Afpak Photo War
Archive 13

Transfer Vehicle Guide Senior Airman, Lisibeth Payano closes the rear doors of the mortuary vehicle containing the transfer cases of U.S. Army Spc. Christopher Coffland and U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Shawn Hefner during a dignified transfer on the tarmac at Dover Air Force Base on November 15, 2009 in Dover, Delaware. Spc. Coffland of Baltimore, Maryland, and Lance Cpl. Hefner of Hico, Texas, were killed in Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Getty

NATO French Foreign Legion soldiers respond to a mortar attack during operation Avallon in the Tagab Valley, some 50 kilometers east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday Nov. 15, 2009. Hundreds of French and Afghan troops pushed into the volatile valley in an attempt to gain control of an area that has long been a haven for militants who launch quick attacks then fade back into hillside villages. AP

A NATO French Foreign Legion soldier identifies the target during a rocket propelled grenade attack fired by insurgents during operation Avallon in the Tagab Valley, some 50 kilometers east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday Nov. 15, 2009. Hundreds of French and Afghan troops pushed into the volatile valley in an attempt to gain control of an area that has long been a haven for militants who launch quick attacks then fade back into hillside villages. AP

NATO French Foreign Legion soldiers run for positions during a rocket propelled grenade attack fired by insurgents during operation Avallon in the Tagab Valley, some 50 kilometers east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday Nov. 15, 2009. Hundreds of French and Afghan troops pushed into the volatile valley in an attempt to gain control of an area that has long been a haven for militants who launch quick attacks then fade back into hillside villages. AP

A rocket propelled grenade fired by insurgents lands near a NATO French Foreign Legion armored personnel carrier during operation Avallon in the Tagab Valley, some 50 kilometers east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday Nov. 15, 2009. Hundreds of French and Afghan troops pushed into the volatile valley in an attempt to gain control of an area that has long been a haven for militants who launch quick attacks then fade back into hillside villages. AP

NATO French Foreign Legion soldiers deploy for operation Avallon in the Tagab Valley, some 50 kilometers east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday Nov. 15, 2009. Hundreds of French and Afghan troops pushed into the volatile valley in an attempt to gain control of an area that has long been a haven for militants who launch quick attacks then fade back into hillside villages. AP

NATO French Foreign Legion soldiers deploy for operation Avallon in the Tagab Valley, some 50 kilometers east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday Nov. 15, 2009. Hundreds of French and Afghan troops pushed into the volatile valley in an attempt to gain control of an area that has long been a haven for militants who launch quick attacks then fade back into hillside villages. AP

A German soldier holds a torch next to a memorial for French killed soldiers in Afghanistan during Remembrance Day commemorating fallen soldiers in Afghanistan, at Camp Warehouse in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. AP

An Afghan member of a demining squad guides his dog to a mine field during a mine clearing operation outside the village of Tangi Saidan November 15, 2009. Afghanistan is still struggling to remove mines from remote areas after three decades of war. Reuters

Explosive materials are seen during a morning training session of demining dogs at the mine metection centre (MDC) in Kabul November 15, 2009. Afghanistan is still struggling to remove mines from remote areas after three decades of war. Reuters

An Afghan dog trainer brings his dog into a room to find explosives hidden in pots during a morning training session at the mine detection centre (MDC) in Kabul November 15, 2009. Afghanistan is still struggling to remove mines from remote areas after three decades of war. Reuters

[Above and below] U.S. Soldiers with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division receive enemy fire while recovering a damaged Stryker armored vehicle outside the Joint District Community Center in Arghandab City, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Nov. 6, 2009. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Francisco V. Govea II/Released) Date Posted: 11/10/2009

U.S. Soldiers with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division break down a wall outside an Afghan army outpost in Arghandab, Afghanistan, Nov. 5, 2009. The Soldiers are finding out if their Stryker armored vehicles will fit inside the compound. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Francisco V. Govea II/Released) Date Posted: 11/10/2009

In March 2003 the Department of Defense banned publication of photos of transfer cases of the military dead in Afghanistan and Iraq. Three samples below released before the ban. The Memory Hole shortly thereafter filed an FOIA request which led to the release of hundreds of photos of transfer cases.

