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)

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment during Dragoon Ride II, prepare their vehicles for a convoy from Weisscassel, Germany to a training area outside Powidz, Poland, June 3, 2016. Dragoon Ride II, is the 2,200 kilometer convoy to Estonia in preparation for Exercise Saber Strike, a U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative training exercise designed to improve joint interoperability to support multinational contingency operations. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Ricardo HernandezArocho/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)

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)

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)

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)

Was never used

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)

President of Provincial Judges thanks U.S. allies.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Faisal Ibraham Al Azawi, president of Provincial Judges, addresses provincial judges, local Iraqi community leaders and U.S. forces at the grand opening of the Tikrit Courthouse, Jan. 9, 2011. Al Azawi thanked Lt. Col. Donald Brown, commander, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, and Muhammed Ibrahem, manager of a Baghdad construction company, for their assistance in renovating the courthouse. The grand opening marked the completion of several stages to return the provincial judges to the city. “This building will allow us to have a foundation to build upon,” said Al Azawi, during his speech. “We will be able to gain the trust of the people and that of the Americans.” 1st Lt. Matthew Wolfe, Civil Affairs officer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st. Bn., 27th Inf. Regt., said the complex greatly benefits the community of Tikrit by providing jobs as well an established judicial system for the people.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Coltin Heller, 109th MPAD, 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)

Maj. Gen. Barbara Faulkenberry, vice commander of 18th Air Force, visits the Joint Operations Center tent during Exercise Gateway Relief at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 7, 2013. The Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response Group and the U.S. Army’s 689th Rapid Port Opening Element in Fort Eustis, Va., have teamed up for the U.S. Transportation Command-directed exercise through Aug. 9, executing the reception and distribution of earthquake-relief supplies. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Lieutenant Colonel Deborah Anne Freiberg, 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion, left, and Chaplain (Maj.) Peter Dissmore, brigade chaplain, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, right, listen to a speaker during a conference promoting ethnic diversity and cooperation at the Chaldean Cathedral’s Visitor Center in Kirkuk, Iraq, July 18, 2011.

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

Airmen of the 615th Contingency Response Wing, and Soldiers of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, load a container filled with equipment belonging to the 172nd Infantry Brigade onto a Boeing 747 aircraft scheduled for departure to Afghanistan at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Airfield in Romania, July 19. 21st TSC personnel helped ensure over 300 containers weighing over 1,000 tons originating out of Grafenwoehr, Germany were inspected, secured and transported on to railcars for movement downrange. (Photo by Sgt. Frank Sanchez III, 21st TSC Public Affairs Office)

Congratulations.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Sergeant Simon Hernandez, left, a human resources specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, receives a coin of excellence from Command Sgt. Maj. Antoine Overstreet, senior enlisted advisor of 4th AAB, 1st Cav. Div., after winning his bout during a “Boxing Smoker” at Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq, Aug. 6, 2011. Hernandez, a native of San Antonio, participated in the event hosted for “Long Knife” Soldiers before they redeploy to Fort Hood, Texas, later this summer.

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

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

Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Sweeney, the command sergeant major of the 81st Brigade Combat Team, speaks to Soldiers during a visit Feb. 6 at Contingency Operating Base Q-West, Iraq. About 2,400 Washington National Guardsmen and 900 California National Guardsmen deployed with the 81st BCT based out of Seattle in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in October. They are scheduled to return home this summer.

First Sgt. Robert Beattie, first sergeant of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Armored Division, pins Pfc. Alexandria Montevecchio of the “Diamondback” military police platoon with a Combat Action Badge during the company’s award ceremony at Contingency Operating Site Warrior in Kirkuk, Iraq, Oct. 5. Montevecchio also received the Army Achievement Medal and the Iraqi Campaign Medal during the ceremony.

(Award accepted by SGM Bentura Fernandez) MSGT Williams, 409th contracting support brigade, ECC, provided exceptional service as the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Regional Contracting Center-Tallil. She flawlessly managed multiple contracting processes and programs that resulted in the execution of nearly 1,000 contracting actions valued at more than $1 million.

