Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group set up 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 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)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Sergeant Kevin Chapman, an infantryman and squad leader assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, conducts systems checks before returning to Contingency Operating Site Warrior after a security patrol in Kirkuk, Iraq, July 16, 2011. Chapman, who hails from Conyers, Ga., is currently on his third deployment to Iraq, now supporting Operation New Dawn.

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

U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 36th Contingency Response Group and the 36th Airlift Squadron, offload a container from a C-130 Hercules during a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training event at exercise Cope North 15 at Rota, Northern Mariana Islands, Feb. 15, 2015. Exercise Cope North 15 enhances humanitarian assistance and disaster relief crisis response capabilities between six nations and lays the foundation for regional cooperation expansion during real-world contingencies in the Asia-Pacific Region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jason Robertson/Released)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq - American illusionist David Blaine performs a card trick for Soldiers assigned to 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, at Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq, Aug. 1, 2011. Blaine and retired professional basketball player Karl Malone accompanied Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen as he spoke with deployed Fort Hood troops in northern Iraq. In addition to performing card tricks, Blaine took pictures and handed autographed event flyers to the troopers.

(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 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 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)

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Robert Shipp, a power production specialist with the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, checks the wiring on an electric generator for the Joint Operations Center at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 5, 2014, in support of Operation United Assistance. Hester and more than 80 other Kentucky Air Guardsmen stood 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)

U.S. Army Africa Commander Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Donahue II awards the Army Commendation Medal to Army Lt. Col. Jennifer Walkawicz, 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

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Jose Flores, a lab technician at the Contingency Operating Base Speicher Waste Department who calls Bellmore, N.Y., home, sings “His Eye is on the Sparrow” during a talent show at the Contingency Operating Base Speicher Morale, Welfare and Recreation Center in Salah ad Din province, Iraq, July 22, 2011. Flores took first place in the competition after a standing ovation from the audience.

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

Virginia National Guard Soldiers from the Virginia Beach-based 1940th and 1945th Contingency Contracting Teams participate in a six-day, joint, multi-state, contracting exercise Nov. 15, 2013, at Camp Pendleton, Va. The exercise, Vital Pledge, also includes Air and Army Guard personnel in Maine, Minnesota and South Dakota, as well as civilians from the Defense Logistics Agency. In addition to improving the Soldiers’ and Airmen’s familiarity with contracting systems and equipment, the exercise served to help prepare the four Soldiers of the 1945 CCT for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan in early 2014. (Photo by Master Sgt. A.J. Coyne, Virginia Guard Public Affairs)

Army Maj. Gen. Tony Cucolo (second from right), commander, United States Division-North, cuts a cake with (left to right) Maj. Gen. Ayad of the 12th Iraqi Army Division, Maj. Gen. Jamal, Kirkuk Provincial Director of Police, and Brig. Gen. Sherko of the 1st Peshmerga Brigade, to celebrate the Combined Security Force, “Golden Lions,” during their graduation and demonstration at the Kirkuk Training Center, near Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Feb. 15. Senior leaders of all the security forces in Kirkuk Province attended the event.

Senior Airman Guy Reeves, 921st Contingency Response Squadron aerial porter, guides a group of U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division onto a C-130J Super Hercules during Exercise Swift Response 16 at the Bydgoszcz Airport, Poland, June 9, 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)

Members of the Wisconsin National Guard’s 1967th Contingency Contracting Team is serving at Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, providing contracting support services to U.S. forces in the region, and is currently responsible for 74 contracts worth more than $10 million. Pictured are, left to right: Capt. James Hedman, Sgt. 1st Class Curtis Clements, Capt. Gary Brown, Sgt. Brookelyn Nelson and Master Sgt. Zachary Tevis. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Dylan Murakami

A U.S. Air Force Airman from the 36th Contingency Response Group marshals a Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules into position to offload cargo during a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training event at exercise Cope North 15 at Rota, Northern Mariana Islands, Feb. 15, 2015. Exercise Cope North 15 enhances humanitarian assistance and disaster relief crisis response capabilities between six nations and lays the foundation for regional cooperation expansion during real-world contingencies in the Asia-Pacific Region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jason Robertson/Released)

SASEBO, Japan (Feb. 23, 2017) Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Edward Orsak, (right), from Cuero, Texas, and Logistics Specialist 1st Class Dustin Martin, (center), from Texarkana, Ark., serves cake to attendees of a 222nd Supply Corps Birthday celebration in the hangar bay aboard amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6). Bonhomme Richard, forward-deployed to Sasebo, Japan, is serving forward to provide a rapid-response capability in the event of a regional contingency or natural disaster. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Cameron McCulloch/Released)

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)

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)

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)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – A Soldier assigned to Troop B, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, carries his bags to a waiting truck at Joint Security Station Whiskey 4 in Ninewa province, Iraq, July 29, 2011. Approximately 200 civilians and U.S. Soldiers assigned to Troop B lived at the base from Oct. 2010 until Aug. 2011 while supporting advisory and training operations with Iraqi forces during Operation New Dawn.

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

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)

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 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)

The living room carpet is soggy due to high groundwater pushing up through the slab foundation after torrential Hurricane Harvey rains, so we've set up the important living room parts in our Florida room instead, so the furniture doesn't get ruined too. Also, we'd need to move it all anyway when it comes time to replace the carpet.

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)

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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)

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)

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)

Airmen from the 435th Contingency Response Group and Estonian military members board a C-130 J-model for parachute training during the Air Force-specific portion of Saber Strike at Lielvarde Air Base, Latvia, June 18, 2014. During the final week of Saber Strike 2014 the 435th Contingency Response Group, in conjunction with the 37th Airlift Squadron, trained on the full capabilities to open the Latvian air base. They also trained with Latvian and Estonian service members on airfield operations, command and control of air and space forces, weather support, and protection of operational forces, aircraft maintenance and aerial port services. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jonathan Stefanko)

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)

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.

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)

U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 36th Contingency Response Group and the 36th Airlift Squadron, load containers onto a C-130 Hercules during a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training event at exercise Cope North 15 at Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 15, 2015. Exercise Cope North 15 enhances humanitarian assistance and disaster relief crisis response capabilities between six nations and lays the foundation for regional cooperation expansion during real-world contingencies in the Asia-Pacific Region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jason Robertson/Released)

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.)

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.

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 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)

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)

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)