U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jarrod Blanford, an aerial porter from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group (left), reviews a cargo manifest with U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Evan Kuehl, a loadmaster from the 86th Airlift Wing, prior to the departure of a C-130 Hercules from Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 22, 2014. The flight is bound for Liberia, carrying whole blood and U.S. Army Soldiers supporting Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

Sgt. 1st Class Jack Hahne embraces Command Sgt. Maj. Susan Shoe, South Dakota's State Command Sgt Maj. at Rapid City Regional Airport on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 after spending 9 months deployed to Afghanistan. Symonds is a part of the 1978th Contingency Contracting Team, which is responsible for assisting with the development and administration of contracting support plans, policy and appendices in support of operational, contingency and deliberate plans. He retunred with Maj. Matthew Symonds, which concludes the 1978th's deployment.

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. 5, 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)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq - Brig. Gen. Abdul Kareem, deputy commander of Al-Kut Air Force Base, was joined by a party of commanders inside the Iraqi compound’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation room to enjoy servings of fresh fruit and more discussion of Iraqi joint security efforts 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.)

Col. Khalil cuts the ribbon.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Standing alongside Lt. Col. Donald Brown, commander of 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, “Wolfhounds,” 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, the commander of Salah ad Din Emergency Response Unit, Col. Khalil cuts the ceremonial ribbon commemorating the opening of a new school in the rural village area of al Noman, south of Tikrit, Iraq, Feb. 7, 2011. The school opening was made possible due to the efforts of the Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, aided the local Iraqi government in Salah ad Din province, opening 21 education facilities since taking responsibility for the area in August 2010. The school and other projects facilitated by Soldiers of 1st Bn., 27th Inf. Regt., made the rural village area of al Noman a place where children can get an education and farmers can successfully raise a family.

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

Aerial porters from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group push a pallet of cargo onto a C-130 aircraft from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 4, 2014. The Kentucky Airmen are operating an Aerial Port of Debarkation to funnel humanitarian aid to Liberia in support of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to contain the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

A military vehicle speeds past Col. Ronald Kapral, the 81st Brigade Combat Team commander, Lt. Col. Kenneth Garrison, the commander of the 81st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 81st BCT, Lt. Col. Alan Dorow, the commander of the 181st Brigade Support Battalion, 81st BCT, and Capt. Forrest Horan, the commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 81st BSTB, 81st BCT, during training Feb. 6, 2009 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.

Helping hand.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Lt. Col. Sam Curtis, commander for Task Force Spear, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, passes Maj. Gen. Muhammed Sabri Latif Ali, division commander of the 3rd Federal Police Division, to an Iraqi school in Al Mansour District of western Mosul, Iraq, Jan. 13, 2011. U.S. and Iraqi forces distributed the gifts donated by non-profit organizations and U.S. citizens to an Iraqi school in Al Mansour District of western Mosul, Iraq.

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

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)

Awarding a Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

CONTIGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Col. Eric Welsh, commander, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, Kan., presents Sgt. Craig Rion with a brigade coin after awarding him the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Jan. 7, 2011, at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Iraq. Rion, an Omaha, Neb.-native, earned the award for direct fire contact when an insurgent attacked his patrol with an RKG-3 hand grenade Dec. 27, 2010, in Kirkuk, Iraq.

(U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Alyxandra McChesney, 1st AATF PAO, USD-N)

A Tennessee Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster III taxies on the ramp at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Aug. 29, 2017, prior to loading more than 40 Airmen and 45 tons of cargo from the Kentucky and Mississippi Air Guard in preparation for Hurricane Harvey rescue efforts in Texas. The Airmen are deploying to George Bush Intercontinental Airport, where they will rapidly establish airfield, aeromedical evacuation and cargo operations. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)

U.S. Army Africa 1st Lt. Grady Hyatt, Africa Contingency Operations Training & Assistance (ACOTA) program military mentor, briefs a Sierra Leone Armed Forces Soldier on reconnaissance patrolling. 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

Kentucky Guard member Tech. Sgt. Phil Seif with the 123rd Contingency Response Element installs a speaker system on top of the Hard sided Expandable Light Air Mobile Shelter in Springfield, Mo on May 16, 2011 during the National Level Exercise. The NLE is comprised of the Department of Defense forces and Human Services such as the Mobile Aeromedical Staging Facility and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 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)

