U.S. Air Force Capt. Clark Morgan, 36th Mobility Response Squadron Contingency Engineer Flight commander with Joint Task force 505, talks with Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal members while they repair the runway at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, May 10. The Nepalese officials and Airmen teamed up to conduct necessary repairs to the airfield after it sustained damage following a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the nation April 25. In response to the Nepal earthquake, the U.S. military sent Airmen, Marines, Soldiers and Sailors as part of JTF 505 to support the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission in Nepal at the direction of U.S. Agency for International Development. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Melissa B. White/Released)

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)

Most days I try to take a picture of something, even if it's just a chronicle of what I was doing that day, so I have something to fall back on for the 365. Rarely have I wanted or needed to use it as the actual shot... today was one of those days though.

Karen Durham-Aguilera (center), Director of Contingency Operations and Office of Homeland Security for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, gets a briefing from project engineer Capt. David Vasquez on the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway project March 10, 2015 in Folsom, California. A member of the Senior Executive Service, Durham-Aguilera is responsible for leadership of the Corps' missions in support of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of the Army and the Department of Defense. (U.S. Army photo by Todd Plain/Released)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Specialist Rodolfo Moreno, a finance specialist with the 4th Financial Management Company, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, repaints the name of his brother-in-law, Sgt. Israel Devora-Garcia, on the Warrior Memorial Wall at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Iraq, Aug. 6, 2011. “Everything I am able to do is thanks to his sacrifice, and I am grateful for the opportunity to give a little back,” Moreno said. “I just want people to know we’re still here and some of our comrades are going to be here forever because this is where they gave their lives.”

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Robert DeDeaux, 1st AATF PAO, 1st Inf. Div., USD-N)

Cpl. Randal Howard, with the Force Protection Company, 81st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 81st Brigade Combat Team, Washington Army National Guard, takes a break during training Feb. 6 at Contingency Operating Base Q-West, Iraq. About 2,400 Washington National Guardsmen and 900 California National Guardsmen deployed with the 81st BCT based out of Seattle in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in October. They are scheduled to return home this summer.

Master Sgt. Joshua Younce, an aerial porter for the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, talks to Michael Thomasson, deputy director for McCracken County, Ky., Emergency Management and Jeff Steen, associate director of Calloway County, Ky., Emergency Management, about the disaster-response capabilities of the 123rd CGR at Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah, Ky., on June 18, 2014. The 123rd CRG is joining with the U.S. Army’s 688th Rapid Port Opening Element to operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening during Capstone '14, a homeland earthquake-response exercise at Fort Campbell, Ky., from June 16 to 19, 2014. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)

Staff Sgt. Bruce Henderson, an infantryman assigned to Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, secures 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. Henderson 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 Sgt. 1st Class Jason Epperson/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN (Oct. 5, 2016) Petty Officer 3rd Class Randall Staana, assigned to amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), dresses out as a boundaryman during a damage control drill in the hangar bay. America is an aviation centric amphibious assault ship that supports Marine aviation requirements, from small-scale contingency operations of an expeditionary strike group, to forcible entry missions in major theaters of war. (U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Jacob Holloway/ Released)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III speaks with Sgt. Maj. Bolan, senior enlisted leader, 1st Battalion, 10th Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, about the combat readiness of Iraqi soldiers at the Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center, near Mosul, Iraq, June 23, 2011. Chandler visited GWTC during his tour of Contingency Operating Sites Marez and Diamondback on his first visit to Iraq as the Army’s senior enlisted leader.

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

Combined patrol.

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.)

Paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, conduct live fire, urban operations 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)

Paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, return fire during an ambush while on a dismounted patrol on Fort Bragg, Sept. 12, 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)

Spc. Michael Lopez, a mechanic with Bravo Company, 1-185th Armor (Combined Arms Battalion), 81st Brigade Combat Team, California Army National Guard, takes a break from fixing vehicles 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 MAREZ, Iraq – Trucks loaded with equipment assigned to Troop B, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Regiment, prepare to move Soldiers to another base in Iraq following the transfer of Joint Security Station Whiskey 4, Ninewa province, Iraq, July 29, 2011. “Bandit” Troop Soldiers transferred the base to the 3rd Iraqi Army Division and consolidated at a larger base in Ninewa province after ten months of partnered operations with the Iraqi Army.

(U.S. Army photo by Capt. Philip Crabtree, 4th AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD – N)

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, augmented by troops from the active-duty Air Force and Air National Guard units in multiple states, dowload relief supplies from aircraft around the clock at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the wake of Hurricane Maria Oct. 6, 2017. The unit’s Airmen established an aerial port of debarkation upon arrival here Sept. 23, and have processed more than 7.2 million pounds of cargo and humanitarian aid for distribution in the first three weeks of the operation. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Dale Greer)

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group marshal equipment 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)

A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transports members of the 36th Contingency Response Group and their equipment, 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)

Working together..CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Iraqi soldiers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, assault their second objective during a battalion live fire exercise at Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center, Feb. 24, 2011. The LFX tested the IA unit’s cumulative skills taught by Soldiers assigned to 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. Each company secured the objective, using tactics learned during Tadreeb al Shamil, Arabic for All Inclusive Training. Tadreeb al Shamil is an Iraqi military training program facilitated by U.S. Soldiers deployed in support of Operation New Dawn to increase IA unit proficiency and war fighting capabilities..(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Angel Washington, 4th AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div., USD-N).

