Combat Camera: Operation Moshtarak Outside Badula Qulp

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Jesse Underwood engages enemy forces during Operation Moshtarak in Badula Qulp, Afghanistan, Feb. 19, 2010. The International Security Assistance Force operation is an offensive mission being conducted in areas of Afghanistan prevalent in drug-trafficking and Taliban insurgency. Underwood is from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez, U.S. Air Force.)

U.S. Army Soldiers engage enemy forces during Operation Moshtarak in Badula Qulp, Afghanistan, Feb. 19, 2010. The International Security Assistance Force operation is an offensive mission being conducted in areas of Afghanistan prevalent in drug-trafficking and Taliban insurgency. The soldiers are from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez, U.S. Air Force.)

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Combat Camera: Teufelhunden Battalion Continues Marjah Operation

Cpl. Jason Ducote, a fireteam leader with 3rd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment uses the scope of his rifle to check out suspicious activity while Pfc. Jacob Cooper, an assaultman also with 3rd Platoon, provides security on the outskirts of Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 14. Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers have been conducting Operation Moshtarak to rid Marjah of Taliban presence and intimidation. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Seaman Beau Chandler, a hospitalman and Petty Officer 3rd Class Bradley Erickson, a corpsman, both with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment relax after a patrol in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 14. Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers have been conducting Operation Moshtarak to rid Marjah of Taliban presence and intimidation. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Cpl. Jason Ducote, a fireteam leader with 3rd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, points out suspicious activity while Pfc. Jacob Cooper, an assaultman also with 3rd Platoon, checks it out with the scope of his rifle on the outskirts of Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 14. The Marines and Afghan national army soldiers have been conducting Operation Moshtarak to rid Marjah of Taliban presence and intimidation. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines from 3rd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, share a light-hearted moment before entering Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 15. The Marines and Afghan national army soldiers have been conducting Operation Moshtarak to rid Marjah of Taliban presence and intimidation. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines from 3rd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, patrol in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 16. During the patrol, the Marines found a large cache of improvised explosive device-making materials, which were later destroyed during a controlled detonation. Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers have been conducting Operation Moshtarak to rid Marjah of Taliban presence and intimidation. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Sgt. Rick Keller, a scout sniper with 3rd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, provides security from a compound in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 16. The Marines took shelter inside the compound after clearing it of insurgents and improvised explosive devices. Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers have been conducting Operation Moshtarak to rid Marjah of Taliban presence and intimidation. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines from 3rd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, set up security inside a compound in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 16. The Marines took shelter inside the compound after clearing it of insurgents and improvised explosive devices. Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers have been conducting Operation Moshtarak to rid Marjah of Taliban presence and intimidation. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

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Combat Camera: US Marines, Afghan Soldiers Battle Taliban in Marjah, Part 2

Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, took over an abandoned compound inside the city of Marjeh, Afghanistan, Feb. 14. 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

A helicopter lands for an emergency medical evacuation while Marines and Afghan national army soldiers with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, provide security and prepare to provide covering fire Feb. 13 on the outskirts of 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

A Marine with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, steps into an abandoned home after receiving sporadic small-arms fire in the city of Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb 14. 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

A Marine with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, attempts to draw fire from a Taliban sniper who has Marines pinned down Feb. 15 Marjeh, 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

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, 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines and Afghan national army soldiers with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, take cover in a shallow canal 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines and Afghan national army soldiers with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, take cover behind a berm after receiving small-arms fire Feb. 13 in the city of Marjeh, 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

A Marine holds a photo of two men armed with Soviet-made, medium machine guns, found inside of an abandoned compound in the city of Marjah, Afghanistan, Feb. 14. Marines with Bravo and Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines with 81 mm Mortars Platoon, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, fire mortars on an enemy position Feb. 13 on the outskirts of 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

A Marine with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, prepares to head out on a foot patrol through the streets of Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb 15. 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

A Marine with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, takes cover behind a berm after receiving accurate 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Related: Combat Camera: US Marines, Afghan Soldiers Battle Taliban in Marjah, Part 1

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Combat Camera: US Marines, Afghan Soldiers Battle Taliban in Marjah, Part 1

Lance Cpl. Sammy Guajardo, a dog handler with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, looks out over a compound where he has taken shelter during the push into the city of Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 14. Marines with Bravo and Alpha Company, 1/6, were 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

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. 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment take cover behind a mud wall 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

A Marine with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, speaks to a villager in the city of Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 14. 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines and Afghan national army soldiers with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment look out across the compound in the city of Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, where they've been taking shelter for the last several days. A gas station nearby erupts into flames after being rocketed by insurgents, Feb. 14. 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment take cover behind a berm 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines and Afghan national army soldiers with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, raise the national flag over the compound where they've established a foothold inside the city of Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 14. 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, move across a field in search of cover 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines and Afghan national army soldiers with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, take cover behind a berm after receiving accurate small-arms fire Feb. 13 in the city of Marjeh, Afghanistan. Marines with Bravo and Alpha Company, 1/6, were 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, take cover behind a berm 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

