U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Brian Leach (right) and U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Thomas Kennedy, aerial porters from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, position pallets of arriving cargo outside the Joint Operations Center at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 24, 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)

A U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules conducts air mobility operations at Holland Drop Zone on Fort Bragg, N.C. during Joint Operations Access Exercise 12-02, June 7, 2012. JOAX is a two-week forcible entry and ground combat exercise to prepare Air Force and Army service members to respond to worldwide crises and contingencies.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Captain Sterling Showalter, executive officer of Troop B, 1st Squadron, 9th Squadron, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, thanks Iraqi Army Maj. Nashat Fadel Hassoon, warehouse commander for Al Kisik Location Command, who presented Showalter with a copy of documents showing the Iraqi Army’s acceptance of responsibility for Joint Security Station Whiskey 4 in Ninewa province, Iraq, July 29, 2011. “Bandit” Troop Soldiers lived at the base for more than ten months during Operation New Dawn.

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

Spc. Joseph Rogers, an infantryman assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, arms a brazier charge, an improvised explosive tool used to blow through concertina wire obstacles, 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)

"Almost from the beginning, the single power plant standing within the city limits has been struggled over. While a fear-fueled mob marched on the home of Tammy Todd, a battle was being fought within the chambers and halls of the Durand Coal Thermal Plant #26 (now known to many simply as the northeast power plant). The plant's managers--apparently acting according to Durand company contingency plans--had armed their employees (those who had not already deserted) with AR-15 rifles and divided them into squadrons commanded by their foremen. Over the course of the next eleven days, Durand employees managed to repel a combined force of agents from the FBI and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division (ATTD) until lack of supplies and a breakdown of inter-agency cooperation ended the attack. By that time the plant had run through its fuel reserves and was standing idle. The Durand employees began to slip away from their posts and into the city, seeking their families and friends. Soon only the plant's administrators remained, barricaded in their dark offices. . . . When next the plant was occupied, the administrators were found slumped near their windows, rifles still clutched in their bony fingers. . . . The discoverers of this grisly sight were the Boot Scrapers and their then-ally Cyril de Saavedra. The Boot Scrapers were former sanitation workers, one of the earliest of the city's Garbage Gangs; de Saavedra was an unstable pyromancer recently displaced from his native Asunción for transgressions unrevealed. Considering subsequent events, however, one might easily imagine the reasons for his exile. . . . Marcus Eggert, the chief of the Boot Scrapers, had the idea that the plant might be fueled with flammable unrecyclables--perhaps an admirable thought, if one disregards the tendency of the city's shell to hold smoke and fumes within. Unfortunately the venture was doomed to failure, and worse. . . . After weeks of study and repair the Boot Scrapers felt ready to attempt operation of the plant. Eggert asked de Saavedra to provide a small test fire, and at first all seemed to go as planned. The steam produced was enough to power the single turbine intended for testing, but de Saavedra was not satisfied with this. He asked for more fuel, and when Eggert denied him, the pyromancer hurled the chief himself into the flames. . . . The ensuing rampage claimed all but two of the Boot Scrapers--who were forced to escape through the coal pulverizer while it was in operation--and De Saavedra himself, who escaped into the city to further satisfy his pyromaniacal urges. (see p.402) . . . After that the Northeast lay mostly unused for many years. Groups of squatters occupied its halls from time to time, but these itinerant kingdoms inevitably fell either to internal or external violence. A large portion of the city came to believe that the plant was cursed. . . . The case of Mouth Breather and her gang did little to dispel this belief. Mouth Breather (the nickname was apparently one she gave to herself) was a street wizard of some ability who decided to seize power by giving it to the city. Her plan was to summon and bind an air elemental and force it to power the plant's turbines. (It is worth noting that the Gemini Society's chief aeromancer, Denys Bulgakov, had once proposed the same plan, but been voted down by the rest of the Gemini council.) . . . It is not known whether the magics involved were beyond Mouth Breather's ability, whether something in the Northeast's industrial aura caused the binding to go awry, or whether other agencies were at work. Whatever the cause, the elemental forces were not contained; they destroyed all those within the plant, and moved into the city proper, propagating a swarm of windstorms which kept most of the citizenry indoors for the next four days. (Bulgakov himself was a casualty of the outbreak, dashed against the Black Tower during a duel with a particularly fierce cyclone.) . . . Since that time the plant has been declared off-limits by Mayor Faldbakken III. It is rumored, however, that the recently formed Mayor's Committee To Bring Back the Streetlights is in fact a splinter group of the Mayor's Department of Uncanny Activity, charged with bringing the plant online via magical means, curse or no curse." (p.44-45)

