Scout Snipers with Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, set up security in a remote location in Fallujah, Iraq, during a night operation Dec. 5. Two teams of snipers have recently taken on duties of a Quick Reactionary Force instead of their usual sniper missions. - Scout Snipers with Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, set up security in a remote location in Fallujah, Iraq, during a night operation Dec. 5. Two teams of snipers have recently taken on duties of a Quick Reactionary Force instead of their usual sniper missions.
George Akwei Mingle, a Ghanaian-born corpsman with Task Force 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, practices his architectural drawing at Combat Outpost Rawah, Iraq, Dec. 4 during his free time to keep his skills sharp as he begins his journey toward gaining his masters degree in architecture. Mingle, who moved to Alexandria, Va. after finishing his bachelor's degree in Ghana, hopes to eventually become an officer in the Seabees and establish himself as an independent architect.::r::::n:: - George Akwei Mingle, a Ghanaian-born corpsman with Task Force 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, practices his architectural drawing at Combat Outpost Rawah, Iraq, Dec. 4 during his free time to keep his skills sharp as he begins his journey toward gaining his masters degree in architecture. Mingle, who moved to Alexandria, Va. after finishing his bachelor's degree in Ghana, hopes to eventually become an officer in the Seabees and establish himself as an independent architect.::r::::n::
Chief of Navy Chaplains Rear Adm. Robert Burt speaks to service members during a prayer breakfast at Camp Ramadi, Iraq, Dec. 5. Burt spoke about some of the things he has experienced in his 38 years in the military and how thankful he is for the service of all the men and women serving in Iraq. - Chief of Navy Chaplains Rear Adm. Robert Burt speaks to service members during a prayer breakfast at Camp Ramadi, Iraq, Dec. 5. Burt spoke about some of the things he has experienced in his 38 years in the military and how thankful he is for the service of all the men and women serving in Iraq.
Gunnery Sgt Gary M. Gonzalez, 40, from La Puente, Calif., who is the team chief with Civil Affairs Team 5, Detachment 1, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, signs the paperwork on the final payment of the Hassah School renovation project in Hassah, Iraq, Nov. 30. The school is the only educational facility in the town and therefore receives heavy usage from the townâ??s youth. The renovations the school received will help it provide a better education. ::r::::n:: - Gunnery Sgt Gary M. Gonzalez, 40, from La Puente, Calif., who is the team chief with Civil Affairs Team 5, Detachment 1, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, signs the paperwork on the final payment of the Hassah School renovation project in Hassah, Iraq, Nov. 30. The school is the only educational facility in the town and therefore receives heavy usage from the townâ??s youth. The renovations the school received will help it provide a better education. ::r::::n::
Lance Cpl. Kyle Friel, a motor transport mechanic with Civil Affairs Team 5, Detachment 1, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, carefully navigates his way across what used to be the riverbed of the Euphrates River near the city of Anah, Iraq, Dec. 1. The river level has been in a steady decline due to poor rainfall and lack of water being released from the Haditha Dam. The people of Anah are attempting to dredge the riverbed to preserve their water supply and prevent a drought for them and the surrounding towns. ::r::::n:: - Lance Cpl. Kyle Friel, a motor transport mechanic with Civil Affairs Team 5, Detachment 1, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, carefully navigates his way across what used to be the riverbed of the Euphrates River near the city of Anah, Iraq, Dec. 1. The river level has been in a steady decline due to poor rainfall and lack of water being released from the Haditha Dam. The people of Anah are attempting to dredge the riverbed to preserve their water supply and prevent a drought for them and the surrounding towns. ::r::::n::
