or 55 miles of some of the toughest terrain and highest peaks in Southern England relying on their navigational skills and carrying all their food, water, bedding, tents and other essentials as they go.

It is a feat they must complete as a team and without any help from adults and they’ll remain entirely self-sufficient during their arduous expeditions, including camping out overnight on the moor.

They do it for the challenge; to test themselves against one of the last remaining wildernesses in Britain. What they get in return for their months of hard training and commitment, as well as determination and bravery during the event itself, is an experience they’ll remember forever and the chance to learn a set of skills and values which will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s a rite of passage which has played a positive and formative role in shaping the lives of more than a quarter of a million people.

NOTE TO DESKS:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain Crown Copyright 2013.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Si Longworth RLC (Phot)

Email: simonlongworth@mediaops.army.mod.uk

richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk

shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk

Si Longworth - 07414 191994

Richard Watt - 07836 515306

Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723

As part of the ongoing Africa Contingency Operations Training & Assistance (ACOTA) program, 1st Lt. Salvatore Buzzurro, USARAF ACOTA military mentor, talk with members of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces about a variety of infantry skills such as improvised explosive device awareness, rifle marksmanship, movement techniques (wedge, file, staggered column), battle drills (break contact, react to a sniper and hasty attack) and establishing a combat outpost.

Photo by U.S. Army Africa

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

Certificates of Appreciation were presented to some of the BAF in Pink volunteers from the 401st. Without their hard work, the successful Breast Cancer Awareness Run could not have taken place. The event drew more than 760 entrants and raised more than $4,000 in donations for Young Survivor Coalition. GREAT JOB!!!

About the 401st:

The 401st Army field Support Brigade provides Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, and Marines, the tools and resources necessary to complete the mission. If they shoot, drive it, fly it, wear it, eat it or communicate with it, the 401st helps provide it. The brigade assists coalition partners with many of their logistical and sustainment needs. The brigade also handles the responsible disposition of equipment in Afghanistan to support evolving missions. We are the single link between Warfighters in the field, and working through Army Sustainment Command, we leverage Army Materiel Command’s worldwide Materiel Enterprise to develop, deliver, and sustain materiel to ensure a dominant joint force for the U.S. and our Allies.

For More information please visit us online:

401st AFSB Facebook

Army Sustainment Command

Army Materiel Command

Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg, Commander, U.S. Army Africa, delivers remarks at the 236th Army Birthday Ball at 11 Degrees North Community Center, Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, May 28, 2011.

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Austin M. May

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

More than 300 Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa service members attended the event. Hogg's speech focused on the history and importance of the U.S. Army and its role in today's Overseas Contingency Operations.

Decisive Action Rotations at the National Training Center ensure units remain versatile, responsive, and consistently available for current and future contingencies. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Lisa Orender, Operations Group, National Training Center)

PABRADE, Lihtuania --U.S. Army Europe Contingency

Command Post fire support officer Maj. Bryan Schotts

leads an After Action Review of the Saber Strike exercise June 13,

2013. Saber Strike 2013 is a U.S. Army Europe-led, multinational,

tactical field training and command post exercise occurring in

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia June 3-14 that involves more than 2,000

personnel from 14 different countries. The exercise trains

participants on command and control as well as interoperability with

regional partners and is designed to improve joint, multinational

capability in a variety of missions and to prepare participants to

support multinational contingency operations worldwide. (Photo by U.S.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Victor Aguirre)

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group and Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., erect Alaskan Shelter sleeping quarters at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The two units are joining forces to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

After going up the ladder, looking down, and realizing I would have 0 hands on the ladder while staining... I knew that falling into metal spiral stairs would be REALLY FSCKING PAINFUL. Fortunately, being a horder, I had all the couch cushions left over from the last 3 couches we trashed. These were shoved in between the steps, to provide a contingency plan: If falling, bounce and bruise -- don't break bones!

BACKSTORY: Anyone who reads our contract (link below) can see that it specified to move the closet and built-in shelves. But Virginia Design Builders's workers -- the workers hired by Daniel M. Lopez -- were unable to properly move the closet without destroying it. And they "accidentally" threw away our shelves. They also broke the trim at the edge of the closet.