Members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group conduct cargo off-load operations with a C-130 Hercules during Operation Huron Thunder at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena, Mich., July 23, 2018. The 123rd CRG worked in conjunction with the U.S. Army’s 690th Rapid Port Opening Element to operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening during the exercise. The objective of the JTF-PO is to establish a complete air logistics hub and surface distribution network. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Allison Stephens)

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Charles Wilding, an aerial porter from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, tightens the chains on a pallet of cargo outside the Joint Operations Center at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 24, 2014. Wilding and more than 70 other 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)

Senior Airman Joshua Martin, 821st Contingency Response Support Squadron Aerial Porter, offloads pallets with a forklift during Exercise Swift Response 16 at the Bydgoszcz Airport, Poland, June 8, 2016. Exercise SR16 is one of the premier military crisis response training events for multinational airborne forces in the world, the exercise has more than 5,000 participants from 10 NATO nations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Joseph Swafford/Released)

Staff Sgt. Phillip Flores, 921st Contingency Response Squadron aerial port mobility supervisor, offloads pallets from a C-130J Super Hercules during Exercise Swift Response 16 at the Bydgoszcz Airport, Poland, June 8, 2016. Exercise SR16 is one of the premier military crisis response training events for multinational airborne forces in the world, the exercise has more than 5,000 participants from 10 NATO nations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Joseph Swafford/Released)

Sgt. Brandon Paye, a truck commander for Company B, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command talks to his driver June 5 during a convoy escort and security mission bringing his set back from Victory Base Complex to Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Sergeant 1st Class Bobby “Smoke” Brewster, field artillery platoon sergeant for 2nd Platoon, Battery B, 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, demonstrates how to use an aiming circle during a training exercise at the Ghuzlani Eagle Training Site, July 19, 2011. Brewster, a native of San Diego, is currently on his seventh overseas tour and fourth to Iraq.

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

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Iraqi Army Capt. Rafool Osow, right, property book manager for Al Kisik Location Command, signs documents transferring responsibility for Joint Security Station Whiskey 4 from U.S. Army to Iraqi Army control. U.S. forces established JSS Whiskey 4 in 2005 as a U.S. base of operations to combat extremist threats in the area during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and more recently, the base served as a base for training Iraqi units at Al Kisik Military Base.

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

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Sergeant Kevin Chapman, left, an infantryman from Conyers, Ga., assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, and Spc. Jesus Lopez, attend an after action review immediately following a security patrol in Kirkuk, Iraq, July 16, 2011. Chapman, a squad leader and vehicle commander for “Bulldog” 2nd Platoon, leads troops on counter-indirect fire patrols, checkpoint security sites and snap traffic control points while deployed to U.S. Division – North in support of Operation New Dawn.

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

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Colonel Brian Winski, commander of 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, answered questions during a live Pentagon Press Brief via remote satellite uplink at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Sept. 1, 2011. During the press conference, Winski discussed the “Long Knife” Brigade’s mission as an advise and assist brigade deployed to northern Iraqi in support of Operation New Dawn. During its yearlong deployment, the 4th AAB advised Iraqi Security Forces, Kurdish security forces and Iraqi Police on combined patrols, assisting at combined checkpoints, and trained the Iraqi Army, police and Federal Police to develop better tactics.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram, 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)

A U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules conducts air mobility operations under the supervision of U.S Air Force Airmen of the 621st Contingency Response Wing, based at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., at Holland Drop Zone on Fort Bragg, N.C. during Joint Operations Access Exercise 12-02, June 7, 2012. JOAX is a two-week forcible entry and ground combat exercise to prepare Air Force and Army service members to respond to worldwide crises and contingencies.

Sgt. Cameron Lucas, an infantryman assigned to 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, throws a smoke grenade to conceal his team’s movement 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)

Honors.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, deputy commanding general, operations, U.S. Forces-Iraq, presents 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, during a ceremony at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Iraq, Jan. 25, 2011. McKee, a native of New Braunfels, Texas, received the award for wounds sustained during an attack on his platoon, Dec. 26, 2010, while deployed as a part of the 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division in support of Operation New Dawn.