Assisi

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

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Spc. Christopher Hunthrop, a mortar man assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, prepares a 120mm mortar round by removing extra charges from the round during a combined arms live fire exercise at Destiny Range, May 28, 2011. Hunthrop, a native of Omaha, Neb., fired mortar rounds to increase his proficiency while deployed in support of Operation New Dawn.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Angel Turner, 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)

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Robert Shipp, a power production specialist with the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, fills fuel canisters outside the Joint Operations Center at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 24, 2014. Shipp 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)

ORLANDO, Fla. - In today’s complex and high tempo operational environment, America’s Army Reserve to rapidly deploy highly trained units to any corner of the world with the personnel and equipment they have on hand. With multiple contingencies and numerous potential threats capable of employing cutting-edge tactics with modern military equipment, the Army Reserve looks to its premiere sustainers such the 143d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) to lead, train and equip its 10,000-Soldier command.

In taking the first, major step toward achieving this vital mission, the 143d ESC conducted a Mission Training Brief Feb. 2-3, 2018, at the command’s headquarters in Orlando, Fla.

“An MTB promotes cohesion through collaboration,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Walter L. Flinn, commander, 332nd Transportation Terminal Battalion. “It offers a forum for commanders to share their successes and shortcomings while seeking and offering guidance among their fellow leaders.”

Led by U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Deborah L. Kotulich, commanding general, 143d ESC, the MTB featured dozens of senior leaders from the company to the ESC level whose wealth of knowledge and experience offered solutions to a myriad of logistical challenges.

“The expectation of having several months to bring your Soldiers up to speed at a pre-mobilization station is coming to an end,” Kotulich announced to dozens of battalion and brigade commanders and command sergeants majors huddled in the conference room. “We must assume that we will mobilize at a moment’s notice, and it’s our responsibility that we physically and mentally prepare every Soldier for the rigors of combat through realistic training.”

Kotulich expects every downtrace unit to spend less time in classrooms and more time in the field. This focus on individual and collective readiness stems from the U.S. Army Reserve Command’s Ready Force X initiative.

“Ready Force X is the Army Reserve’s answer to the [U.S.] Army’s demand for properly equipped and highly trained Soldiers who can rapidly deploy into combat,” said U.S. Army Col. Wanda Williams, commander, 641st Regional Sustainment Group. “Almost half of the 143d ESC’s downtrace units must meet the strict criteria established by Ready Force X’s “Fight Fast” mentality. This MTB offers precious time for commanders to obtain timely information needed to properly execute the numerous requirements to maintain a constantly high state of readiness.”

While Kotulich entrusts her fellow officers to formulate plans and carry out the Army Reserve’s “Fight Fast” initiative, she relies on her command sergeants major to refine the tasks required to carry out their commanding general’s intent.

“There are 43 individual training requirements that every unit must complete before reporting to a pre-mobilization site,” said U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Carlos O. Lopes, command sergeant major, 143d ESC. “As NCOs, we are responsible for providing effective training that ensures every Soldier has mastered these fundamental skills that directly determine one’s survivability on the battlefield.”

“NCOs can only do this if they understand their commanders’ intent,” added Command Sgt. Maj. Kenyatta S. Stamps, command sergeant major, 787th Combat Support and Sustainment Battalion. “The MTB allows us to hear those intentions firsthand and develop effective techniques and tactics to achieve them.”

These techniques and tactics encompass a variety of tasks that enhance speed, agility and sustained readiness at the individual, team and unit level. From warrior drills to medical readiness, commanders must meticulously manage finite time and resources to crystallize the Army Reserve’s strategic vision and implement the 143d ESC’s operational mission.

“Ready Force X is about leadership, energy and execution,” said Flinn. “Commanders must own the responsibility for readiness. Establishing an open dialog among senior leaders remains paramount to understanding not only what we do but how we do it.”

With more than half of the 143d ESC falls under the Ready Force X umbrella, every unit and Soldier must face the challenges if they are to reap the awards of transforming America’s Army Reserve into the most lethal and capable federal reserve force in U.S. history.

“America demands highly trained and proficient Soldiers, and the Army Reserve is blessed to have motivated men and women ready to endure the hardships inherent in armed conflict,” said Williams. “That’s why I tell my Soldiers, ‘Don’t worry about the names. Just be ready. Be ready now!”

U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John L. Carkeet IV, 143d ESC

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.