Joint US Military personnel salute the flag draped transfer case carrying the remains of US Navy (USN) Chief Petty Officer (CPO) Matthew J. Bourgeois, during his Fallen Soldier Ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. CPO Bourgeois, a member of the USN Seal Team, was killed in action in Afghanistan, during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SSGT MARVIN B. MOORE, USAF. Date Shot: 3/29/2002.Date Posted: unknown

US Army (USA) Soldiers assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), carry a Flag draped transfer case onto a waiting C-17A Globemaster III aircraft at Bagram Air Base (AB), Afghanistan. The transfer case bears the remains of a Soldier killed during an aircraft crash, while serving in Afghanistan, during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SPC PATRICK W. THARPE, USA. Date Shot: 6/16/2002. Date Posted: unknown

A US Army (USA) Honor Guard removes four flag-draped transfer cases from a US Air Force (USAF) C-17A Globemaster III aircraft, during a Fallen Soldier Ceremony, conducted on the flight line at Ramstein Air Base (AB) Germany. The coffins bare the remains of USA Soldiers killed when a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed outside of Bagram, Afghanistan, while flying a routine training mission. Photographer's Name: MSGT JOHN P. SNOW, USAF. Date Shot: 2/1/2003. Date Posted: unknown

US Army (USA) Soldiers assigned to A/Company, 3-187th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) armed with 5.56mm M4 carbines prepare for room entry procedures during a sensitive site exploration (SSE), in the eastern central village of Hesarak, located outside of Kabul, Afghanistan, during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SGT TODD M. ROY, USA. Date Shot: 7/16/2002. Date Posted: unknown

US Army (USA) Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (SFG) Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 342 use a specially modified High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), equipped with a 7.62mm M240G machine gun to pull security while other members of their team move into Mangara Village, located in the Orgun district of Afghanistan. Photographer's Name: SFC FRED GURWELL, USA. Date Shot: 8/19/2002. Date Posted: unknown

US Army (USA) Soldiers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, armed with 5.56mm M4 carbines and a M136 light anti-armor weapon, prepare to enter and clear a room, while searching for weapons at Objective Pickett, located in the Paktika province of Afghanistan, during Operation Mountain Sweep. Operation Mountain sweep is the largest US Military offensive in Afghanistan since Operation Anaconda. Photographer's Name: SPC MARSHALL EMERSON, USA. Location: unknown. Date Shot: 8/21/2002. Date Posted: unknown

US Army (USA) Soldiers assigned to 1-505th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, prepare to board a USA CH-47 Chinook helicopter at an airstrip near the town of Khowst, Afghanistan. The Soldiers are departing for Narizah, Afghanistan, to conduct a cordon search during Operation Mountain Sweep. Operation Mountain sweep is the largest US Military offensive in Afghanistan since Operation Anaconda. Photographer's Name: SPC PATRICK THARPE, USA. Date Shot: 8/22/2002. Date Posted: unknown

US Army (USA) Soldiers assigned to the 63rd and the 764th Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Companies, stand ready to destroy a large quantity of captured enemy munitions and unserviceable riot control agent at East River Range at Bagram, Afghanistan, during Operation Mountain Sweep. Operation Mountain Sweep is the largest US Military offensive in Afghanistan since Operation Anaconda. Photographer's Name: SGT TODD M. ROY, USA. Date Shot: 9/15/2002. Date Posted: unknown

US Army (USA) Staff Sergeant (SSG) Betsy Pulley (foreground), 488th Quartermaster Company, treats a local Afghanistan child, who's eyes are infected with pink eye, with an antibiotic ointment, during a humanitarian aid package set up at a school, located near Kandahar, Afghanistan, during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SGT SEAN TERRY, USA. Date Shot: 10/26/2002. Date Posted: unknown

US Army (USA) Soldiers assigned to the Coalition Joint Special Operation Task Force and the 489th Civil Affairs Battalion, distribute books and newspapers to the local Afghani residents in the village of Nejhab, Afghanistan, during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. These materials are part of and aid package donated by USA Soldiers assigned to the 8th and 9th Psychological Operations Groups. Photographer's Name: SPC ERIC E. HUGHES, USA. Date Shot: 10/26/2002. Date Posted: unknown