And then guess what? The asshole refused to stain the broken trim (and everythign else they broke/threw away too) to match the pre-existing color, leaving US with the job of restoring what they broke to the condition it was in before broken. Months of wood-staining hell thanks to the inability of Daniel M. Lopez's company to follow simple contractual instructions, as well as a total lack of honor in fully restoring damaged sections to their pre-damaged condition. We called the broken trim "Mt. Trim", because it was the hardest spot to physical reach in the entire house -- and we had to go up there 10+ times to stain it.

STAINING IS A PAIN: Just for reference, proper wood staining is a MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR pain in the ass. The wood filling, the sanding, the pre-conditioning, staining, the wiping, the dropcloths, the multiple coats of everything, the (4) polyurethane coats [which often required holding a lamp in one hand, to reflect light on it to ensure evenness], and the final sanding. And don't get me started on the timing: Stain 20 minutes after pre-conditioning, but only for 2 hours; stain in 20 minute cycles consisting of 4 sub-cycles: stain area #1, stain area #2, wipe area #1, wipe area #2. Then break, get new gloves, and start over. A 20 minute cycle might equal 2 shelves, or 2 boards from ceiling to floor. Our spreadsheet had over 200 cells. At the end of the day, the only way to get stain off your skin was to apply paint thinner directly to your skin in violation of the instructions, common sense, and one's best interests...

wood staining.

carpet, cushions, spiral stairs.

downstairs, Clint and Carolyn's house, Alexandria, Virginia.

June 23, 2007.

... Read my blog at ClintJCL.wordpress.com

... Read Carolyn's blog at CarolynCASL.wordpress.com

LEGAL: To see an official VA DPOR sanction of $500 (+$150) against Dan Lopez and Virginia Design Builders: www.acm.vt.edu/~clint/download/filedump/2008/daniel-m-lop... ... These people were suing him for $400K last time I checked.To see OUR contract with Dan Lopez / Virginia Design Builders: www.acm.vt.edu/~clint/download/filedump/2008/daniel-m-lop... ... Just in case anybody doesn't believe me.icture, pool table, sandpaper, scissors.

upstairs, Clint and Carolyn's house, Alexandria, Virginia.

June 4, 2007.

... Read my blog at ClintJCL.wordpress.com

... Read Carolyn's blog at CarolynCASL.wordpress.com

Current Status RETIRED

P.S several are still in contingency fleet and IN SERVICE

powered and switched off modification controlled by Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Special Traffic Operations, Traffic and Transportation Management Plan, and Program Contingency Engineers during the operation for the Los Angeles Marathon Mile 2 from the Start Line of Dodger Stadium to the Avenue of the Stars Race Course Route in Century City Finish Line replaced the Santa Monica Finish Line of its extended race course route to the Sea of Santa Monica Bay next to Pacific Ocean, College Street intersection traffic signal red lights, left turn protected permissive green yellow lights and pedestrian crosswalk crossing don't walk orange hand lights, Chinatown Central Plaza Mid-Block Pedestrian Crosswalk Crossing traffic signal red yellow green straight arrow lights, Bernard Street intersection of the intersections traffic signal green yellow red lights, left turn protected permissive green yellow arrow lights, pedestrian crosswalk crossing white walking person lights and don't walk orange hand lights located at Won Won Mini Market in Chinatown Los Angeles, California 90012 where this intersection is frequently used and it is so busy periodically.

This is the continuous route for the Los Angeles Chinatown Firecracker 10k run race route where it passes through Dodger Stadium Sunset Gate A, Pasadena Freeway State Highway Junction Route CA-110 Arroyo Seco Parkway and Stadium Way Gate in Solano Canyon Downtown Los Angeles, California 90012.

洛杉磯中國城華埠北百老滙街及奧德街

旺旺 Won-Won Mini Market Inc.

