CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – An Iraqi policeman defeats attackers during a martial arts demonstration as part of a graduation ceremony at the Mosul Public Service Academy in Mosul, Iraq, June 12, 2011. Newly graduated policemen showed top Iraqi leaders their readiness to join the police force by demonstrating combative skills and crime scene investigation techniques.

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

Two U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster IIIs 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 5, 2012. JOAX is a two-week exercise to prepare Air Force and Army service members to respond to worldwide crises and contingencies.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jose Chavez, left, an aerial porter with the 146th Contingency Response Flight, 146th Airlift Wing, California National Guard, helps to load a C-17 aircraft assigned to the 172nd Airlift Wing, Mississippi National Guard, with personnel and cargo following exercise Air Defender 2023 (AD23) at Wunstorf Air Base, Wunstorf, Germany, June 27, 2023. Exercise AD 23 integrated U.S. and allied air power to defend shared values while leveraging and strengthening vital partnerships to deter aggression worldwide. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Michelle Ulber)

Chairman lands in Mosul.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, left, and Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Forces – Iraq, land at Contingency Operating Site Marez, Iraq, Aug. 1, 2011. Mullen and Austin met with senior U.S. Division – North leadership to discuss security in northern Iraq during a tour of the Ninewa Combined Coordination Center.

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

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Spc. Brad Demers, a medic with Company C, 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, checks the vitals of a Soldier during sick call at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2011. Demers, a Southbridge, Mass., native, plans to use his Army medical training to transition to a career as a doctor.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Crystal Hudson, 29th MPAD, USD-N PAO)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 10th Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, add rocks to their firing position for cover and concealment during defense training at Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center, Iraq, June 20, 2011. Iraqi soldiers defended their positions from attacking “enemy” forces during the training exercise as part of Tadreeb al Shamil, Arabic for All Inclusive Training.

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

Thea Vidale entertains COB Speicher Soldiers.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Thea Vidale, a comedian touring with the Lone Wolf Entertainment Comedy Tour 2011, performs her standup routine for Soldiers and civilian contractors at the U.S. Division-North Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Center on Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Feb. 11, 2011. Vidale joined fellow comedians Olivia Arrington and Lars Callieou for the two-week tour through Iraq and Kuwait to entertain deployed service members.

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

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Airmen from the 818th Contingency Response Group, 621st Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. perform sling load training with a CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopter assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 at JBMDL Feb 9, 2014. Sling load training enables both air and ground units the opportunity to practice moving large or urgent cargo into areas where aircraft cannot reach, such as aid supplies inside disaster areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)

Introductions.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Command Sergeant Major John Jones, senior enlisted leader, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, greets Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III, during Chandler’s visit to Contingency Operating Sites Marez and Diamondback, in Ninewa province, Iraq, June 23, 2011. As a part of his first tour to Iraq since his appointment as the Army’s senior enlisted leader, Chandler met with U.S. Division – North enlisted leadership and spent time interacting with Soldiers. He also visited the Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center and a combined check point east of Mosul to witness Soldiers of 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, advise and assist Iraqi Security Forces as part of their mission to support Operation New Dawn.

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

U.S. Air Force logistics personnel, assigned to the 621st Contingency Response Wing from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, load support equipment and rolling stock cargo onto a contracted Boeing 747 airliner at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, July 9, 2018. The South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing is deploying nearly 300 Airmen and approximately a dozen F-16 Block 52 Fighting Falcon fighter jets to the 407th Air Expeditionary Group in Southwest Asia in support of an Air Expeditionary Force rotation. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Megan Floyd)

Home-field advantage.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Daniel Graham, a tight end for the Denver Broncos, meets with 4th Infantry Division Soldiers, from Fort Carson, Colo., during the Super Sunday Tour at U.S. Division-North Headquarters, Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Feb. 4, 2011. During the tour, Graham and other National Football League players and cheerleaders met with Soldiers throughout Iraq to boost morale and show appreciation for all of the sacrifices Soldiers and their Families make in service to the nation.