A Marine with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, attempts to draw fire from a Taliban sniper who has Marines pinned down Feb. 15 in 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines and Afghan national army soldiers with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, take cover behind a berm after receiving small-arms fire Feb. 13 in the city of Marjeh, 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. (Photo by Lance Cpl. James W. Clark, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Related: Combat Camera: US Marines, Afghan Soldiers Battle Taliban in Marjah, Part 2

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Combat Camera: US Marines Fight Insurgents in Helmand Province

Capt. Stephan P. Karabin, commanding officer, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, gives directions to units on two different radios from a rooftop during a firefight at the center of "Five Points," a key intersection of roads linking the northern area of the insurgent stronghold of Marjeh with the rest of Helmand province. Marines of Charlie Company conducted a helicopter-borne assault that morning to seize the area. Karabin, 30, is from West Palm Beach, Fla. (Photo by Sgt. Brian Tuthill, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

A Marine with Weapons Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, sprints down the line of heavy machine guns to deliver a map after a firefight with Taliban insurgents, Feb. 9, at the "Fire Points" intersection, a key junction of roads linking the northern area of the insurgent stronghold of Marjeh with the rest of Helmand province. Marines of Charlie Company conducted a helicopter-borne assault earlier that morning to seize the area. (Photo by Sgt. Brian Tuthill, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

A Marine with Weapons Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, affixes a mortar round to his pack before a helicopter-borne assault to seize the "Five Points" intersection east of the insurgent stronghold of Marjeh. Five Points is a key province. Some Marines carried more than their body weight during the assault. (Photo by Sgt. Brian Tuthill, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Lance Cpls. Keith B. Lawson and Spence G. Press, scout snipers attached to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, work together to identify targets as Taliban fighters approached from Marjeh toward their position at the "Five Points" intersection, Feb. 9. Marines of Charlie Company conducted a helicopter-borne assault earlier that morning to seize the key intersection of roads linking the northern area of the insurgent stronghold of Marjeh with the rest of Helmand province. Lawson, 25, is from Reedly, Calif., and Press, 20, is from Newbury Park, Calif. (Photo by Sgt. Brian Tuthill, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Cpl. Joshua D. Villegas, a radio operator attached to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, watches nearby farms for insurgent activity, Feb. 9, from a building rooftop in the center of "Five Points," a key intersection of roads linking the northern area of the insurgent stronghold of Marjeh with the rest of Helmand province. Marines of Charlie Company conducted a helicopter-borne assault that morning to seize the area. Villegas, 22, is from Chicago. (Photo by Sgt. Brian Tuthill, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

An Afghan national army soldier fires a grenade from a launcher on his AK-47 at Taliban insurgents from Marjeh firing on their position, Feb. 9, at the "Five Points" intersection. A group of ANA soldiers joined the Marines of Charlie Company as they conducted a helicopter-borne assault earlier that morning to seize the key intersection of roads linking the northern area of the insurgent stronghold of Marjeh with the rest of Helmand province. (Photo by Sgt. Brian Tuthill, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Lance Cpl. Zachary D. Tutt, a 19-year-old machine gunner with Weapons Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, runs a wheelbarrow full of gathered cinder blocks back to his gun's location while Lance Cpl. Jutstin Hughes, a radio operator with Weapons Platoon, provides security between firefights with Taliban insurgents Feb. 9 at the "Five Points" intersection. Marines of Charlie Co. conducted a helicopter-borne assault earlier that morning to seize the key intersection of roads linking the northern area of the insurgent stronghold of Marjeh with the rest of Helmand Province. Tutt is from Kankakee, Ill., and Hughes is from Harrisburg, Penn. (Photo by Sgt. Brian Tuthill, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Marines of 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, help another Marine down an unstable ladder in an Afghan farm compound, Feb. 9, near the "Five Points" intersection. Marines of Charlie Company conducted a helicopter-borne assault earlier that morning to seize the key intersection of roads linking the northern area of the insurgent stronghold of Marjeh with the rest of Helmand province. (Photo by Sgt. Brian Tuthill, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

An Afghan national army soldier fires a rocket-propelled grenade at Taliban insurgents from Marjeh firing on their position, Feb. 9, at the "Five Points" intersection. A group of ANA soldiers joined the Marines of Charlie Company as they conducted a helicopter-borne assault earlier that morning to seize the key intersection of roads linking the northern area of the insurgent stronghold of Marjeh with the rest of Helmand province. (Photo by Sgt. Brian Tuthill, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Dispatches from the Front:

HELMAND PROVINCE, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Feb. 10, 2010 -- Marines and sailors of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, battled Taliban insurgents, Feb. 9, after conducting a successful helicopter-borne assault to seize a key intersection east of the insurgent stronghold city of Marjeh.