This is the continuous Ciclavia Heart of Los Angeles Car-Free Open-Streets Bicycle Route

@chinatownla @lachinatown @chinatownlosangeles @losangeleschinatown @wonwonminimarket @LAMarathon @LosAngelesMarathon

#northbroadway #broadway #ordstreet #northbroadwayandordstreet #broadwayandordstreet #lamarathon #losangelesmarathon #lamarathonstadiumtothestars #stadiumtothestars #chinatownlosangeles #chinatownla #lagoldendragonparade #goldendragonparade #wonwonminimarket #lachinatown #chinatownlosangeles #losangeleschinatown #northbroadway #broadwayord #ordbroadway #westordstreet #wonwonminimarket #LAMarathon #LosAngelesMarathon #lamarathonstadiumtothestars #stadiumtothestars

A paratrooper assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, charges up the stairs of a building during live fire training on Fort Bragg, Sept. 9, 2013. The White Falcons, currently part of the Global Response Force, conducted a two-week intensive training cycle designed to reinforce combat skills for the nation’s airborne assault-capable, contingency unit.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Hull)

WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL, NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (NEMA), MUHAMMAD SANI SIDI AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE HANDING OVER AND VALIDATION TABLE TOP SIMULATION EXERCISE OF THE NIGERIAN CIVIL AND MILITARY PANDEMIC INFLUENZA RESPONSE PLANS AND THE MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO CIVIL AUTHORITIES DISASTER CONTINGENCY PLAN AT THE TRANSCORP HILTON ABUJA 14TH - 22ND, NOVEMBER 2013.

PROTOCOL.

It is my pleasure and honor to formally welcome you all to this important event of the opening ceremony of the unveiling of the National Influenza Pandemic Disaster Response Plan and the Military Pandemic Disaster Contingency Plan by NEMA, the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) and other stakeholders. This event also involves the Validation Table Top Simulation Exercise and the Development of 5-year Strategic Work Plan events for emergency response stakeholders in Nigeria. In this regards, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and indeed the Federal Government and the good people of Nigeria stretches their arms of fellowship and solidarity to welcome His Excellency, the USA Ambassador to Nigeria, officials of AFRICOM, the Centre for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and all the relevant arms of the United Nations here present. The Agency sincerely appreciates all your efforts towards the success of this very important exercise.

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, going down memory lane, in 1918, the world experienced the Spanish influenza pandemic that claimed over twenty (20) million lives. The figure as it were, was more than the total number of deaths recorded in the course of World War 1. The current global alert of a possible influenza pandemic likely to be caused by a novel virus makes it imperative for every nation to prepare in advance its response mechanisms for such a catastrophe. While it is obvious that no nation is immune to disasters and pandemic crises, it is equally alarming that such emergencies are not restricted by international boundaries or frontiers. This, therefore, calls for conscious planning, and response preparedness and enhanced international cooperation as signified by this very important event we are witnessing today.

Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, you will recall, that in October 2011 at the Eko Suites, Victoria Island Lagos, the USAFRICOM and the Center for Disease and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine in partnership with NEMA conducted a Pandemic Disaster Response Table Top Simulation Exercise; “the Draft Pandemic Influenza Disaster Response Plan”. This plan was earlier drafted by the Federal Ministry of Health, National Stakeholders and other relevant arms of the UN system based in Nigeria at Kaduna by 2009. The exercise was followed up by an after-action review meeting which was conducted to make necessary corrections to the Draft National Influenza Pandemic Disaster Response Plan from lessons learnt and was immediately followed by a meeting to draft the Military Pandemic Disaster Contingency Plan in Abuja 28th – 29th November, 2012. This exercise was also preceded by the drafting of the Military Support to Civilian Authorities Disaster Contingency Plan that also took place in Abuja 15th – 18th April, 2013. A validation meeting of the three plans was then carried out by very senior strategic officers of NEMA, the Defence Headquarters, the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in Washington DC between 23rd – 27th September, 2013. Today’s presentation and validation exercise marks the successful accomplishment of this tortuous but onerous task that is critical to our national preparedness and disaster resilience.