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

Karen Durham-Aguilera, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers director of Contingency Operations, gives national and international senior leadership perspective on flood risk management and its changing culture during the Flood Risk Management and Silver Jackets Workshop Aug. 16, 2011 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel and The Nashville Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn. (USACE photo by Richard Scott)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRAH, Iraq - Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, assist Iraqi Police in packing bags of food for distribution. (U.S. Army Photo by Capt Patrick McElroy, 1st Bn. 12th Cav. Regt., 3AAB, 1st Cav. Div.)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Iraqi Army soldiers from 12th IA Division communicate and move while laying down suppressive fire on an objective for the multi-lateral exercise Lion’s Leap at the Mahgoor Training Site, April 19, 2011. During the exercise, Iraqi Security Forces aim to display their ability to increase defense capability and security for the sovereign state of Iraq.

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

A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III offloads passengers and cargo under blackout conditions at an intermediate staging base established at Mackall Army Airfield, N.C. during Joint Operational Access Exercise 12-02, June 4, 2012. JOAX is a two-week exercise to prepare Air Force and Army service members to respond to worldwide crises and contingencies.

Lt. Col. Ash Groves, commander of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Maintenance Squadron, briefs members of the Civil Air Patrol Paducah Composite Squadron, Great Lakes Region Kentucky 011, and Boy Scout Troop 4, about the emergency-response capabilities of the 123rd Contingency Response Group 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)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE Speicher, Iraq — Command Sgt. Maj. Daren Warren, 4th Infantry Division logistics sergeant major, woos Maxine Jones with sweet sounds of rhythm and blues soul during an En Vogue concert at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Jan. 20. Jones and band mate, Terry Ellis, provided U.S. Division-North Soldiers an opportunity to participate in a special performance during their rhythm and blues concert for the men and women deployed to northern Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn. (Photo by Spc. Andrew Ingram)

Serving it up on New Year’s Day.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Maj. Chad Pedigo, deputy comptroller, Company B, Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, sets up for a serve during a volleyball game at the Contingency Operating Base Speicher Main Gymnasium, Jan. 1, 2011. Pedigo, who calls Washington, Pa. home, served up several aces during the game and said he thought the sporting events were a good way for Soldiers to stay occupied and relax on New Years Day. Many U.S. Division-North Soldiers serving at COB Speicher in support of Operation New Dawn, took a break from the busy routine of work and operations to participate in volleyball, dodge ball and basketball games held especially for New Year’s Day.

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

Paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, treat a simulated casualty and send a 9-line medevac after being ambushed 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)

Speaker addresses fellow warrant officers.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Chief Warrant Officer 4 Martin Webb, senior maintenance technician assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, speaks to other warrant officers during a luncheon celebrating the 93rd birthday of the Army Warrant Officer Corps at Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq, July 9, 2011. Webb, a native of Hayward, Calif., spoke to his fellow warrant officers during the ceremony about their heritage and how they contribute to the Army.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Terence Ewings, 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)

Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group offload cargo from a Mississippi Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster 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)

Cougar Creek Fire, Okanogan-Wenatchee NF, WA, 2018

Photo by Kari Greer

Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., offload a pallet of cargo belonging to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, N.Y., during JOAX 12-02. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Edward Gyokeres)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Armored vehicles from 12th Iraqi Army Division secure an outer perimeter as two helicopters land, allowing Iraqi Special Operations to assault an objective during the live fire for Operation Lion’s Leap, April 19. Operation Lion’s Leap is an Iraq-wide training exercise encompassing multiple ministries of the Iraqi Security Forces.

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

Col. Charles Henderson, 621st Contingency Response Wing commander, high-fives Tech. Sgt. Scott Carlson, 621st Contingency Response Squadron defender October 6, 2016 at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. Henderson was present to support more than 30 members of the 621st CRW on their way to Port-au-Prince, Haiti in response to Hurricane Matthew, October 6, 2016. Once on the ground, the CRW will provide assistance by facilitating the movement of humanitarian aid and cargo. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zachary Martyn/Released)

Members of the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility carry a trauma patient onto a C-17 Globemaster III at Balad Air Base, Iraq, on April 22. Patients on the aircraft are positioned according to the severity of their injuries. Keeping patients organized this way helps flight doctors and nurses triage their care. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Staff Sgt. Julianne Showalter)

Phenomenal Woman.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Gissell Gilbert, a computer technician from Brooklyn, N.Y., assigned to 151st Expeditionary Battalion, recites the Maya Angelou poem “Phenomenal Woman,” during an African American History Month celebration at the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Center on Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2011.