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

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)

Members from the 5th Quartermaster Theater Aerial Delivery Company, 435th Air Ground Operations Wing's Contingency Response Group and 21st Theater Sustainment Command face Leslie Cruise, a World War II veteran, and the grave of Pvt. Richard Vargas during a wreath laying ceremony at Lorraine American National Cemetery and Memorial, St. Avold, France, June 2, 2014. Cruise went to France several times prior to this visit looking for his friend’s grave in order to say thank you to Vargas for saving his life.(U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Hailey Haux)

Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 688th Rapid Port Opening Element drive a Load Handling System vehicle to the forward operating node at Amedee Army Airfield, Calif., to unload cargo March 9, 2016. The 688th RPOE is working in conjunction with the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group and a team from the Defense Logistics Agency to operate Joint Task Force-Port Opening Sangala during a week-long exercise called Operation Lumberjack. The objective of the JTF-PO is to establish an aerial port of debarkation, provide initial distribution capability and set up warehousing for distribution beyond the forward node. (Kentucky Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Phil Speck)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Captain Kevin Sill, left, a battalion engineer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, and Col. Salah, commander of the newly expanded Combined Security Force battalion, supervise Operation Lion’s Den, the expansion of the battalion’s operating area, at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Kirkuk province, Iraq, July 12, 2011. Soldiers of Company A provided security while the eCSF moved concrete barriers on an uninhabited portion of COS Warrior to occupy their new headquarters in Kirkuk.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Strayer, 109th MPAD, 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)

Soldiers of U.S. Army Africa Contingency Command Post go over a battle task for a scenario with a South African National Defense Force soldier during a CCP exercise in preparation for Shared Accord 13, a joint peace keeping and humanitarian exercise. The intent for the CCP exercise was to familiarize the SANDF with the Combined Joint Task Force Headquarters capabilities so U.S. and South African soldiers will have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities as a CJTF during SA13. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Terysa M. King)

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

Col Trey Jordan, Commander and District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, awarded Brenda Parsons the Commander's Award For Civilian Service at her recent retirement. Retiring from government service after 30 years, Parsons provided administrative assistance in the emergency management branch for the District. For many years, her detail-oriented excel spreadsheet kept the district clearly informed on all personnel deployed to support overseas contingency operations. In addition, she deployed for lengthy service in both Iraq and Afghanistan. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by David Gray)

Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHERS, Iraq – Sgt. Gregory Lefevre, a military intelligence noncommissioned officer, Company B, Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, leads his peers in the reciting of the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer during the DSTB NCO Induction Ceremony at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Jan. 17, 2011. Lefevre, recently selected as the DSTB NCO of the Quarter, took center stage to lead the group of junior leaders completing a chapter in the history of DSTB, deployed in support of Operation New Dawn as part of U.S. Division-North.

(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)

Maj. Gen. Barbara Faulkenberry, vice commander of 18th Air Force, talks with Capt. Joshua Elwell, intelligence officer for the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response Group, during Exercise Gateway Relief at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 7, 2013. The 123rd is teaming up with the U.S. Army’s 689th Rapid Port Opening Element in Fort Eustis, Va., through Aug. 9, to execute the earthquake-response scenario, providing for the reception and distribution of disaster-relief supplies. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

A U.S. Air Force aerial porter from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group offloads humanitarian cargo from a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft 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)

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Lt. Col. Clint McWhorter, primary staff trainer assigned to Task Force Sword, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, reviews a course of action analysis with Iraqi staff officers at Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center, May 18, 2011. McWhorter, a native of Overland Park, Kan., trains Iraqi officers at GWTC to increase the officers’ knowledge on planning and preparing operation orders.

