Lieutenant Col. Shawn Beltran, (left) the incoming commanding officer of 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, and a native of Wichita Falls, Texas, takes the battalion colors from Lt. Col. David Everly, (center) the outgoing commanding officer, and a native of Inglewood, Calif., during a change of command ceremony at Camp Las Pulgas here, June 28, 2013. Everly served for two years as the battalion's commanding officer and said leading and being in command of Marines is one of the greatest honors. - Lieutenant Col. Shawn Beltran, (left) the incoming commanding officer of 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, and a native of Wichita Falls, Texas, takes the battalion colors from Lt. Col. David Everly, (center) the outgoing commanding officer, and a native of Inglewood, Calif., during a change of command ceremony at Camp Las Pulgas here, June 28, 2013. Everly served for two years as the battalion's commanding officer and said leading and being in command of Marines is one of the greatest honors.
A "God Bless America" sign decorates the mess hall here, July 4, 2013. "To me, the Fourth of July simply means freedom," said Cpl. Dimitri Armstead, 20, from Kailua, Hawaii, a motor transportation mechanic with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7. "It's a day to remember the sacrifices made by past service members who gave their lives for the country." - A "God Bless America" sign decorates the mess hall here, July 4, 2013. "To me, the Fourth of July simply means freedom," said Cpl. Dimitri Armstead, 20, from Kailua, Hawaii, a motor transportation mechanic with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7. "It's a day to remember the sacrifices made by past service members who gave their lives for the country."
Staff Sgt. Leo Tapia, the radio chief with the Signals Kandak Adviser Team, assists an Afghan National Army soldier with assembling a radio antenna here, July 1, 2013. Tapia, a 30-year-old native of Yakima, Wash., teaches the Afghan soldiers radio and antenna theory to help them understand how and why their equipment works. - Staff Sgt. Leo Tapia, the radio chief with the Signals Kandak Adviser Team, assists an Afghan National Army soldier with assembling a radio antenna here, July 1, 2013. Tapia, a 30-year-old native of Yakima, Wash., teaches the Afghan soldiers radio and antenna theory to help them understand how and why their equipment works.