Aerial porters from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group offload humanitarian cargo from a U.S. Air Force KC-10 aircraft at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 12, 2014. The Kentucky Airmen will stage the cargo in Senegal before transloading it to U.S. Air Force C-130J aircraft for delivery into Monrovia, Liberia, in support of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to contain the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group remove the transport wheels from a mobile airfield operations center at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 17, 2014, in support of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The Airmen are operating an Intermediate Staging Base in Dakar to funnel humanitarian aid and military support equipment into affected areas, working in concert with Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 689th Rapid Port Opening Element to staff a Joint Task Force-Port Opening. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Joshua Orme, a special vehicle mechanic for the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, reads the electrical schematics for a 25,000-pound Halvorsen Loader while performing maintenance on the cargo-handling vehicle outside the Joint Operations Center at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 27, 2014. More than 70 Kentucky Air Guardsmen are operating an Aerial Port of Debarkation in Senegal to funnel humanitarian supplies and military support into West Africa as part of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to contain the Ebola virus outbreak. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – First Lieutenant Waleed Ramabhar, left, an intelligence officer assigned to the 3rd Iraqi Army Division, and staff Col. Hasen Ali, senior Iraqi Army officer for the Ninewa Combined Coordination Center, review significant activity reports after a key leader brief at the NCCC, July 25, 2011. Soldiers assigned to 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, advise and train Iraqi and Kurdish Security Forces at the NCCC in support of Operation New Dawn.

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

A little one-on-one.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – First Lt. Lowell Garthwaite, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division plays soccer with a student who will be attending a newly opened school located in the rural farm village of al Noman south of Tikrit, Iraq, Feb. 7, 2011. The newly opened education facility replaced a two-room mud building which could only support 20 students and would collapse during the rainy season. “Wolfhound” Soldiers of 1st Bn., 27th Inf. Regt. distributed school supplies and soccer balls to the students following a ribbon cutting ceremony marking the official opening of al Noman School.

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

Paint as Material Contingency

Exhibition in the Artlab by the Third Year Advanced Painting class (VAS 3310).

October 31 - November 14, 2014

Opening Reception: Thursday, November 6, 2014,

Participating student artists from VAS 3310

Sophie Bisnaire

Danielle Brideau

Michelle Bunton

Tabitha Chan

Christie Constantine

Cayley Cowan

Emilie Currie

Yara El Safi

Corry Faulkner

Angela Ferreira

Jacob Freeman

Brenda Fuhrman

Ella Gonzales

Karissa Hill

Alexandra Kalifer

Sophia Lloyd-Jones

Rowan McCormick

Jasmine Park

Faith Patrick

Andrea Polzer

Robin Scott

Abby Vincent

Daniel Welsh

Carina Wharton

By installing your artwork in the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre, you agree to have it photographed and release all rights in and consent to the use of this photo for all legal purposes. Would you like to see your work properly captioned? vrlibrary@uwo.ca

© 2014; Department of Visual Arts; Western University

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)

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)

003. Sgt. 1st Class Heidi Sigl, senior enlisted leader for the Bismarck-based 1919th Contingency Contracting Team, presents Dallas Eckholm, supervisory contracting officer for the United States Property and Fiscal Office, with a framed collage during a Freedom Salute ceremony Dec. 7 at Raymond J. Bohn Armory in Bismarck. Members of the highly specialized unit asked the Purchasing Contract Team of the USPFO to accept this token of their appreciation as their Distinguished Outstanding Center of Influence for leadership, guidance and training to the Soldiers prior to their mobilization to Afghanistan and other areas of Southwest Asia. Eckholm accepted the award on behalf of the Purchasing and Contracting Team. 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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South Dakota Army National Guard Soldiers from the 1978th Contingency Contracting Team stand to be recognized during their welcome home ceremony Sept. 24, 2013, on Camp Rapid in Rapid City, S.D. The 1978th returned from a nearly 10-month deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Beck/Released)

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brian Leach, an aerial porter from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, directs the offloading of humanitarian cargo from a U.S. Air Force KC-10 aircraft at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 12, 2014. The cargo will be staged in Senegal before being transloaded to U.S. Air Force C-130J aircraft for delivery into Monrovia, Liberia, in support of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to contain the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

