Afpak Photo War
Archive 10

During an airborne medevac mission over Helmand Province, U.S. Army Flight Medic Sgt. Nathaniel Dabney, of Prescott, Ariz. , with Charlie Company, Task Force Talon, uses a marker to note the condition of his patient, a young Afghan accident victim with a head injury, in southern Afghanistan, Friday, Oct. 23, 2009. The Talon medevac in Helmand is one of five army aero-medical units positioned around southern Afghanistan by the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, known as Task Force Pegasus. AP

The coffin of Guardsman Jamie Janes, 20, of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, leaves St Philips Church in Hove, England, Thursday Oct. 22, 2009, following his funeral. Janes was fatally wounded while on a foot patrol near Nad e-Ali district centre in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Oct. 5. **UNITED KINGDOM OUT:. AP

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jordan Christie prepares to fire a shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapon at a compound in the Helmand province of Afghanistan Oct. 15, 2009, during a fire fight. Christie, who is assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, is attached to Regimental Combat Team 3, whose mission is to conduct counterinsurgency operations in partnership with the Afghan National Security Forces in southern Afghanistan. (DoD photo by Cpl. Artur Shvartsberg, U.S. Marine Corps/Released) Date Posted: 10/21/2009

A member of an International Security Assistance Force provides security in the K.G Pass, Afghanistan on Sept. 12, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Walter Reeves/Released) Location: Forward Operation Base Salerno. Date Posted: 10/20/2009

U.S. Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment clean their weapons after a firefight that took place in the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 15, 2009. Marines conduct security patrols to decrease insurgent activity and gain the trust of the Afghan people. The Marines are deployed with Regimental Combat Team 3 to conduct counterinsurgency operations with Afghan National Security Forces in southern Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Artur Shvartsberg/Released) Date Posted: 10/22/2009

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment receive suicide awareness training at Forward Operating Base Geronimo in the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 17, 2009. The Marines are deployed with Regimental Combat Team 3 to conduct counterinsurgency operations with Afghan National Security Forces in southern Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. William Greeson/Released) Date Posted: 10/22/2009

Afghan children look at a U.S. Army Soldier from 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, during a patrol through the Nerkh District in the Wardak Province of Afghanistan, Oct. 21, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Teddy Wade/ Released). Date Posted: 10/22/2009

U.S. Soldiers conduct a dismounted patrol in a village near Forward Operating Base Blessing, Afghanistan, Oct. 19, 2009. The Soldiers are assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, Colo. (DoD photo by Sgt. Jennifer Cohen, U.S. Army/Released) Date Posted: 10/22/2009

An Afghan soldier fires an M-249 squad automatic weapon during a fire fight with insurgent forces in a remote mountain village in Korengal Valley in Kunar province, Afghanistan, Sept. 24, 2009. Embedded Training Teams across Afghanistan have been teaching Afghan soldiers on the use of NATO-style weapons, such as the M-249. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller/Released) Date Posted: 10/22/2009

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Tracy Tyson, assigned to the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, reads "Stars and Stripes" at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Oct. 5, 2009, while waiting for a flight to Forward Observation Base Wolverine, Afghanistan. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ernesto Hernandez Fonte/Released) Date Posted: 10/22/2009

The terrain is photographed during a U.S. Geological Survey site survey in Sukalog, Afghanistan, Sept. 21, 2009. Geologists conducting the survey were escorted by U.S. Marines with Foxtrot Company, 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Sarah Furrer/Released) Date Posted: 10/22/2009

Mike Chornack, a geologist from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), scales a hillside during a site survey outside Sukalog, Afghanistan, Sept. 20, 2009. Marines with Foxtrot Company, 5th Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment are escorting USGS geologists in hopes of finding strong metallic minerals, which may result in mining jobs for Afghans. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Sarah Furrer/Released) Date Posted: 10/22/2009

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Douglas Noreen assigned to 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, provides security for his convoy inside the Nerkh District in the Wardak Province of Afghanistan, Oct. 21, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Teddy Wade/ Released) Date Posted: 10/22/2009

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. William Bartlett, with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, reacts to an unknown explosion outside Forward Operating Base Geronimo in the Nawa district of the Helmand province of Afghanistan Oct. 7, 2009. Bartlett, who is with the guard force, responds to threats on the base. The 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment is a combat element of Regimental Combat Team 3, which conducts counterinsurgency operations in partnership with Afghan National Security Forces in southern Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Phillip Elgie/Released) Date Posted: 10/21/2009