Lance Cpl. Allan Desruisseaux, a telephone system and personal computer repair technician with Provisional Rifle Platoon 3, Regimental Combat Team 5, covers a window while other Marines clear a building Dec. 4 in Rawah, Iraq. Desruisseaux lost more than 100 pounds in 10 months, graduating Marine Corps recruit training weighing 189 pounds after tipping the scales at 326 pounds. Desruisseauxâ??s dedication to becoming a Marine, and his work ethic after joining, is an inspiration to the Marines around him.::r::::n:: - Lance Cpl. Allan Desruisseaux, a telephone system and personal computer repair technician with Provisional Rifle Platoon 3, Regimental Combat Team 5, covers a window while other Marines clear a building Dec. 4 in Rawah, Iraq. Desruisseaux lost more than 100 pounds in 10 months, graduating Marine Corps recruit training weighing 189 pounds after tipping the scales at 326 pounds. Desruisseauxâ??s dedication to becoming a Marine, and his work ethic after joining, is an inspiration to the Marines around him.::r::::n::
Petty Officer 2nd Class Bridget Shanahan, a corpsman with Shock Trauma Platoon, 2nd Combat Logistics Battalion, and Lance Cpl. Michael Johnson, a wireman with Communications Platoon, Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, hand out stuffed animals to a second grade student at Houran Primary School in Rutbah, Iraq, Dec. 2. Not only was this the first time most of the children at Houran had ever interacted with Coalition forces, but it was an education in the integral role that females serve in the U.S. military.::r::::n:: - Petty Officer 2nd Class Bridget Shanahan, a corpsman with Shock Trauma Platoon, 2nd Combat Logistics Battalion, and Lance Cpl. Michael Johnson, a wireman with Communications Platoon, Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, hand out stuffed animals to a second grade student at Houran Primary School in Rutbah, Iraq, Dec. 2. Not only was this the first time most of the children at Houran had ever interacted with Coalition forces, but it was an education in the integral role that females serve in the U.S. military.::r::::n::
Lance Cpl. Trevor M. Smith, a 20-year-old combat tracker dog handler from Myrtle Beach, S.C., with Task Force Military Police, I Marine Expeditionary Force, in support of Task Force 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, taunts Grek, a military working dog, who replies with intimidating snarls. The working dogs’ keen senses make them a valuable resource when searching for improvised explosive devices and tracking down the insurgents who made them. - Lance Cpl. Trevor M. Smith, a 20-year-old combat tracker dog handler from Myrtle Beach, S.C., with Task Force Military Police, I Marine Expeditionary Force, in support of Task Force 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, taunts Grek, a military working dog, who replies with intimidating snarls. The working dogs’ keen senses make them a valuable resource when searching for improvised explosive devices and tracking down the insurgents who made them.
Soldiers with the 1st Azerbaijani Peacekeeping Company prepare to case the Azerbaijan flag to symbolize the completion of their tour in Iraq during a ceremony at Camp Ripper, Al Asad Airbase, Iraq, Dec. 3. For the past five years, soldiers from Azerbaijan, a small country near the Caspian Sea, have provided security at the Haditha Dam, which produces over 25 percent of the power to the country of Iraq. Iraqi Security Forces will now provide security at the dam, and the Azerbaijanis will soon return home.::r::::n:: - Soldiers with the 1st Azerbaijani Peacekeeping Company prepare to case the Azerbaijan flag to symbolize the completion of their tour in Iraq during a ceremony at Camp Ripper, Al Asad Airbase, Iraq, Dec. 3. For the past five years, soldiers from Azerbaijan, a small country near the Caspian Sea, have provided security at the Haditha Dam, which produces over 25 percent of the power to the country of Iraq. Iraqi Security Forces will now provide security at the dam, and the Azerbaijanis will soon return home.::r::::n::
Major Gen. Martin Post, deputy commanding general for Multi-National Force-West, and Al-Kumanji Mawafek Mohammed, director of real estate, and several other members of the Iraqi government, sign the documents to officially turn the Haditha Dam back over to the Government of Iraq Dec 3. The dam supplies almost one-third of Iraq's electricity and had been controlled by Coalition forces since 2003.::r::::n:: - Major Gen. Martin Post, deputy commanding general for Multi-National Force-West, and Al-Kumanji Mawafek Mohammed, director of real estate, and several other members of the Iraqi government, sign the documents to officially turn the Haditha Dam back over to the Government of Iraq Dec 3. The dam supplies almost one-third of Iraq's electricity and had been controlled by Coalition forces since 2003.::r::::n::