The Stimson Center

INDIAN OCEAN (Dec. 28, 2017) Seaman Erin Hidalgo looks through the “big eyes” on the port bridge wing of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) during watch. Pearl Harbor, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region to strengthen partnerships and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Logan C. Kellums/Released)

Professional performance, great resourcefulness.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – “Ironhorse Strong” Soldier of the Week, Spc. Michael Hubbard, a combat medic assigned to Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, earned recognition for his superior performance of duty, displaying initiative above his pay grade and responsibility. Hubbard enlisted the help of U.S. forces, Iraqi Army and Peshmerga security forces to fortify the entry control point, improving protective measures at a combined security checkpoint in northern Iraq. Hubbard’s professionalism and initiative to lead this project in addition to his daily duties and responsibilities as a combat medic earned the Soldier from Topeka, Kan., the honor of “Ironhorse Strong” Soldier for the first week of 2011.

(U.S. Army photo)

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, augmented by Airmen from the Mississippi Air Guard, work to establish an air cargo and aeromedical evacuation hub at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, Aug. 30, 2017, in support of Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. The 49 Airmen arrived aboard two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft with 90 tons of equipment. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Horton)

Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq - Specialist Angel Turner, right, a

print journalist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th

Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, punches her opponent during

a boxing match at Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq, Aug. 6, 2011. "I

viewed this event as a challenge; one final, lasting memory prior to us

going home," said Turner, a native of Fayetteville, Ga. The "Boxing Smoker"

was held as a morale booster by the 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery

Regiment, 4th AAB, 1st Cav. Div., for "Long Knife" Soldiers before they

return to Fort Hood, Texas, later this summer.

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

Members of the U.S. Army Pacific Command Contingency Post and the Oregon National Guard joined Bangladesh and U.S. government and non-government organizations in brainstorming courses of action when faced with a major earthquake scenario as part of the table-top exercise during the second day of the 2013 Pacific Resilience Disaster Response Exercise & Exchange (DREE) Aug. 19, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The four-day DREE, led by the USARPAC and the Bangladesh Government and Armed Forces Division, began Aug. 18, as a civil-military disaster preparedness and response initiative featuring table-top exercise followed by a field training exercise focused on command and control, urban search and rescue, engineering capacity, and debris management. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Mary E. Ferguson)

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. SSgt Brandon Pelfey, assigned to the 571 Golbal Mobility Readiness Squadron, kisses his baby daughte goodbye before he makes his departure. (Released - U.S. Air Force Photograph/Heide Couch)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – An Iraqi Army helicopter fires flares over an objective while a perimeter of vehicles establishes security during a live fire practice exercise for Operation Lion’s Leap, April 19. The Iraqi Army planned and completed the live fire exercise with success, while U.S. forces maintained an advise, assist, and train role. Operation Lion’s Leap showcases Iraq’s defensive capabilities with Iraqi Security Forces leading the planning effort.

(U.S. Army photo by Capt. Chad Ashe, USD-N PAO)

Gratitude.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, deputy commanding general, operations, U.S. Forces-Iraq, speaks to Soldiers assigned to 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, during a visit to Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Iraq, Jan. 25, 2011. Cone thanked the Task Force Devil Soldiers for their tireless efforts in support of Operation New Dawn. Cone also met with Col. Eric Welsh, commander, Task Force Devil, and presented the Purple Heart Award to Sgt. 1st Class Isaac McKee, platoon sergeant, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas.

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

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Skeens, a command post controller for Joint Task Force-Port Opening Senegal, coordinates air movement from a mobile airfield operations center Oct. 18, 2014, at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal. Skeens and more than 70 other Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group are operating a cargo hub in Senegal to funnel humanitarian supplies and military support equipment into West Africa as part of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to respond to the Ebola outbreak. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

Contingency Sponsor decals from the Richard Petty Driving Experience #43 Car formerly found in the Test Track after show building.