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

Command Sgt. Maj. Dailey congratulates Pfc. Mayora

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey, senior enlisted leader of U.S. Division-North and 4th Infantry Division, congratulates Pfc. Nicholas Mayora on being named U.S. Division-North Soldier of the Quarter during a ceremony at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, March 29, 2011. Mayora, a resident of Dallas, serves as an armor crewman with 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. “All of my noncommissioned officers and leaders helped me study and prepare for this, and this is a great achievement that I’m proud of,” said Mayora.

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

Unsung Histories.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Lt. Col. Keith Hayes, deputy information operations officer, 4th Infantry Division and U.S. Division-North, addresses an audience with his speech, “Living Up to Your Potential,” during an African American History Month Celebration at the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Center on Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2011. During his speech Hayes who hails from Columbia, S.C., shared the story of the African American’s struggle to become fully integrated and accepted as part of the U.S. military. Hayes shared the stories of the “Black Rangers” of the 2nd Ranger Infantry Company, and the 555th Parachute Infantry Company, “Triple Nickel” the first African American paratrooper company and many others.

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

Attention to orders.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, right, deputy commanding general of operations, U.S. Forces-Iraq, and Sgt. 1st Class Isaac McKee, platoon sergeant, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, stand at attention as orders to present a Purple Heart Award are read during a ceremony at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Iraq, Jan. 25, 2011. McKee was injured during an attack on his platoon while conducting operations in support of 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, deployed in support of Operation New Dawn. McKee’s vehicle came under attack while on a patrol, knocking McKee unconscious. The Company B Soldiers reacted quickly to the attack, assessed the situation and returned to COS Warrior. “We are definitely a team” said McKee, a native of New Braunfels, Texas. “They responded just as I expected them to; we had trained significantly for this deployment, and they responded the way we trained.”

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

Crisis Management and contingency planning to avoid airspace closure

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

The Commando Battalion celebrates the Iraqi army birthday

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Members of the 12th Iraqi Army Division’s Commando Battalion stand in formation during a ceremony, Jan. 6, 2011, commemorating the 90th Anniversary of the founding of the Iraqi Army, established in 1921. The Commandos, the best trained soldiers of the 12th IA Division, recited the Iraqi Soldier’s Oath, pledging to protect the people of Iraq and remain loyal to their nation.

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

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Lt. Col. Clint McWhorter, right, primary staff trainer mentor assigned to Task Force Sword, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, reviews a possible operation plan on a terrain model with Capt. Ghassam Hussain during training at Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center, May 18, 2011. McWhorter, a native of Overland Park, Kan. trained Hussain, an operations officer assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, on troop leading procedures and how to plan, prepare and execute operation orders.

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

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Airmen from the 818th Contingency Response Group, 621st Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. perform sling load training with a CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopter assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 at JBMDL Feb 9, 2014. Sling load training enables both air and ground units the opportunity to practice moving large or urgent cargo into areas where aircraft cannot reach, such as aid supplies inside disaster areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)

Combat Stress.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Behaviorial help specialists Sgt. Matthew Webb, assigned to 85th Medical Detachment, 1st Medical Brigade, from Fort Hood, Texas, and Sgt. Christi Perrin, assigned to Company C, 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, teach a class on resiliency to Soldiers stationed at Contingency Operating Site Marez, Jan. 7, 2011. Webb, a native of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Perrin, a native of Ennis, Texas, taught classes in the dining facility as part of the “Rebooting Your Mind for the New Year” Program, created to reach out to Soldiers who could possibly need or be seeking behavioral help.

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

The contingencies of another day unravel my senses

And now your distance is darkness, my hope has been beset by your absence

I decay from inside.

Underneath it all there is still life, despite it all there is still love.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – Lt. Col. Marcel Schneider, 15th Brigade Sustainment Transition Team, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, presents a plaque to Staff Brig. Gen. Abdulla Amir, 15th Brigade, 12th Iraqi Army Division, during a farewell ceremony at the 15th Bde. headquarters in Kirkuk province, Iraq, April 4, 2011. Schneider presented the plaque as a token of appreciation for the relationship Amir and his soldiers shared with Soldiers of 1st AATF recently.