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

The Netherlands Partners for Resilience (PfR) is a collaboration of CARE Nederland, Cordaid, the Netherlands Red Cross (NLRC), the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre, Wetlands International and 30 civil society partners in the global South. It is one of the biggest programmes of its kind in the world, working on ecosystem-based and climate-smart disaster risk reduction in nine countries, including Kenya. In Kenya, PfR help establish early-warning systems for drought, flood and conflict, and support the diversification of livelihoods by, for example, introducing crop varieties that can withstand drought and flood. Environmental protection overall is being enhanced by expanding nursery sites, strengthening ‘green clubs’ in schools and introducing drought-resistant fruits and trees. Specific preparedness activities include first aid, contingency funding, evacuation planning, de-stocking, immunization and more. (Photo: Raimond Duijsens/NLRC)

U.S Air Force Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing, stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. and U.S. Army Soldiers of the 688th Rapid Port Opening Element from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., play dominoes in their off-duty time at Mackall Army Airfield, N.C. during Joint Operational Access Exercise 12-02, June 5, 2012. The JOAX is a two-week forcible entry and ground combat exercise to prepare Air Force and Army service members to respond to worldwide crises and contingencies.

Induction ceremony.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Lieutenant Colonel Robert Magee, commander of 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, welcomes “Spur Ride” inductees into the Order of the Spur during a ceremony at Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq, Aug. 4, 2011. Magee, a native of Corsicana, Texas, presented the inductees with Order of the Spur certificates, which recognizes the cavalry troopers as having completed the Spur Ride and allows them to don silver spurs at designated unit functions and events.

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

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Chaplain (Cpt.) Young Jin Jung, chaplain, 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, having a chat with a Soldier at the chapel on Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Iraq, Sept. 16, 2011.

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

A KC-130J Super Hercules assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 152 takes off during an Alert Contingency Marine Air-Ground Task Force Exercise (ACMEX) at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, May 19, 2023. ACMEX confirms the III MEF Marines' crisis response capability as part of a Stand-in-Force within the First Island Chain. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Sav Ford)

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)

U.S. Army Africa Commander Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Donahue II awards the Army Commendation Medal to Army Lt. Col. John Noel, Monday, May 13.

Donahue recognized a group of military personal who supported U.S. Army Africa operations from Feb. 19 to May 10. According to the citiation, their exceptional leadership, planning ability and expertise was invaluable to the successes of USARAF. In doing so, the command met or exceeded all requirements in sychonizing Department of Defense efforts in Mali. (U.S. Army Africa photo by Sgt. 1st Class Wil 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

Members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group offload equipment from a Mississippi Air National Guard C-17 at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 6, 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 through Aug. 9. A 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 their final distribution over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

An aerial porter from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group and loadmasters from the 317th Airlift Group at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, load humanitarian cargo onto a U.S. Air Force C-130J aircraft at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 10, 2014. The aircraft and crew, all from Dyess, are deployed to Senegal as part of the 787th Air Expeditionary Squadron and will fly the cargo 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 LOCATION K1, Iraq – During a mass casualty exercise at Contingency Operating Location K1, combat medics of 12th Iraqi Army Division provide emergency medical care to a “notional” casualty, simulating wounds as part of a training scenario led by medics of 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, March 23, 2011. Designed to test 12th IA Div. medics’ ability to treat patients under the pressures of combat, the exercise presented realistic scenarios and stressors, such as taking enemy fire, to validate the Iraqi soldiers’ training provided by U.S. Army medics of Company C, 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st AATF, 1st Inf. Div.

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

Soldiers from Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, Virginia Army National Guard, gather for a brief of last-minute instructions prior to their final convoy out of Iraq on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Dec. 2. (Photo by Spc. Anthony Zane, 362nd MPAD)

Quilla Constance 'Teasing Out Contingencies' - Open Studio at Tate Modern, Tate Exchange, 2019. Supported by Arts Council England, Bedford Creative Arts and The Higgins Museum & Gallery.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jarrod Blanford, an aerial porter from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, directs the placement of humanitarian cargo in a storage warehouse at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 28, 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)

A paratrooper assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, conducts 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)

Challenging a pro.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPIECHER, Iraq – Chief Warrant Officer Sherwin Macalibo, a field artillery intelligence officer from San Jose, Calif., assigned to Fires and Stability Operations Cell, 4th Infantry Division and U.S. Division-North, plays ping-pong with Drew Bennett, a retired National Football League wide receiver, at the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Center on Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, during the Super Sunday Tour, Feb 4, 2011. During the tour, Bennett, who played with the Saint Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans, joined fellow NFL players and cheerleaders visiting posts across Iraq to thank U.S. Soldiers for the sacrifices made in support of Operation New Dawn and boost morale during Super Bowl weekend.

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