Local, state and federal agencies prepare for a simulated fire aboard a container ship as part of an oil and hazardous substance response exercise at Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbor Sept. 10, 2014. The exercise was designed to test and evaluate core components of the Hawaii Area Contingency Plan, Chevron Facility Response Plan and various emergency response plans during a simulated fire and oil spill. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Melissa E. McKenzie)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE COBRA, Iraq – An HH-60M medevac helicopter fights through a dust storm on approach to Contingency Operating Site Cobra, Iraq, April 4, 2011. The medevac crew braved the storm to evacuate an injured Soldier to a hospital at nearby Joint Base Balad.

(U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Kyle Miller, 2nd Sqdn., 14th Cav. Regt., 2nd AAB, 25th Inf. Div.)

Securing from a line.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Iraqi Soldiers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 11th Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, get on line during training at Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center, Feb. 22, 2011. U.S. Soldiers led IA units of the 3rd IA Div. during the second iteration of training at GWTC, part of Tadreeb al Shamil, an Iraqi training initiative to modernize IA division capabilities through collective unit-level training. During the 25-day training rotation at GWTC, Iraqi soldiers trained with Troop A, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, in preparation for a battalion live fire exercise, Feb. 24, 2011, the culminating training event for the training cycle.

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

Talking to the Soldiers.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – Brig. Gen. Paul LaCamera, the deputy division commander of Task Force Lightning, addresses Soldiers of 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, following an award ceremony, Mar. 26, 2011, at the Salie Gym on Contingency Operating Base Warhorse, Diyala province, Iraq. LaCamera visited COB Warhorse to recognize Soldiers for their actions during combat.

(U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Robert England, 2nd AAB PAO, 25th Inf. 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)

Aerial porters from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group offload pallets of humanitarian aid from a U.S. Air Force KC-10 aircraft onto a Halverson cargo-handling vehicle at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 12, 2014. The Kentucky Airmen will stage the cargo in Senegal before transloading it to U.S. Air Force C-130J aircraft for delivery into Monrovia, Liberia, in support of Operation United Assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development-led, whole-of-government effort to contain the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Staff Colonel Hasen Ali, senior Iraqi Army officer for the Ninewa Combined Coordination Center, speaks with Lt. Col. Ted Stuart, commander of the NCCC, about current operations at the center, July 25, 2011. Stuart, a native of Fort Knox, Ky., currently assigned to Task Force Sword, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, is responsible for working with Iraqi and Kurdish Security Forces to oversee security operations in northern Iraq.

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

Piece by piece.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPICHER, Iraq – Spc. Daniel Pelletier, a metal worker assigned to 299th Engineer Company, 724th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, uses a torch welder to free a section of an Improvised Rafting Bridge on the Tigris River near Sharqat, Iraq, Jan 23, 2011. As the 299th Eng. Company engineers dismantled the IRB, vehicles crossed a brand new Iraqi made Sharqat Bridge which opened to Iraqi citizens for the first time the same day. The new Sharqat Bridge provides the quickest route for traffic traveling between the cities of Mosul and Tikrit.

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

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Specialist Justine McCoy, a chemical specialist assigned to Forward Support Company G, 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, clears and performs a functions check on a .50- caliber machine gun during a “Spur Ride” at Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq, Aug. 3, 2011. On her first deployment, McCoy, a native of Lansing, Mich., took part in the cavalry tradition in an effort to earn the privilege to wear silver spurs at designated unit functions and events.

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

Spc. Alexander Quebedeaux, a petroleum supply specialist assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), bottom, grapples with Ultimate Fighting Championship star Kyle Kingsbury during a UFC Tour mixed martial arts workshop at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Feb. 24, 2011. Kingsbury and UFC welterweight Mike Swick headlined the clinic, where the group answered questions from service members about fights, nutrition and fitness training. After signing autographs and posing for photos, Kingsbury and Swick invited the service members to test their skills and learn new techniques on the mat.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Shawn Miller/Released)

-----------------------------------

Strobist: SB900 jammed into an orange cone as a light stand at 1/8th power, front right. Fired from the popup commander on the D300S, also at ~1/8th for some on axis fill. Finally got a chance to do some OCF work over here!

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)

Staff Sgt. Joseph Bigelow, a crew chief for the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, marshals a Kentucky Air National Guard C-130 Hercules during Capstone '14, a homeland earthquake-response exercise at Fort Campbell, Ky., on June 17, 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 here from June 16 to 19, 2014. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)