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

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – Staff Sgt. Wesley Jackson from 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, a native of Denton, Texas, explains to Staff Sgt. Adrian Holler from A Company, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and native of Kempner, Texas, the benefits of utilizing the new system. This is the first operational Deployed Digital Training Center in the U.S. Army, located at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, August 20, 2011. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Omar Estrada, 3rd AAB PAO, 1st Cav. Div.)

Bump, set, Speicher.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Soldiers of U.S. Division-North came together on the first day of 2011 to compete in friendly sporting events hosted at the Contingency Operating Base Speicher Main Gymnasium Jan. 1, 2011. During the Volleyball games, Soldiers jockeyed for position, spiked for points and broke a sweat in the heat of competition but did not leave out the traditional post-game hand shake as a sign of good sportsmanship. 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 organized especially for New Year’s Day.

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

Buddy carry.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – Pfc. Luther Alston (right) and Spc. Oriola Owokoya (left), both medics assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, demonstrate a field-expedient method for carrying a casualty during training at the Ghuzlani Eagle Training Center, March 9, 2011. Alston, a native of Warrenton, N.C., and Owokoya, a native of Lagos, Nigeria, taught Iraqi policemen of 3rd Federal Police basic medical skills as part of a six-day training class to develop the Iraqi Police unit’s tactical capabilities.

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

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

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE WARRIOR, Iraq – U.S. Division-North Soldiers deployed to Contingency Operating Site Warrior take a basic math and vocabulary quiz in preparation for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery during a preparatory class, March 25, 2011. Although every service member takes the ASVAB prior to joining the military, many Soldiers retake the ASVAB to boost their scores as they attempt to transfer to another career field or officer candidacy.

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

Army Capt. Charles Greene, commander of the U.S. Army’s 689th Rapid Port Opening Element, discusses cargo movement operations with Brig. Gen. Sarah Zabel, director of command, control, communications and Ccyber systems at U.S. Transportation Command, during Exercise Gateway Relief at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., on Aug. 7, 2013. The exercise is designed to test the ability of the 689th and the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group ability to stand up and operate a Joint Task Force-Port Opening, which receives relief supplies by airlift and stages them for movement over land. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer/Released)

Members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, augmented by Airmen from the active-duty Air Force and Air National Guard units in multiple states, download a mobile cell-phone tower truck from a U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the wake of Hurricane Maria Oct. 6, 2017. The truck will be used to help restore cell-phone service on the island. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Dale Greer)

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 – 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)

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Airmen from the 818th Contingency Response Group, 621st Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. perform sling load training with a CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopter assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 at JBMDL Feb 9, 2014. Sling load training enables both air and ground units the opportunity to practice moving large or urgent cargo into areas where aircraft cannot reach, such as aid supplies inside disaster areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)

Air Force Master Sgt. Paul Edwards of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group establishes satellite communications for the Joint Operations Center at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Oct. 5, 2014, in support of Operation United Assistance. More than 80 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)

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)

Col. Ronald Kapral, the 81st Brigade Combat Team commander, visits with Soldiers from the 81st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 81st BCT, during training Feb. 6 at Contingency Operating Base Q-West, Iraq. About 2,400 Washington National Guardsmen and 900 California National Guardsmen deployed with the 81st BCT based out of Seattle in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in October. They are scheduled to return home this summer.

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

Photo by Kari Greer

Airmen with the 123rd Contingency Response Group prepare for their deployment to West Africa from the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Oct. 2, 2014. The Guardsmen will work to set up a logistics hub in support of Operation United Assistance. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Scott Raymond)

U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. John Hodge, a ramp coordinator for the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group, checks in-bound cargo against a manifest aboard a 747 cargo plane at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 2, 2014. The cargo, which includes humanitarian aid and troop-support equipment, will be off-loaded by Kentucky Air National Guardsmen and staged in a nearby cargo yard before being airlifted to Liberia aboard U.S. Air Force C-130s 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)