U.S. Sailors assigned to Alpha Company, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 run as a group under their company guidon during a 5K run held on Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, Oct. 13, 2009. The run was held in honor of the Navy?s 234th birthday. More than 150 Navy and Marine Corps personnel assigned to the camp participated in the event. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Lindsey/Released) Date Posted: 10/20/2009

22 October 2009

The shadow of a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter falls over a base during a mission over Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. The helicopter is flown by soldiers from Task Force Talon, one of five army aero-medical units positioned around southern Afghanistan by the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, known as Task Force Pegasus. AP

U.S. Army Black Hawk Door Gunner Sgt. John Tucker, of Mt. Vernon, Wash., prepares for a mission in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. Tucker, with Charlie Company, Task Force Talon, flies in a chase helicopter which provides security for a medical evacuation helicopter. The Talon MEDEVAC in Helmand is one of five army aero-medical units positioned around southern Afghanistan by the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, known as Task Force Pegasus. AP

U.S. Army Black Hawk Crew Chief Sgt. Brian Larsen, of Tampa, Fla. , stands next to his mounted machine gun as the helicopter powers-up for a mission in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. AP

U.S. Army Black Hawk Crew Chief Sgt. Brian Larsen, of Tampa, Fla. , second from right, talks with Door Gunner Sgt. John Tucker, of Mt. Vernon, Wash. , as they prepare to leave on a mission in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. AP

A U.S. Army Black Hawk medical evacuation crew prepares for a mission over Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. The crew are with Task Force Talon, one of five army aero-medical units positioned around southern Afghanistan by the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, known as Task Force Pegasus. AP

U.S. Army Black Hawk Crew Chief Sgt. Brian Larsen, of Tampa, Fla. , mans his machine gun during a mission in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. Larsen, with Charlie Company, Task Force Talon, flies in a chase helicopter which provides security for the medical evacuation helicopter visible in the background. AP

Head of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, center, works on his laptop onboard a C-130 aircraft after attending a meeting with Commanders of Regional Command - North and Afghan National Security Force, ANSF, delegation in Mazar-e-Sharif, north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. AP

An Italian paratrooper with the NATO- led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) lands as other Italian soldiers stand by during a changing command ceremony at the Provincial Reconstruction Team compound run by the Italian military forces in Herat, Herat province west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. Over 2, 300 Italian soldiers are serving part of the NATO- led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. AP

These May 2009 photos provided by the Mace family was taken by Army Spec. Stephan Mace at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan. The photo shows the base on low ground, surrounded by craggy outcroppings, that make the location difficult to defend. Mace and seven other soldiers were killed Oct. 3, 2009, when Keating was attacked by several hundred militant fighters. Mace's funeral took place Monday, Oct. 19, 2009, at Arlington National Cemetery. U.S. forces have since been withdrawn from the base. AP

Army Secretary John McHugh, left, speaks Vanessa Adelson, center, mother of Army Spc. Stephen Mace during funeral services at Arlington Cemetery in Arlington, Va. , Monday, Oct. 19, 2009. Mace, of Lovettsville, Va. , was killed earlier this month in Afghanistan. AP

U.S Army Spc. Jason Hebert provides security on an early dawn during an air assault mission above Tacome valley in Zabul Province, Afghanistan, Oct. 14, 2009. Hebert is assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, United States Army Europe (USAEUR). The Unit is deployed throughout southern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Army photo by Specialist Tia P. Sokimson/Released) Date Posted: 10/19/2009

U.S. Army Spc. Slagle Justin is returning to Forward Operating Base Lane from an air assault mission at Tacome valley in Zabul Province, Afghanistan, Oct. 15, 009. Justin is a member of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, United States Army Europe (USAEUR). The Unit is deployed throughout southern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Army photo by Specialist Tia P. Sokimson/Released) Date Posted: 10/19/2009

U.S. Soldiers prepare their vehicle and equipment for their next mission Oct. 16, 2009, at Combat Outpost Herrera in the Paktiya province of Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Smith/Released) Date Posted: 10/19/2009

U.S. Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment and Afghan National Army soldiers climb a berm during a security patrol through the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 14, 2009. Marines conduct security patrols to decrease insurgent activity and gain the trust of local residents. The Marines are deployed with Regimental Combat Team 3 to conduct counterinsurgency operations with Afghan National Security Forces in southern Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Artur Shvartsberg/Released) Date Posted: 10/19/2009

