US Military Pictures & Videos

An Afghan boy smiles as U.S. Marine Pfc. Aaron Ridlen, a 20-year-old rifleman with 3rd Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and native of Mt. Sterling, Ill., greets him in Pashto during a partnered security patrol with Afghan National Army soldiers here, Dec. 18.




U.S. Marine Sgt. Jeremy Holsten, a 25-year-old squad leader with 3rd Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and native of Albuquerque, greets local children during a partnered security patrol with Afghan National Army soldiers here, Dec. 18.




Afghan National Army Sgt. Nasir interacts with local children at a vehicle checkpoint during a partnered security patrol with Marines from 3rd Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment here, Dec. 18.




U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Prall, a 19-year-old rifleman with 3rd Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and native of Syracuse, N.Y., scans the area while crossing a bridge during a partnered security patrol with Afghan National Army soldiers here, Dec. 18.




U.S. Marine Sgt. Jeremy Holsten, a 25-year-old squad leader with 3rd Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and native of Albuquerque, watches over a field while halted during a partnered security patrol with Afghan National Army soldiers here, Dec. 18


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Soldiers from the 265th Movement Control Team and Kuwaiti soldiers close the gates to Khabari Crossing after the last convoy has passed.




Command Sgt. Maj. McNeil places his hand with the Kuwaitis symbolizing the strong bond the U.S. and Kuwaiti military has formed.




Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade 1st Cavalry Division arrive at Camp Virginia, where they will begin the process of turning in their equipment before heading home.




A soldier from the 3rd Brigade 1st Cavalry Division gives the peace sign while the passenger waves the American flag after crossing the border from Iraq to Kuwait.




Soldiers from 3rd Brigade 1st Calvary Division are the last of the soldiers to cross the border between Iraq and Kuwait as Operation New Dawn comes to a close.




The final remnants of equipment and troops drove across the border as the sun sets on Operation New Dawn. The war in Iraq has been going on since 2003 where over one million service members have served.




The final remnants of equipment and troops drove across the border as the sun sets on Operation New Dawn. The war in Iraq has been going on since 2003 where over one million service members have served.




The final remnants of equipment and troops drove across the border as the sun sets on Operation New Dawn. The war in Iraq has been going on since 2003 where over one million service members have served.


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The FET Marines support the battalion by engaging with the local women and children, building trust between residents and the Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces




Sergeants Jessica Lugo (left) and Autumn Sekely (right), of Female Engagement Team 6, walk into a village leader’s compound in Sangin district, Helmand province. Sekely, of Pittsburgh, and Lugo, of San Pedro, Calif.,




Sergeants Jessica Lugo (left) and Autumn Sekely (right), of Female Engagement Team 6, walk into a village leader’s compound in Sangin district, Helmand province. Sekely, of Pittsburgh, and Lugo, of San Pedro, Calif.




Sergeant Autumn Sekely, of Female Engagement Team 6, takes a knee and watches passing children while supporting a recent patrol with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, in Sangin district, Helmand province.




Sergeant Autumn Sekely, of Female Engagement Team 6, watches passing children while supporting a recent patrol with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, in Sangin district, Helmand province.




Sergeants Autumn Sekely (back) and Jessica Lugo (front), of Female Engagement Team 6, provide support for a recent patrol with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, in Sangin district, Helmand province.




Sergeants Autumn Sekely (back) and Jessica Lugo (front), of Female Engagement Team 6, provide support for a recent patrol with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, in Sangin district, Helmand province




Sergeants Autumn Sekely (back) and Jessica Lugo (front), of Female Engagement Team 6, 2nd Marine Division (Forward), provide support for a patrol with 1st Squad, Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Dec. 7, in Sangin district, Helmand province.




Sergeant Jessica Lugo, the team leader with Female Engagement Team 6, is a Marine reserve military policewoman from San Pedro, Calif.




Corporal Brandy Bates, a team member with Female Engagement Team 8 and native of Ann Arbor, Mich.




Corporal Brandy Bates, a team member with Female Engagement Team 8 and native of Ann Arbor, Mich., walks around the corner of a mud wall while supporting soldiers from the Afghan National Army’s 215th Corps and U.S. Marines with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment


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Tanks complete final exercise before deployment


Lance Cpl. Eli Gutierrez, loader with 1st platoon, Company A, 1st Tank Battalion, looks out the main hatch of his team’s tank during a patrol exercise in the combat center’s training area, Dec. 1, 2011. The tankers faced record winds and freezing temperatures during their five-day training operation



Marines with Company A, 1st Tank Battalion, roll through the Combat Center training area during a patrol training exercise Dec. 1, 2011. This field exercise is the last time the company will be in the field training before they deploy to Afghanistan.



(Left) Lance Cpl. Clint Lathrop, tank mechanic and M88 recovery vehicle driver, and Lance Cpl Aaron Hullet, tank driver with first platoon, look into the mechanical problems of a tank Dec. 1, 2011, during a field exercise.



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Staff Sgt. Anthony Atkinson (right) looks through his rifle optic during a patrol. The former drill instructor of Long Island, N.Y., was the staff noncommissioned officer for Team 1, Border Adviser Team 1, and agreed his team was able to come together and operate effectively to support Afghan Border Police and Afghan Uniformed Police.




Sgt. Mitchell Lander of Irwin, Pa., provides security during a movement toward the Afghan border. The 25-year-old served as an enlisted adviser with Team 1, Border Adviser Team 1, during Operation Eagle Hunt. The Afghan-led operation allowed the Afghan Border Police and Afghan Uniformed Police to demonstrate their progress as security forces.