Abandon Soviet Military artillery pieces found in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. With the exception of the two 122mm Howitzers M1938 (M-30), visible in the background, most of the pieces seem to be unserviceable. Photographer's Name: SGT ALBERT EADDY, USA. Location: unknown. Date Shot: 10/10/2002. Date Posted: unknown

First Lieutenant (1LT) James Bourie and soldiers with "A" Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), White Devils, 82nd Airborne Division, use their scopes and binoculars to search for enemy during a combat patrol in the mountains of Adi Ghar mountains, Afghanistan, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SSG LEOPOLD MEDINA, JR. USA. Location: UNKNOWN. Date Shot: 1/30/2003. Date Posted: unknown

US Army (USA) Sergeant (SGT) Davis Kasanof aims his 5.56mm M4 Carbine at the entrance of a cave during a combat patrol in the Adi Ghar mountains, Afghanistan, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SSG LEOPOLD MEDINA, JR. USA. Date Shot: 1/30/2003. Date Posted: unknown

US Army (USA) Private First Class (PFC) Jason Ketchum crawls into a cave during a search for Taliban and their weapons cache in the Adi Ghar mountains, Afghanistan, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Photographer's Name: SSG LEOPOLD MEDINA, JR. USA. Date Shot: 1/30/2003. Date Posted: unknown

U.S. Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, and U.S. Army Forces Command, patrol Nov. 3, 2009, in the Waterpur Valley in Kunar province, Aghanistan. International Security Assistance Force service members provide humanitarian relief and security assistance to in Kunar province. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller/Released) Date Posted: 11/12/2009

U.S. Army Capt. Scott Warnke, with 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, shows a photograph to an Afghan child in the Anzala Khil village of Afghanistan Nov. 5, 2009. Warnke is deployed to Forward Operating Base Wolverine in the Zabul province of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Christine Jones, U.S. Air Force/Released) Date Posted: 11/12/2009

A U.S. Soldier from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion,, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade 2nd Infantry Division defends a damaged Stryker armored vehicle in Arghandab, Afghanistan, Nov. 5, 2009. The Stryker was hit by an improvised explosive device. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Francisco V. Govea II/Released) Date Posted: 11/12/2009

U.S. Army Capt. Scott Koeman, a chaplain with the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, holds a group prayer at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Wolverine, Zabul, Afghanistan, Nov. 2, 2009, before Soldiers convoy to FOB Sweeney, Afghanistan. Koeman and the Soldiers are deployed to FOB Wolverine to conduct counterinsurgency operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Christine Jones/Released) Date Posted: 11/10/2009

U.S. Soldiers with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division rest on their Stryker armored vehicles at Forward Operating Base Frontenac, Afghanistan, Nov. 3, 2009. They are preparing to travel to the Joint District Community Center in Argandob, Afghanistan, to support Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo By Tech. Sgt. Francisco V. Govea II/Released) Date Posted: 11/10/2009

U.S. Army Sgt. Sean Tipper, with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, reads a book at the Joint District Community Center in Argondob, Afghanistan, Nov. 3, 2009. (U.S. Air Force photo By Tech. Sgt. Francisco V. Govea II/Released) Date Posted: 11/10/2009

U.S. Soldiers with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division load their Stryker armored vehicles at Forward Operating Base Frontenac, Afghanistan, Nov. 3, 2009. They are preparing to travel to the Joint District Community Center in Argandob, Afghanistan, to support Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo By Tech. Sgt. Francisco V. Govea II/Released) Date Posted: 11/10/2009

[Above and below] U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Sanders, with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, shakes hands with an Afghan man while patrolling the streets of Arghandab, Afghanistan, Nov. 7, 2009. Charlie Company's mission is to support the overall NATO-led International Security Assistance Force's mission of assisting the government of Afghanistan in the establishment and maintenance of a safe and secure environment, thereby facilitating the nation's reconstruction and stability. (U.S. Air Force photo By Tech. Sgt. Francisco V. Govea II/Released) Date Posted: 11/10/2009

A U.S soldier stands guard at the scene of a suicide bomb blast November 13, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban claimed responsibility forthe attack which wounded at least six people near Camp Phoenix, a U.S military support base. Getty

U.S. Army soldiers leave the scene of a suicide bomb detonated near Camp Phoenix, a logistics support base for U.S. forces just outside Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday Nov. 13, 2009. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing Friday. AP

