US Military Pictures & Videos

SANGIN, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Cpl. Micah D. Carlton, a squad leader and designated marksman for the 81 mm Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, kneels during a patrol. “It is important for us to set in security halts and observe the area on patrol so that we can establish a baseline from what we see in the area,” said Carlton.




SANGIN, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Lance Cpl. Austin W. Strecker, a point man for the 81 mm Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, observes fields and compounds during a halt while on patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan. “As the point man I am the first guy to come across and find the IEDs, so I am really good about being careful and investigating hits (with the metal detector),” said Strecker. “I really care about my job and making sure the Marines make it home safe”.




SANGIN, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Lance Cpl. Austin W. Strecker, a point man for the 81 mm Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, sights in on suspicious movement in a nearby tree line during a halt while on patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan. His duties also include setting the Marines into security positions when the patrol halts to speak with local villagers.




SANGIN, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Lance Cpl. Austin W. Strecker, a point man for the 81 mm Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, sweeps a compound entrance for improvised explosive devices with a metal detector while on patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan. “When everyone makes it back at the end of the day, I really feel like I had a big part in it,” said Strecker.




SANGIN, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Lance Cpl. Austin W. Strecker, a point man and rifleman for the 81 mm Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, sights in on a potential spotter in an opposing tree line during a halt while on patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan. “Insurgents like to spot Marines on patrol and look for patterns that they can exploit and use against us,” said Strecker. “So it is important not to set patterns out there.” Strecker, 18, is from Derby, Kan., and is a 2010 graduate of St. John’s Military School in Salina.




SANGIN, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Cpl. Micah D. Carlton, a squad leader and designated marksman for 81 mm Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, talks to local villagers in Sareagear while on patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan.




SANGIN, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Cpl. Micah D. Carlton, a squad leader and designated marksman for 81 mm Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, talks to local villagers in Sareagear while on patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan.




SANGIN, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Cpl. Micah D. Carlton, a squad leader and designated marksman for 81 mm Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, talks to local villagers in Sareagear while on patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan.


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U.S. Army Soldiers, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C., provide security during Joint Operations Access Exercise, (JOAX), June 27, 2011. JOAX is a two-week exercise to prepare Air Force and Army to respond to worldwide crisis and contingences.




U.S. Army Paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, prepare to patrol after jumping into drop zone Sicily during, Joint Operations Access Exercise (JOAX) held at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville N.C., June 27, 2011.




U.S. Army Soldiers, 82nd Airborne Divsion, Fort Bragg, N.C., challenge opposing forces during Joint Operations Access Exercise, (JOAX), June 27, 2011.




Paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Divisions 1st Brigade Combat Team infiltrate a mock village to question locals about insurgent activity during a joint operational access exercise June 27, 2011, at Fort Bragg, N.C.




Paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Divisions 1st Brigade Combat Team infiltrate a mock village to question locals about insurgent activity during a joint operational access exercise June 27, 2011, at Fort Bragg, N.C. The three-day training event included a mass parachute drop followed by a series of missions.




Paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Divisions 1st Brigade Combat Team question locals in a mock village during a joint operational access exercise June 27, 2011, at Fort Bragg, N.C. The three-day training event is designed to help prepare the paratroopers for their next real-world assignment.




A paratrooper evaluates his surroundings while on security detail in a mock village during a joint operational access exercise on Fort Bragg, N.C., June 27, 2011.




Two paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team pull security at a mock village during a joint operational access exercise June 27, 2011, at Fort Bragg, N.C. The soldier at left is armed with an M240-B machine gun.




A paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team uses a field radio to keep in touch with other elements of his unit while other soldiers interrogate locals at a mock village during a joint operational access exercise June 27, 2011, at Fort Bragg, N.C. The three-day JOAX begins with a mass tactical parachute drop of vehicles and paratroopers.




A machine gunner with the 82nd Airborne Divisions 1st Brigade Combat Team pulls security at a mock village during a joint operational access exercise June 27, 2011, at Fort Bragg, N.C. The soldier is aided by night-vision optics.


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