Corporal Justin Stewart (left) of Meridian, Miss., patrols through the Afghan desert during Operation Eagle Hunt. Stewart was one of several attachments in support of Team 1, Border Adviser Team 1, to assist the Afghan Border Police and Afghan Uniformed Police throughout the Afghan-led operation.




Petty Officer 2nd Class Watson Lindor of West Palm Beach, Fla., patrols with Team 1, Border Advisor Team 1, during Operation Eagle Hunt. Lindor is a corpsman currently assigned to the unit and supports the Marines with any medical issues they may have in the field.




Jacksonville, N.C., resident 2nd Lt. Joel Wellendorf patrols near the Afghan border during Operation Eagle Hunt. The team leader for Team 1, Border Advisor Team 1, led the team through miles of sand dunes, canals, farmlands, and dangerous terrain in order to successfully support their Afghan brothers-in-arms during the Afghan-led operation.




Corporal Justin Stewart (left) of Meridian, Miss., patrols through the Afghan desert during Operation Eagle Hunt. Stewart was one of several attachments in support of Team 1, Border Advisor Team 1, assisting the Afghan Border Police and Afghan Uniformed Police throughout the Afghan-led operation




Corporal Justin Stewart of Meridian, Miss., patrols through the Afghan desert during Operation Eagle Hunt. Stewart was one of several attachments in support of Team 1, Border Advisor Team 1, assisting the Afghan Border Police and Afghan Uniformed Police throughout the Afghan-led operation.




Marines with Team 1, Border Advisor Team 1, patrol to the mobile combat operations center during Operation Eagle Hunt. Day one of the operation started off for the Marines with a three-mile trek through sandy plains before reaching a compound they would later call home for the majority of the mission. The team’s mission was to support the Afghan Border Police and Afghan Uniformed Police, who spearheaded the operation.




Sergeant Mitchell Lander of Irwin, Pa., provides security during a movement toward the Afghan border. The 25-year-old served as an enlisted advisor with Team 1, Border Advisor Team 1, during Operation Eagle Hunt. The Afghan-led operation allowed the Afghan Border Police and Afghan Uniformed Police to demonstrate their progress in providing security for the area.




Ocoee, Fla., native Cpl. David Gage provides security outside a compound. The 2006 Ocoee High School graduate served as an enlisted advisor with Team 1, Border Advisor Team 1, during Operation Eagle Hunt. Gage’s shares his experience as a military policeman with the Afghan Border Policemen he mentors.




Sergeant Mitchell Lander of Irwin, Pa., provides security during a movement toward the Afghan border. The 25-year-old served as an enlisted advisor with Team 1, Border Advisor Team 1, during Operation Eagle Hunt. The Afghan-led operation allowed the Afghan Border Police and Afghan Uniformed Police to show the world their progress as security forces.


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A AH-64 Apache helicopter of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Calvary division rests on the flight line early in the morning after a snow storm the night before here Dec. 21.




A UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter from the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Calvary division, takes flight, stirring up the snow as it passes over another UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter here Dec. 21. The helicopters went out on mission the morning after an over-night snow storm.




A CH-47 Chinook helicopter of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Calvary division rests on the flightline early in the morning after a snow storm the night before here, Dec. 21.


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Marine Scout Snipers from with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit take part in Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX). The 24th MEU took part in COMPTUEX Nov. 28 to Dec. 21. The training served to develop cohesion between the 24th MEU and Amphibious Squadron 8 (PHIBRON 8) in conducting amphibious operations, crisis response, and limited contingency operations while operating from the sea.













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A civilian instructor coaches two paratroopers on how to use a Carl Gustav M3 84mm recoilless rifle during a certification course on Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 6, 2011. The paratroopers are assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team. The multi-role weapon consists of a light artillery tube that can be used against armor, fortifications and personnel.




A civilian instructor loads a tracer training round into a Carl Gustav M3 84mm recoilless rifle during a certification course for paratroopers on Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 6, 2011. Though it only fires a 7.62mm tracer, the training modules look and feel similar to the actual projectiles that can be fired from the weapon.




A paratrooper shoulders a Carl Gustav M3 84mm recoilless rifle during a certification course on Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 6, 2011.




A paratrooper shoulders a Carl Gustav M3 84mm recoilless rifle while his partner optically measures the distance to a target during a certification course on Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 6, 2011




A paratrooper closes the breech on a Carl Gustav M3 84mm recoilless rifle during a certification course on Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 6, 2011.




Exhaust from a training round flows from the open end of a Carl Gustav M3 84mm recoilless rifle during a certification course on Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 6, 2011.




Two paratroopers fire a tracer training round from a Carl Gustav M3 84mm recoilless rifle during a certification course on Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 6, 2011.




A civilian instructor explains how to use the fuse on a projectile fired from a Carl Gustav M3 84mm recoilless rifle during a certification course on Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 6, 2011




Two paratroopers fire a round from a Carl Gustav M3 84mm recoilless rifle during a certification course on Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 6, 2011.




Projectiles from a Carl Gustav M3 84mm recoilless rifle impact old tanks during a certification course for paratroopers on Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 6, 2011




A paratrooper looks through the scope of a Carl Gustav M3 84mm recoilless rifle during a certification course on Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 6, 2011.




Paratroopers fire a Carl Gustav M3 84mm recoilless rifle during a certification course on Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 6, 2011.


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