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)

Minister of Internal Affairs Morris Dukuly speaking during a UNEP and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), UNMIL/HCSO and UNOCHA organized work-shop. The first Beyond Response: Better Preparedness for Environmental Emergencies Training held today September 9, 2013 in Monrovia, Liberia. UNMIL photo/ Emmanuel

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq - Brig. Gen. Abdul Kareem, deputy commander of Al-Kut Air Force Base, begins his presentation by greeting his Iraqi ground forces and intelligence commanders for the first time together on Contingency Operating Base Delta July 14, 2011. This meeting included some of the most influential leaders in Al-Kut and Wasit province. The intent of the meeting was to show the Iraqi ground force and intelligence commanders the capabilities of the Iraqi Air Force, so that they may use it as an asset in the future. (U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Stuart White, 6th Bn., 9th Cav. Regt., 3rd AAB, 1st Cav. Div.)

Lt. Col. David Mounkes, Commander of the 123rd Contingency Response Element, greets Director of Federal Emergency Management Agency, William Craig Fugate on arrival to Springfield-Branson National Airport in Springfield, MO on May 18, 2011 during the National Level Exercise. Fugate arrived to take questions from media and to view the work collaboration between civil federal authorities and the Department of Defense. The NLE is comprised of federal civil authorities such as FEMA and Health and Human Services, supported by the Department of Defense. The NLE itself is a scenario of a 6.0 or higher earthquake on the New Madrid fault line. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Maxwell Rechel)

A small contingency of citizens donned signs, bullhorns and petitions protesting the speed cameras in West Garfield Park. The speed camera is just past Kedzie on Madison.........

Aerial porters from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group off-load the unit’s gear from a Mississippi Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster III at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 4, 2014, in support of Operation United Assistance. More than 70 Kentucky Airmen arrived with the gear to stand up an Intermediate Staging Base at the airport that will funnel humanitarian supplies and equipment into West Africa as part of the international effort to fight Ebola. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

Staff Sgt. Omar Galindo, a convoy commander with Bravo Company, 1-185th Armor (Combined Arms Battalion), 81st Brigade Combat Team, California Army National Guard, looks over Spc. Hernandez’s work 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.

Sgt. Claribel Lopez Feliciano, yard boss for the U.S. Army’s 688th Rapid Port Opening Element, signs a manifest for cargo from Staff Sgt. Kevin Freese, an aerial porter for the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, before the cargo is shipped to a staging area called the forward node during Capstone '14, a homeland earthquake-response exercise at Fort Campbell, Ky., on June 18, 2014. The 123rd CRG is joining with the 688th RPOE to operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening here from June 16 to 19, 2014. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)

Sacramento District employees who recently returned from service in Afghanistan pose with district commander, Col. Bill Leady (far right), at a welcome-home ceremony Jan. 13, 2012 in Sacramento, Calif. Pictured from left: Lt. Col. Braden LeMaster, Teresa Rodgers, Marjorie McDonald, Robert Scharf and Danilo Mayo. In 2011 alone, the district saw 27 employees volunteer for service in Overseas Contingency Operations. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Airman Mikal Moore, a Contingency Response Group aerial porter from Kentucky Air National Guard, chains down an M983 Truck inside a C-5 Galaxy on the Altus Air Force Base flight line Jan. 4, 2013. Members of the 97th Air Mobility Wing; the Kentucky Air Guard; the 31st Air Defense Artillery Army Brigade, Fort Sill, Okla; and the 167th Airlift Wing, Martinsburg, W. Va., joined forces to deploy batteries of Patriot air-defense systems, more than two million pounds of equipment and over 300 personnel to Turkey in support of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Levin Boland / Released)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (Oct. 13, 2015) - A UH-1N Huey takes off from a landing zone. Airmen from the 459th Airlift Squadron regularly practice their airlift capabilities in order to respond to regional contingencies. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Delano Scott/Released)

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Hypnotist performance draws a large crowd at COB Speicher.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Hypnotist Chuck Milligan addresses the crowd of Soldiers and civilians gathered to see his unique performance at the North Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Center at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Jan. 17, 2011. Milligan allowed members of the audience to participate, joining him on stage to be hypnotized and become part of the performance. Milligan's shtick lasted nearly two hours as the performer engaged the audience with laughter and role-play.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Strayer, 109th MPAD, USD-N PAO)

Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing (CRW) based at Travis Air Force Base, CA, deploy to Central African Republic (CAR) for humanitarian support, on December 13, 2013. AFRICOM is beginning to transport African troops from Burundi to CAR using US Air Force C-17 aircraft operating out of Entebbe as part of a larger effort of African nations supporting the African crisis in CAR. C-17s will to fly about a dozen missions from Entebbe over a week time frame, transporting a Burundian light infantry battalion of about 850 men and equipment from Bujumbura to Bangui in CAR. The C-17’s are staged at Entebbe airport as a convenient mid-way point with the proper facilities to service the aircraft and support aircrews. (Released - U.S. Air Force Photograph/Heide Couch)