U.S. Army soldiers order the media to step back after a suicide bomb detonated near Camp Phoenix, a logistics support base for U.S. forces just outside Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday Nov. 13, 2009. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing Friday. AP

U.S soldiers stands guard at the scene of a suicide bomb blast November 13, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack which wounded at least six people near Camp Phoenix, a U.S military support base. Getty

Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment Comanche Company rest in a courtyard following a raid on the town of Babo Kheyl in Eastern Afghanistan in this video image taken on September 13, 2009. AP

A member of a U.S. special operations unit patrols in Masaw village, Pusch Rud district in Afghanistan's Farah Province Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009. U.S. and Afghan troops paid a visit to village leaders following a Taliban attack on coalition forces. AP

An Afghan boy passes U.S. special operations forces during a patrol in Masaw village, Pusch Rud district in Afghanistan's Farah Province Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009. U.S. and Afghan troops paid a visit to village leaders following a Taliban attack on coalition forces. AP

A U.S. special operations officer, second from right, and an Afghan National Army officer, center, meet with leaders in Masaw village, Pusch Rud district, in Afghanistan's Farah Province, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009. U.S. and Afghan troops paid a visit to village leaders following a Taliban attack on coalition forces. AP

U.S. Army soldiers of 3/509 infantry 4BDE25ID Task Force Geronimo walk after a patrol at Paktika province, Afghanistan, November 12, 2009. Reuters

U.S. Army soldiers of 3/509 infantry 4BDE25ID Task Force Geronimo sit during a patrol at Paktika province, Afghanistan, November 12, 2009. Reuters

U.S. Army Staff Sergent Cris Bachenberg (R) of 3/509 infantry 4BDE25ID Task Force Geronimo takes afpak-fun-05h-ures of Afghan children during a patrol at Paktika province, Afghanistan, November 12, 2009. Reuters

Graphic shows international commitments to NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. AP

This undated family photo released by the Sherman family shows U.S. Army Spc. Benjamin Sherman of Plymouth, Mass. . Sherman's family said Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, that his body was found a week after he went missing trying to recover airdropped supplies from a river in western Afghanistan. AP

The Army Honor guard carries the flag-draped coffin of Army Sgt. Dale Griffin at a graveside service in Terre Haute, Ind. , Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009. Griffin was killed Oct. 27 by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. The parents of Sgt. Griffin, Gene and Dona Griffin are at right. AP

German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, wearing body armour, disembarks from a plane on arrival in Kabul November 12, 2009, as he makes a surprise visit to Afghanistan to meet with military commanders and to inspect German Army, Bundeswehr, troops stationed there. Reuters

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd lays a wreath in observance of Remembrance Day during a service held at Camp Holland near Tarin Kowt November 11, 2009. Rudd was in Afghanistan to mark Remembrance Day with the Australian troops. afpak-fun-05g-ure taken on November 11. Reuters

A British soldier prays during a moment of silence taking part in a Veterans Day ceremony at Camp Eggers on November 11, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. So far the UK death-toll in Afghanistan reached 232. Armistice Day traditionally marks the end of the WWI when Germany and the allied forces signed the armistice signaling the end of hostilities on the Western Front. The cessation of the war officially took effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month and is marked annually by services of remembrance for all those who have fallen in wars and a two minute silence. Getty

U.S military stand during a moment of silence as photographer's boots are seen in the foreground taking part in a Veterans Day ceremony at Camp Eggers November 11, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. So far the UK death-toll in Afghanistan reached 232. Armistice Day traditionally marks the end of the WWI when Germany and the allied forces signed the armistice signaling the end of hostilities on the Western Front. The cessation of the war officially took effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month and is marked annually by services of remembrance for all those who have fallen in wars and a two minute silence. Getty

U.S contracting officer Carolyn Sein from Washington takes part in a Veterans Day ceremony at Camp Eggers November 11, 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. So far the UK death-toll in Afghanistan reached 232. Armistice Day traditionally marks the end of the WWI when Germany and the allied forces signed the armistice signaling the end of hostilities on the Western Front. The cessation of the war officially took effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month and is marked annually by services of remembrance for all those who have fallen in wars and a two minute silence. Getty