NEMA in line with its mandate of coordinating disaster management in Nigeria is always willing to provide the leading role for a coherent, integrated and coordinated mechanism that enhances unity of purpose and synergy amongst its stakeholders. In this regards, the provision of the mechanisms for epidemiological information, integrated communication strategy and a well articulated emergency response as contained in the Pandemic Response Plan being presented today by USAFRICOM is quite commendable. You will all agree with me that failure to develop such response plan can be disastrous for any nation; the outbreak of pandemic influenza will not only lead to illnesses and death of persons but also impact negatively on all aspects of national well-being and translate into broader negative socio-economic consequences. Needless to add, that the vulnerable groups which in most cases are usually the aged, women and children are more likely to be at a higher risk and thereby facing greater consequences arising from the outbreak of pandemics. Similarly, the limited awareness to disaster risk reduction information in developing countries like ours has further compounded the challenges associated with pandemic influenza thereby making today’s exercise quite apt, timely and imperative.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, let me use this opportunity to express my gratitude to USAID, the USAFRICOM, the UN system and all other National and International partners and collaborators that have committed their valuable time and resources to ensure the successful accomplishment of the Pandemic Response Plan. May I, specifically, convey my sincere appreciation to the Honourable Ministers of Health, Defence, Foreign Affairs, the Chief of Defence Staff, His Excellency, the American Ambassador in Nigeria and all the distinguished guests here present including members of the press that graced this occasion despite your tight schedules. Permit me to also to express my sincere gratitude to our national partners especially the Military, the Nigeria Police, the NSCDC, the Federal Fire Service, the State SEMAs, the academia and several others too numerous to mention here for the continuous unflinching support and solidarity. For our International partners, I wish to once more sincerely thank you for tasking yourselves to ensure the successful accomplishment of this endeavor and travelling long distances to witness the presentation to the Pandemic Response Plan. This indeed is a rare demonstration of a sustainable international cooperation and solidarity to make the world a more resilient and safer place for all of us.

Thank you all and God Bless.

Soldiers present and post the colors of the 4th Infantry Division during the division’s color casing ceremony in a hangar, Oct. 20, 2011 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq. The "Ivy Division" completed its yearlong Operation New Dawn deployment, spending a year commanding and controlling United States Division-North and Task Force Iron Horse. The 4th Infantry Division controlled approximately 49,000 square miles, covering the area between Baghdad and the Iraq-Turkey border.

Capt. Jeff Clark, an airfield management officer from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, measures the flight line to determine an aircraft parking plan at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 5, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The 123rd is joining forces with the U.S. Army’s active-duty 689th Rapid Port Opening Element from Fort Eustis, Va., to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit. The aerial port ensures the smooth flow of cargo and relief supplies into affected areas by airlift, while the trucking unit facilitates their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

3 MERCIAN Mortar Cadre

With training for contingency ops a priority, the need to train in all weathers is exemplified by soldiers on the 3 MERCIAN Mortar Cadre. Being able to do your job in the cold or the heat is paramount so the weather provided the perfect training opportunity!

Photo credit to read - Cpl Ross Fernie RLC Crown Copyright

A U.S. Marine Corps infantryman with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Forward) participates in a mock assault during exercise Cobra Gold 2011 in Hat Yao, Thailand, on Feb. 11, 2011. Cobra Gold is a regularly scheduled joint/combined exercise designed to ensure regional peace and strengthen the ability of the Royal Thai Armed Forces to defend Thailand or respond to regional contingencies. DoD photo by Pfc. Nathaniel J. Henry, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)

Pictured:

Ten Tors is one of the biggest multi-agency, tri service civil contingency exercises in Britain. It is run by more than nine hundred military personnel - almost all of them Reservists - from all three branches of the Armed Forces, led by the Army’s 43 (Wessex) Brigade with its HQ in Tidworth, Wiltshire.

The 54th running of the event this year comes just months after military personnel, including Reservists from the South West , assisted local authorities, the Environment Agency and blue-light services during the floods, carrying out a range of tasks from sandbagging to engineering.

As a military exercise Ten Tors provides the Armed Forces with an invaluable opportunity to practice these life-saving civil contingency responsibilities, to enable the military - assisted by the emergency services, including The British Red Cross and the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Group - to be ready to help when they are called upon during a national emergency.

Brigadier Piers Hankinson MBE, Director of Ten Tors, is the Commander of 43 (Wessex) Brigade and was the Joint Military Commander for the South West during the flooding.

“The severe flooding across parts of the South West earlier this year clearly demonstrates the importance of such training and the ability to react to fast changing conditions and working in a multi-agency tri-service team. It also highlights the way that Reservists, who have wide ranging civilian experience and employment (from plumbers to accountants), train to operate with their regular counterparts under a One-Army ethos.”

Ten Tors:

As well as a vital high-level military exercise, The Ten Tors Challenge is also one of the biggest outdoors adventure events for young people in Britain today. In all, 2400 youngsters aged between 14 and 19 will take part in Ten Tors, with a further 300 youngsters with physical or educational needs taking part in the Jubilee Challenge.