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Adam Boland, with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, rides in the turret of a Humvee while it crosses a stream during a security patrol through the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Oct. 13, 2009. DoD photo by Cpl. Artur Shvartsberg, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released) Date Posted: 10/19/2009

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. William Burger and his dog inspect the outside of a building during a patrol outside of Combat Outpost Nagil, Laghman province, Afghanistan, Oct. 15, 2009. Burger, The Non-commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of the Kennel at Forward Operating Base Fenty and his dog are used to finding improvised explosive devices and militants that make them. (U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Derek L. Kuhn/Released) Date Posted: 10/19/2009

During a medevac operation, U.S. Army flight medic Sgt. Nathaniel Dabney, left, of Prescott, Ariz. , with Charlie Company, 3-82nd Aviation Regiment - Task Force Talon, prepares to hand off a young Afghan gunshot victim at a field clinic at Forward Operating Base Dwyer, in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, Monday, Oct. 19, 2009. Tasked with the fast response to civilian and military casualties, Talon is one of five army medical evacuation units positioned around southern Afghanistan by the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, known as Task Force Pegasus. AP

An armed bodyguard (background) protects French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner (foreground) as he speaks to journalists at the garden of the French embassy in Kabul on October 18, 2009, after meeting Afghan President Hamid Karzai and main rival Abdullah Abdullah amidst intense diplomatic efforts as Western leaders try to broker a deal between the frontrunners in Afghanistan's fraud-tainted presidential elections. Getty

Below, a rare DoD public photo of an open transfer case showing the remains inside.

A Marine casualty lies in a transfer case at the processing center where X-rays and autopsies are being performed. The casualties are the result of a terrorist bomb attack at the Marine barracks and headquarters building in Beirut, Lebanon. Photographer's Name: A1C Mark Bucher. Location: RHEIN-MAIN AIR BASE. Date Shot: 10/24/1983. Date Posted: unknown.

Transfer cases containing Marine casualties, after identification, inside a processing center. The casualties are the result of a terrorist bomb attack at the Marine barracks and headquarters building in Beirut, Lebanon. Photographer's Name: A1C Mark Bucher. Location: RHEIN-MAIN AIR BASE. Date Shot: 10/24/1983. Date Posted: unknown

Nineteen flag draped transfer cases containing the remains of U.S. military service members killed in Dhahran, Saudi, Arabia bombing sit in the Travis AFB, Calif.- 60th Airlift Wing, C-5 Galaxy at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware awaiting removal for a memorial service on June 27th 1996. Photographer's Name: A1C Kimberly A. Ruebling. Date Shot: 6/27/1996. Date Posted: unknown.

The Oshkosh M-ATV represents a new level of mobility and protection for the Warfighters in Afghanistan. AP

U.S. Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment take cover after receiving indirect fire during a patrol in the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 8, 2009. Marines are conducting security patrols in order to speak with residents and identify their issues and concerns. The Marines are deployed with Regimental Combat Team 3, whose mission is to conduct counterinsurgency operations with Afghan National Security Forces in southern Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. John M. McCall/Released) Date Posted: 10/16/2009

U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment dismount and prepare to set up a security perimeter around a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 361 as it lands at M9 Shadow Range in the Anbar province of Iraq June 2, 2009. The Marines will be conducting a week-long training evolution in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan. The Marines are deployed as part of Multi-National Forces-West. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Victor F. Cano/Released) Date Posted: 10/16/2009

U.S. Marines with Foxtrot Company, 5th Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment prepare to load a CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter after escorting geologists with the U.S. Geological Survey from a site survey Sept. 20, 2009, outside Sukalog, Afghanistan. The 5th Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment escorted the geologists through mountains near the Pakistan border. The Marines hoped to find strong metallic minerals, which could result in mining jobs for Afghans. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Sarah Furrer/Released) Date Posted: 10/16/2009

U.S. Airmen from the 451st Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron prepare a HC-130 Hercules aircraft for a mission at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, Oct. 6, 2009. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Angelita Lawrence/Released) Date Posted: 10/16/2009

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Timothy Starkey, a medical technician assigned to the 451st Aeromedical Squadron, works aboard a HC-130 Hercules aircraft during a medical mission over Afghanistan Oct. 6, 2009. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Angelita Lawrence/Released) Date Posted: 10/16/2009

An Mi-35 Hind helicopter fires its 12.9mm gatling gun during a training sortie over southern Afghanistan Oct. 4, 2009. U.S. Airmen with the 438th Air Expeditionary Training Group use the helicopter to train Afghan aviators while deployed to Kandahar Air Field. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Angelita Lawrence/Released) Date Posted: 10/16/2009 [The Gatling gun, lower left pointing upward, is inactive here.]

