Military Photos...

There is a massive combat operation going on in southern Afghanistan to dislodge the Taliban hold on the region... Keep the troops in your prayers!


01
In this photo made Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010, U.S. Combat Medic Spc. David Christie, 22, right, holds his glasses next to U.S. Army doctor major Steven Williams , 50, of Burlington, N.C., both with the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, as a Black Hawk helicopter evacuates a 7-year-old wounded Afghan boy from an outpost in the Badula Qulp area, West of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. The Afghan boy was wounded in a crossfire near the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. (AP)


02
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, guided missile cruiser USS Chosin, guided missile destroyer USS Sampson guided missile destroyer USS Pinkney and frigate USS Rentz operate in formation in the South China Sea.


03
Marines took cover after their unit received fire from a concealed insurgent. Bryan Denton/WSJ


04
Lance Cpl. Koenig told fellow Marines about the bullet that struck him in his helmet earlier in the day. The helmet stopped the bullet. Bryan Denton/WSJ


05
Around 15,000 American, British and Afghan troops are involved in what has been described as the biggest air assault ever undertaken by coalition forces in the country. (AFP: Patrick Baz)


06
Australian soldiers are among 15,000 taking part in the offensive in Afghanistan. (file photo) (defence.gov.au)


07
Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment take cover after receiving small-arms fire, Feb. 13, in the city of Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan. Marines with Bravo and Alpha Company, 1/6 inserted into the city at night by helicopters as part of a large-scale offensive aimed at routing the Taliban from their last-known stronghold in Helmand province. Photos by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark USMC


08
A helicopter comes in for an emergency medical evacuation, while Marines and Afghan national army soldiers with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment provide overwatch, Feb. 13, on the outskirts of the city of Marjah, Afghanistan.


09
U.S. Army Sgt. Keith Bradley, a sniper with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, mans an M-107 .50-caliber long-range sniper rifle to search for enemy presence during Operation Helmand Spider in Badula Qulp, Helmand province, Afghanistan


10
A U.S. soldier returns fire as others run for cover during a firefight with insurgents in the Badula Qulp area, West of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010. The area is near Marjah, where U.S. Marines are conducting an offensive against the Taliban. (AP)


11
Paratroopers with 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (Advise and Assist Brigade), descend to a drop zone near Al Asad Airbase, Iraq, Feb. 12, as part of the largest airborne training exercise conducted by U.S. forces in Iraq since the beginning of the war. To untwist a canopy's suspension lines, a Paratrooper is trained to grab his 'risers' above the head and pull them apart while kicking the legs as if on a bicycle.


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Paratroopers with 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (Advise and Assist Brigade), land on a drop zone near Al Asad Airbase, Iraq, Feb. 12, as part of a training exercise they hope will lead to combined U.S. - Iraqi training jumps. The jumper rolling on his back is performing a 'parachute landing fall,' a maneuver that dissipates the energy of impact, avoiding injury to the Paratrooper.