The majority of the teams who enter Ten Tors are from schools and youth groups from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. As usual, scores of scout groups, sports and ramblers teams and Armed Forces cadet units have accepted the challenge and are taking part.

Those teenagers taking on the Ten Tors Challenge will trek unaided over 35, 45 or 55 miles of some of the toughest terrain and highest peaks in Southern England relying on their navigational skills and carrying all their food, water, bedding, tents and other essentials as they go.

It is a feat they must complete as a team and without any help from adults and they’ll remain entirely self-sufficient during their arduous expeditions, including camping out overnight on the moor.

They do it for the challenge; to test themselves against one of the last remaining wildernesses in Britain. What they get in return for their months of hard training and commitment, as well as determination and bravery during the event itself, is an experience they’ll remember forever and the chance to learn a set of skills and values which will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

It’s a rite of passage which has played a positive and formative role in shaping the lives of more than a quarter of a million people.

NOTE TO DESKS:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain Crown Copyright 2013.

Photo credit to read - Cpl Si Longworth RLC (Phot)

Email: simonlongworth@mediaops.army.mod.uk

richardwatt@mediaops.army.mod.uk

shanewilkinson@mediaops.army.mod.uk

Si Longworth - 07414 191994

Richard Watt - 07836 515306

Shane Wilkinson - 07901 590723

Located approximately 50 miles south of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and 40 miles north of Chicago, the Zion facility is in the process of being decommissioned. Eventually, the whole structure will be removed even desks and chairs, in short, anything at all that might even have the slightest radioactive contamination; and there will be objects that have it.

The issue here is nuclear plant safety and it applies to all facilities no matter where they are located. The Zion plant is a good example of the numerous issues involved. For instance, what if there had been a situation similar to Fukushima? A double reactor core meltdown and spent fuel pool damage with massive, potentially catastrophic radiation release in a geographical area with a huge population, one much larger than in Fukushima prefecture. How would you protect people or evacuate before they were overtaken by a plume of radiation containing cancer causing fission products like cesium-137 and iodine-131?

Nuclear plants are built on 'design-basis' contingencies. In other words, what the company, NRC, the state in which it is located, and other stakeholders think is likely to happen accident-wise. At Fukushima it was not thought there could ever be a combination of earthquake magnitude 9.0 and a massive tsunami capable of inundating the coastline even though there was historical proof that that area had suffered from massive tsunamis in the past. Consequently, the seawall was not high enough to fight off the tsunami wave that flooded the entire plant and knocked out all power, creating what is known as 'station blackout' where all AC power has been lost. The wave also knocked out the on-site DC generators. With no power the molten reactor core began to boil off the cooling water. The severity of the natural event destroyed nearby roads and infrastructure creating chaos, leaving the facility pretty much isolated. The water boiled away and core meltdown began.

There is a strong argument that all facilities should be constructed on a 'beyond-design-basis' plan. In other words, try to factor in the seeming improbable, unlikely set of events, especially with emphasis on maintaining DC power for days and not just hours in case of a severe accident.

As you can see from the images, the Zion facility looks very vulnerable. The Lake Michigan water level is low, but what is there to prevent it from rising? There's no seawall there to deflect the water. Granted, it is unlikely there could be a tsunami in the lake, but there could be other ways the lake could suddenly rise and flood the plant. This is especially true of other still operating plants that are downstream from dams. What if the dam burst?

LaSalle, Illinois has a boiling water reactor similar to the ones at Fukushima. Could it withstand an F5 tornado? An F5 hit the south suburbs of Chicago in 1990. And the tornado would not have to strike the plant directly. It could knock out all AC power and cripple the plant. Would they be able to maintain cooling long enough before core meltdown began? A fifty mile evacuation zone around LaSalle includes all but the far northern suburbs of Chicago. The plant is built of concrete and reinforced steel; but the winds of an F5 tornado are around 250 to 300 miles an hour. We've all seen news footage of what destruction a tornado can cause. Hard to believe there's any facility that could survive a storm of that ferocity. Don't want to think about that scenario.

The nuclear industry is privately owned and operated for profit. Would companies make very expensive safety improvements if it hurts the precious bottom line? I think the answer to that is pretty clear.