Bridge in tow.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPICHER, Iraq – Soldiers assigned to 299th Engineer Company, 724th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, a U.S. Army National Guard unit stationed in Chippewa Falls, Wis., use a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck to lift a piece of an Improvised Rafting Bridge out of the Tigris River during a bridge dismantling operation, near Sharqat, Iraq Jan. 23, 2011. After cutting the steel cable anchoring the bays to the riverbed, M2K Combat Bridge Boats guided each piece to shore where Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks lifted the collapsible bays out of the water.

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

Quilla Constance 'Teasing out Contingencies' banner. An ongoing project directed by Quilla Constance, opening at Tate Exchange, Tate Modern, and touring to The Higgins Bedford, Sir William Harpur Gallery. Funded by Arts Council England and Bedford Creative Arts. Photo by Quilla Constance.

Checklist.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – First Lieutenant Dustin Vincent, mission commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel Espinosa, senior enlisted Soldier of 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, ask Emergency Services Unit Maj. Ahmad Mohammad, combined check point commander, about CCP operations during a validation inspection conducted at a checkpoint in Kirkuk, Iraq, Aug. 30, 2011.

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

‘Black Jack Soldier’ speaks with general.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – Corporal Keisha Yates, from Clarksville, Mo., automation help desk noncommissioned officer in charge, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, speaks with Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commanding general of U.S. Forces – Iraq, during Austin’s visit to Contingency Operating Base Warhorse, Iraq, July 19, 2011. Yates and 13 other Soldiers were awarded USF-I coins for their support of Operation New Dawn.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Quentin Johnson, 2nd 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)

Air Force Senior Airman Courtnay Hester, a power production specialist with the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, sets up an electric generator to feed 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)

Servicemembers of the 1967th Contingency Contracting Team are greeted by state leadership after an 11 month deployment to The Horn of Africa. The unit provided contracting support services to U.S. forces in the region. Volk Field, Wis., Dec. 18, 2020. (Wisconsin National Guard photo by Sgt. Alice Ripberger)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gary Tamietti, an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance pilot assigned to 339th Military Intelligence Company, Task Force ODIN, watches flight crews prepare for a mission at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, July 26, 2011. Tamietti, a decorated Vietnam veteran, returned to military service in 2003 after a two-decade hiatus. Tamietti flew his final flight, July 31, and is now looking to retire after two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Shawn Miller)

Read the full story here: www.dvidshub.net/news/74696/final-flight-vietnam-veteran-...

Lighting info: Bare SB900 at full power camera right, triggered by SB900 on camera; scorching Iraqi sun as rim light.

USF was named the "Most Fabulous Contingent" of 2015 by the SF Pride judges. Get involved: www.usfca.edu/clubsorgs/lgbtq_caucus/

Master Sgt. Michael Bonds, senior enlisted advisor, 903rd Contingency Contracting Battalion, reads to 3rd graders at Vogelweh Elementary School in Kaiserslautern, Germany as part of a 'Professional Reading in the Classroom' program the 409th Contracting Support Brigade is hosting to encourage it's soldiers and employees to get out and volunteer.

(Photo credit: Linda Cotterman, Vogelweh Elementary School)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – A color guard comprised of U.S. Soldiers and members of the expanded Combined Security Force presented both the U.S. and Iraq flags during a Transfer of Authority Ceremony at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Iraq, Aug. 6, 2011, between the eCSF and the “Thunderhorse,” 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division. “While there is still work to be done, I wish the very best for Col. Salah and the leaders of our Iraqi Police, Iraqi Army and Peshmerga in Kirkuk who will support the fine men of the ‘Golden Lions,’” said Lt. Col. Joseph Holland, commander, 2nd Bn., 12th Cav. Regt.

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

Rendering honors.

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

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

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Frank W. Tate, deputy commanding general of sustainment for Operation United Assistance, speaks with U.S. Air Force Col. David Mounkes, commander of Joint Task Force-Port Opening Senegal, about JTF-PO operations at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 31, 2014. The JTF-PO, staffed by more than 70 members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, is funneling humanitarian supplies and military support into West Africa as part of 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)

Pulling security on the scene.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – A member of the Diyala Province Emergency Response Force pulls security on a simulated crime scene during a police training exercise in Baquba, Iraq, May 15, 2011. Once ERF members secured the area, a Crime Scene Management Team moved in to preserve the crime scene and collect evidence.

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