St. Louis Rams' cheerleader Kate prepares to sign her name for troops at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Sept. 15, 2009. To show their appreciation for those serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the cheerleaders ended their week-long stay at the airfield by performing several cheerleading routines for the troops. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kenneth Robinson/Released) Date Posted: 10/16/2009

U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife, Deborah, are greeted by CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, Oct. 15, 2009. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, U.S. Navy/Released) Date Posted: 10/16/2009

U.S. Soldiers with Apache Troop, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment and Afghan Border Policemen walk along a mountain trail during a patrol near Combat Outpost Herrera in the Paktiya province of Afghanistan Oct. 13, 2009. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Smith, U.S. Army/Released) Date Posted: 10/15/2009

U.S. Army Spc. Adrian Rosas checks his location on a map, while on a dismounted patrol, with his platoon, near Combat Outpost Herrera, in Paktiya province, Afghanistan, Oct. 11, 2009. The Soldiers were searching for sites from which the Taliban has been using to fire rockets at the outpost. Rosas is deployed with Apache Troop, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Smith/Released) Date Posted: 10/14/2009

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Antonio Rosales, left, and Staff Sgt. Icar Morales jump on a suspension bridge to make it wobble, while on a dismounted patrol, with their platoon, near Combat Outpost Herrera, in Paktiya province, Afghanistan, Oct. 11, 2009. The Soldiers were searching for sites from which the Taliban has been using to fire rockets at the outpost. The Soldiers are deployed with Apache Troop, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Smith/Released) Date Posted: 10/13/2009

A view of Combat Outpost Herrera, as seen from a nearby hilltop, in Paktiya province, Afghanistan, Oct. 11, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Smith/Released) Date Posted: 10/13/2009

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Kevin Jewell uses his rifle scope to scan the terrain, while on a dismounted patrol, with his platoon, near Combat Outpost Herrera, in Paktiya province, Afghanistan, Oct. 11, 2009. The Soldiers were searching for sites from which the Taliban has been using to fire rockets at the outpost. Jewell is deployed, with Apache Troop, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Smith/Released) Date Posted: 10/13/2009

German soldiers patrol in the city of Balkh, Afghanistan on October 15, 2009. The soldiers and police are taking part in the Focused District Development (FDD) program where Afghan Police are been trained to take over the responsibilty for security. Getty

US Army soldiers in the 1/501st of the 25th Infantry Division race toward a Blackhawk helicopter as they are picked up from a mission October 15, 2009 in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. Soldiers of the 1/501 scoured the Afghan countryside near the Pakistani border on a two-day mission into a tense part of Paktika province, anarea that American soldiers had not patrolled for over three years. The troops were looking for suspected Taliban weapons stores and hideouts. Getty

Soldiers in the 1/501st of the 25th Infantry Division file off the ridge of a mountain where they spent the night in a Taliban stronghold area October 15, 2009 in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. Getty

Air Force 1st Lt. Katie McDowell, widow of Air Force Capt. Mark R. McDowell, grieves during burial services at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. , Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. McDowell, 26, of Colorado Springs, died July 17 in a F-15E crash near Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. AP

Clare Hill, mother of Lance Corporal James Hill, 23, is held by her husband Brian, as she blows a kiss goodbye as the hearse containing her son's coffin passes through Wootton Bassett, England, Thursday Oct. 15, 2009, following his repatriation to Britain. Hill, 23, from 1st Battalion The Coldstream Guards, died in an explosion just outside the main British military base Camp Bastion in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Oct. 8. At right is Hills's fiancee, Anastasia Newman. AP

US Army soldiers in the 1/501st of the 25th Infantry Division shield their eyes from the powerful rotor wash of a Chinook cargo helicopter as they are picked up from a mission October 15, 2009 in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. Soldiers of the 1/501 scoured the Afghan countryside near the Pakistani border on a two-day mission into a tense part of Paktika province, an that American soldiers had not patroled for over three years. The troops were looking for suspected Taliban weapons stores and hideouts. Getty