The Marines, some carrying more than their body weight in gear, moved toward the center of an area known as "Five Points," an intersection of major roads in western Helmand province, located between the cities of Marjeh and Nawa. The Marines were joined on the assault by their partnered Afghan National Army soldiers who fought alongside them against the Taliban.

"I felt the assault went well," said Capt. Stephan P. Karabin, commanding officer, Charlie Company, 1/3. "We got in here quickly, under the cover of darkness on the helicopters, moved into position, set everything in place and were able to seize the objective. This area is important because it's the one intersection which links northern Marjeh ... to (eastern Helmand province) and it blocks that supply route.

"Marines did their job well here, and some engaged with the enemy for the first time in this deployment," said Karabin, 30, from West Palm Beach, Fla.

The Five Points intersection and surrounding area is also part of the main route from Marjeh to Lashkar Gah, the Helmand provincial capital, said Karabin.

"These roads are very important to our movement within the area of operations," said Karabin.

Not long after Marines established their defensive positions in the area did they observe Taliban fighters approaching from Marjeh. The Taliban immediately began firing their machine guns at the Marines. Marines and ANA soldiers fired back with heavy machine guns, rockets and small-arms fire, wounding and killing several Taliban fighters, forcing them to flee.

Marines took the brief respite to fortify their fighting positions with sandbags and concrete blocks scrounged from the area around them.

"While we were reinforcing our position on a roof, we came under fire again," said Sgt. Stephen Y. Roberts, a 23-year-old assault section leader, Weapons Platoon, Charlie Company, "It was three or four of the same fighters we had seen firing at us earlier."

Roberts responded to the enemy machine-gun fire by launching a Javelin shoulder-fired missile into the position the fighters were firing from, immediately silencing the heavy machine gun. Marine AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters flying the area followed Roberts' fire to strike a volley of heavy machine-gun fire and rockets, putting an end to the engagement.

Charlie Company Marines were joined at Five Points that evening by squads of Marines from Bravo Company, 1/3, having traveled the nine kilometers from Nawa on foot while sweeping for and clearing improvised explosive devices along the road linking the two locations.

(Report by Sgt. Brian Tuthill, Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

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Photo Essay: Christmas Warships 2009

USS Russell (DDG 59). (U.S. Navy photo.)

USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). (U.S. Navy Photo By Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Brian L. Short.)

Commander, Navy Region Hawaii barge. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James E. Foehl.)

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joseph M. Buliavac. )

USS Russell (DDG 59). (U.S. Navy photo by Ensign Theresa Donnelly.)

USS Lassen and USS McCampbell. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer Bryan Reckard.)

The guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mark A. Leonesio.)

The guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mark A. Leonesio.)

USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Bryan Reckard.)

USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Peter D. Lawlor.)

USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), USS Stethem (DDG 63), and USS Howard (DDG 83). (U.S. Navy photo by Geoffrey Patrick.)

USS Elliot (DD 967), USS Olendorf (DD 972), USS Fitzgerald (DD 62), and the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5). (U.S. Navy photo by Geoffrey Patrick.)

USS Olendorf (DD-972). (U.S. Navy photo by Geoffrey Patrick.)

USS Pinckney (DDG 91). (U.S. Navy Photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Jo A. Wilbourn Sims.)

USS Crommelin (FFG 37). (U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 2nd Class Ryan C. McGinley.)

USS Peleliu (LHA 5). (U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 2nd Class Zack Baddorf.)

USS Milius (DDG 69). (U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 2nd Class Zack Baddorf .)

USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). (U.S. Navy photograph by Photographer's Mate Airman Thomas J. Holt.)

USS Peleliu (LHA 5). (U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 2nd Class Zack Baddorf.)

USS Russell (DDG 59). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist James E. Foehl.)

The forward hangar bay tunnel aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Arturo Chavez.)

USS Russell (DDG 59). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist James E. Foehl.)

USS Russell (DDG 59). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist James E. Foehl.)

USS Chosin (CG 65). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist James E. Foehl.)

The Sea Wolf-class attack submarine USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23). (U.S. Navy photo by Master Chief Mass Communication Specialist Jerry McLain.)

The guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59) displays a spectacle of holiday lights during the 2008 Afloat Holiday Lighting Contest on board Naval Station Pearl Harbor Dec. 18, 2008. Hawaii area commanders toured the harbor and judged ships based on best lighting scheme, most creative display and energy conservation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael Hight.)

Santa waives to friends and family of the crew of the Los Angeles class submarine USS Providence (SSN 719) as the submarine returns home to Submarine Base New London in time for the holidays. Providence is returning from a scheduled six-month deployment, which included a stop at the North Pole in July to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first submarine polar transit, completed by USS Nautilus (SSN 571) in 1958. (U.S. Navy photo by John Narewski.)

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