An internally displaced Afghan girl waits near a water truck to fill a small container at a camp outside of Jalalabad, Afghanistan Nov. 11, 2009. The camp holds homeless Afghans, still living in limbo after an earthquake in their nearby villages earlier in the year. AP

Internally displaced Afghan children fight their way to a water truck to fill their containers at a camp outside of Jalalabad, Afghanistan Nov. 11, 2009. The camp holds homeless Afghans, still living in limbo after an earthquake in their nearby villages earlier in the year. AP

Eighteen year old Rifleman Craig Wood, from Doncaster, United Kingdom, participates in a remembrance ceremony under the Menin Gate in Ieper, Belgium, Wednesday Nov. 11, 2009. Rifleman Wood was wounded in Afghanistan by a bomb and is one of only three triple amputee's who have survived the war. AP

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka (D-HI) (R) thanks U.S. Army Specialist Eric Edmondson and his father Ed Edmondson after a news conference about Democratic efforts to pass an omnibus veterans? health bill at the U.S. Capitol November 10, 2009 in Washington, DC. Specialist Edmondson, who suffered severe traumatic brain injury in an improvised explosive device attack in October 2005 while serving in Iraq, is cared for by his parents. Democrats indentified Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) as the sole Republican holding up the passage of the bill designed to help Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans and family caregivers of the seriously wounded. Getty

Canadian Chief of Defence Staff General Walt Natynczyk greets Canadian soldier Trevor Greene (R), who was injured in Afghanistan, during the True Patriot Love Tribute Dinner and gala in support of the Canadian Military Families fund in Toronto November 10, 2009. Reuters

President Barack Obama meets with his national security team to discuss Afghanistan in the Situation Room of the White House on Nov. 11, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Alexander Holcomb and Darryl France, both General Atomic contractors, off-load an AGM-114 Hellfire missile from a fully armed MQ-9 Reaper aircraft upon its arrival at an air base in Afghanistan Nov. 4, 2007. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson) (Released) Date Posted: unknown

Joseph Stutzman and Robert Attard, with General Atomics Aeronautical System, cross load a AGM-114 Hellfire missile from one MQ-1 Predator to another on Balad Air Base, Iraq, May 16, 2006. Stutzman and Attard are contract aircraft mechanics assigned to the 46th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit on Balad AB. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brian Ferguson) (Released). Date Posted: unknown

Bruce Ottenwess, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.Airframe and power plant mechanic based out of Creech AFB, Nevada conducts pre-flight checks before launching the "Predator" MQ-1 unmanned aerial vehicle. Balad Air Base, Iraq January 31, 2007. The 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron's mission is to provide real time aerial reconnaissance to deployed theatre commanders. The predator squadron is assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing provides convoys throughout Iraq with an eye in the sky. In addition to its reconnaissance mission the Predators help defend Balad Air Base in conjunction with the base's Joint Defense Operations Center. (JDOC) the Predators can engage any potential hostile insurgent activity. (U. S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth) (Released) Date Posted: unknown

[Above and below] U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Angel Torres, right, a crew chief with the 432d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, performs a preflight inspection on an MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle as Jeremy Estoban, with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. observes, on the day of the first U.S. Air Force non-contractor launch of an MQ-9, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Feb. 28, 2008. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lawrence Crespo/Released) Date Posted: 8/5/2009

U.S. Air Force General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Airframe Power plant specialist Darrell Graves inspects the engine bay of a MQ-9 Reaper aircraft during maintenance at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., July 19, 2007. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Larry E. Reid Jr.) (Released) Date Posted: unknown

U.S. Army sergeant Chong Lee of 3/509 infantry 4BDE25ID Task Force Geronimo lifts weights before a firing training session at FOB Tillman, Afghanistan, November 11, 2009. Reuters

U.S. Army SFC Robert Mamaril of 3/509 infantary 4BDE25ID Task Force Geronimo fires his weapon during a training session at FOB Tillman, Afghanistan, November 11, 2009. Reuters

U.S. Army soldiers of 3/509 infantry 4BDE25ID Task Force Geronimo is seen before a firing training session at FOB Tillman, Afghanistan, November 11, 2009. Reuters

U.S. Army soldier Ryan Branklel of 3/509 infantry 4BDE25ID Task Force Geronimo fires his weapon during a training session at FOB Tillman, Afghanistan, November 11, 2009. Reuters