Lt. James Fish, the gunner for the G-3 Division of the Weapons Department aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), fires an M-14 rifle during a weapons qualification on the ships fantail. Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are deployed to the 7th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans) (DVIDS)
Too much is never enough, especially when it comes to fresh blood supplies in Afghanistan. If you are deployed, or are deploying soon, be sure to have a blood screening test so if the call for blood happens while you are in theater you can donate if need be.
By Sgt. 1st Class Walter Talens, 319th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
While flying over Colorado a B-2 Stealth Bomber from Whiteman Air Force Base, MO, moves into position for a mid-air refueling via the boom of a KC-135R Stratotanker from the 128th Air Refueling Wing, Milwaukee on 09 May, 2012. The B-2 Stealth bomber and the KC-135 crews conducted the aerial refueling to maintain mission readiness standards. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt Jeremy M. Wilson (DVIDS)
Lance Cpl. Koby Jensen, a water point team member with Support Company, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), runs the tactical water purification system at Forward Operating Base Whitehouse, Afghanistan. (Photo by Sgt. Michele Watson)
After a 12-hour foot patrol in the baking heat of the Afghan desert, a shower to wash away the grime and the grit could be the one oasis the Marines and sailors here look forward to upon completing their arduous task.
When Marines from Support Company, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) first arrived at Forward Operating Base Whitehouse, the oasis was only a mirage.
Within a few weeks, a team of three Marines turned a forgotten luxury into a reality and organized the construction of shower and laundry facilities for service members at the base.
“When we got here there was nothing,” said Cpl. Tammy La Pierre, the water point non-commissioned officer-in-charge at FOB Whitehouse. “It was basically for the morale of the Marines here with [1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment] to provide laundry and showers.”
Nicknamed “Water Dog,” La Pierre was the only water purification specialist at the FOB and had a big mission to fulfill. To help with the task, two Marines from Support Co. joined the “Water Dog” team and received on-the-job training.
Lance Cpl. Bobby Branch, an electrician, used his skills to provide power to the structures after they were built.
“To get the showers up and running, I ran wires from the generator to the power distributor,” said Branch.
The final member of the team, Lance Cpl. Koby Jensen, helped set up the lights for the facilities and the generator. Jensen, a basic electrical equipment engineer systems technician with 9th ESB, also learned the job of a water purification specialist.
With the facilities built, the generator in place and the tactical water purification system prepared, the last item left to get was the water. A few short miles from the FOB stretches the vast Helmand River.
“I do river runs and collect water from the river using a 125 Pump and Dolphin Strainer,” said Jensen, 21, a native of Vernal, Utah.
German soldiers of 2nd Company, 1st Battalion, 40th Mechanized Infantry Regiment pull security during an Operational Mentor Liaison Team (OMLT) training exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany. OMLT XXIII and Police Operational Mentor Liaison Team VII training are designed to prepare teams for deployment to Afghanistan with the ability to train, advise, and enable the Afghan National Security Force in areas such as counter-insurgency, combat advisory, and force enabling support operations. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ian Schell (DVIDS)
While flying over Colorado a B-2 Stealth Bomber from Whiteman Air Force Base, MO, moves into position for a mid-air refueling via the boom of a KC-135R Stratotanker from the 128th Air Refueling Wing, Milwaukee on 09 May, 2012. The B-2 Stealth bomber and the KC-135 crews conducted the aerial refueling to maintain mission readiness standards.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt Jeremy M. Wilson (DVIDS)
Royal Canadian Mounted Police assigned to a Marine Security Emergency Response Team debark from the HMCS Ville de Quebec (FFH 332) to conduct boarding operations during Exercise Frontier Sentinel 2012 May 8, 2012 at sea off Sydney, Nova Scotia. Exercise Frontier Sentinel is a combined interagency exercise involving Joint Task Force Atlantic, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy Fleet Forces Command. The exercise is designed to continue to develop and validate the existing plans, treaties and standard operation procedures for a bilateral response to maritime homeland defense and security threats.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ernesto Hernandez Fonte / Released) (DVIDS)
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