Soldiers, personal protective gear is set up for inspection behind their mine resistant ambush protected vehicles prior to their exit from Iraq, on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Dec. 2. (Photo by Spc. Anthony Zane, 362nd MPAD)

FORT POLK, La. – From left, Master Sgt. Justin Halterman and Tech. Sgt. Sarah Earp, aerial porters from the 570th Contingency Response Group at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., watch a lightning storm in the distance while manning a security observation post at Geronimo Landing Zone on Fort Polk, La. Oct 15, 2012. The CRG was supporting Joint Readiness Training Exercise Decisive Action. The exercise includes emphasis on joint forcible entry, phased deployment with an airborne parachute operation, a combined noncombatant evacuation, combine arms maneuver, wide area security, unconventional warfare and unified land operations in a joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres) (Released)

A soldier passes through an arch signifying his transition into the corps of non-commissioned officers during the 4th Sustainment Brigade’s NCO induction ceremony Sept. 30 on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.

Airmen from the 36th Contingency Response Group and U.S. Marines to prepare to unload a U.S. Marine UH-1Y Huey helicopter from a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, at Tribhuvan International Airport, 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)

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)

Army Sgt. Brenda Acuna and Army Spc. Marquis Talbot of the U.S. Army’s 689th Rapid Port Opening Element in Fort Eustis, Va., strap simulated disaster-relief supplies to a flat-rack pallet on the flight line of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 7, 2013, as part of Exercise Gateway Relief, a U.S. Transportation Command-directed earthquake-response scenario. The 689th is joining with the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening through Aug. 9. The JTF-PO, which combines an Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation with an Army trucking and distribution unit, ensures the smooth flow of relief supplies into affected areas by airlift and coordinates final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

More of the Phoenix Contingency.

Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Brackeen, military police operations noncommissioned officer for the U.S. Army Africa Contingency Commad Post, checks connections before installing projectors. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Sgt. 1st Class Will Patterson)

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

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Bradley Fighting Vehicles zero main guns.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – A pair of M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles shoot 25mm tracer rounds at a stationary target 1200 meters away during a live-fire exercise on Memorial Range near Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, July 29, 2011. Bradley crews from 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, zeroed their 25mm main guns and M240C machine guns during the exercise in support of Operation New Dawn.

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

Paratroopers from the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, engage enemy targets during live fire training on Fort Bragg, N.C., 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, 2/82 PAO NCOIC)

Spc. Dylan Carpenter, an Army battle command system operator for the U.S. Army Africa Contingency Command Post, builds the internal framework for the large tent. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Sgt. 1st Class Will Patterson)

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

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)

Spc. Michael Lopez, a mechanic with Bravo Company, 1-185th Armor (Combined Arms Battalion), 81st Brigade Combat Team, California Army National Guard, ground guides 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.

Objective secured.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Green smoke signals a secured objective as Iraqi soldiers maneuver and fire to defeat enemy threats during a battalion-sized live fire exercise at Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center, Feb. 24, 2011. The soldiers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, conducted a month-long training rotation led by U.S. Soldiers assigned to 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, as part of Tadreeb al Shamil, Arabic for All Inclusive Training. During the 25-day training cycle of Tadreeb al Shamil, U.S. forces trained their Iraqi counterparts improving IA small unit tactics and proficiency in engaging and defeating external threats.

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

Spc. Joseph Marchand and Staff Sgt. Donald Coleman, both with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery, 81st Brigade Combat Team, Washington Army National Guard, listen as Col. Ronald Kapral, the commander of the 81st BCT, and Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Sweeney, the command sergeant major of the 81st BCT, speak to their Soldiers during a visit Feb. 7 at Contingency Operating Base Marez, Iraq. About 2,400 Washington National Guardsmen and 900 California National Guardsmen deployed with the 81st BCT based out of Seattle in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in October. They are scheduled to return home this summer.

Airmen of the 621st Contingency Response Wing wait for equipment to be leaded onto before taking off in a C-17 Globemaster III at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. on their way to Port-au-Prince, Haiti in response to Hurricane Matthew, October 6, 2016. The CRW is highly-specialized in rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain, and coordinate air mobility operations alongside joint and intra-agency partners. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zachary Martyn/Released)

001. Sgt. 1st Class Heidi Sigl, senior enlisted leader for the Bismarck-based 1919th Contingency Contracting Team, is recognized by Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota adjutant general, during a Freedom Salute ceremony Dec. 7 at Raymond J. Bohn Armory in Bismarck. Sigl and three other members of the highly specialized unit recently returned from a yearlong deploment to Afghanistan and other areas of Southwest Asia. The Freedom Salute campaign is one of the largest Army National Guard recognition endeavors in history, designed to publicly acknowledge Army Guard Soldiers and those who supported them during missions in support of Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.

(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Eric Jungels/Released)

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