So we all need to be very concerned about what is happening in this industry. Almost every plant in the country, and probably the world, has had some type of accident or radiation release. The chances of accidents happening are numerous, including weather events, fire, equipment failure, aging equipment and, perhaps most importantly of all, human error and the sometimes frailty of the human condition. For instance, the manager of one unnamed plant came to work drunk. A security guard at another once shot himself in the foot. In what is termed force-on-force security testing plant 'invaders', or 'intruders' sometimes win the contest with the security guards and enter the facility.

Back to safety one more time. Spent fuel pools. The spent fuel must be kept cool. The Unit 4 pool at Fukushima is said to have contained 14,000 the amount of radiation released by the Hiroshima atomic bomb. In the United States the tendency is to pack the fuel more densely into the pools to the amount of five times that of Fukushima Unit 4. Do the math.

The Zion plant still has 1500 tons of spent fuel in its pool. Eventually, it is slated to be transferred, or is already being transferred, to dry cask strorage which will be kept on-site and under armed guard indefinitely. Dry casks are concrete and steel containers that are air-cooled.

Information gleaned from the following sources:

Dr. Helen Caldicott and Nuclear Free Planet. org;

Beyond Nuclear.org

Union of Concerned Scientists.org and the book entitled 'Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster

NEIS.org

and various other sources too numerous to mention.

A 'good' documentary to watch is called Chernobyl Heart. You can find it on You Tube.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Captain Rodney Saunders, head emergency room nurse, 256th Combat Support Hospital, explains CSH trauma room procedures to 1st Lt. Ayyub, a nurse assigned to the Iraqi Air Force Academy Clinic at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Aug. 9, 2011. Saunders, who hails from Fredricktown, Ohio, explained to his Iraqi counterpart, that in order to serve their patients in life threatening situations, they must maintain rigid organization of equipment.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. David Ruehling, 621st Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., waits to marshal out a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft on Geronimo landing zone during a field exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC), Fort Polk, La., Jan. 16, 2014. Service members at JRTC 14-03 are educated in combat patient care and aeromedical evacuation in a simulated combat environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Matthew Smith/Released)

Staff Sgt. Ebony Spann and Sgt. Ricky Tucker tape steps on the side of command vehicle platform as part of a joint inspection prior to participation in U.S. Army Africa’s Contingency Command Post deployment exercise, Aug. 8-12. Spann and Tucker and the CCP team of more than 20 Soldiers and civilians participated in an exercise that validated the use, operation and deployment of an expeditionary command post.

Photo by Rich Bartell, U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs

To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil

Join the U.S. Army Africa conversation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArmyAfrica

Rendering honors.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – Spc. Mario Bravo, right, a military policeman assigned to 512th Military Police Company, attached to 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, salutes Col. Malcolm Frost, brigade commander of 2nd AAB, 25th Inf. Div., during an award ceremony at the Salie Gym on Contingency Operating Base Warhorse, Diyala province, Iraq, Jan. 23, 2011. The 512th MP Company conducted missions with their Iraqi Police counterparts in the Diyala, Salah ad Din and Kirkuk provinces during the final months of Operation Iraqi Freedom through Operation New Dawn. The 272nd Military Police Company, based out of Mannheim, Germany, will replace the 512th MP Company, which will return to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., in February.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Robert England, 2nd AAB PAO, 25th Inf. Div., USD-N)

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Louie Lacsina, 36th Mobility Response Squadron air transportation specialist, unloads vehicles from a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal, May 5, 2015. The 36th CRG is a rapid-deployment unit designed to establish and maintain airfield operations in a forward operating location and joined U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development led humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in support of the government and armed forces of Nepal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Melissa White/Released)

Spc. Soledad Siordia, a driver with Bravo Company, 1-185th Armor (Combined Arms Battalion), 81st Brigade Combat Team, California Army National Guard, conducts maintenance on a vehicle Feb. 5 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq. About 900 California National Guardsmen deployed with the 81st BCT based out of Seattle in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in August. They are scheduled to return home this summer

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Iraqi Police from the Aruba IP Station unload boxes of supplies for children at al Fadallah Elementary school during the school’s reopening ceremony March 14, 2011. Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, from Fort Riley, Kan., deployed to U.S. Division-North in support of Operation New Dawn, supported the IPs efforts to refurbish the school house, providing a better learning environment for children in Kirkuk.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kandi Huggins, 1st AATF PAO, 1st Inf. Div., USD-N)