Lisa Tourtelot

Passengers board a Royal Air Force HC3 Merlin helicopter at the newly christened United Kingdom rotary passenger handling facility aboard Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, March 26. Brig. Gen. Gregg A. Sturdevant, commanding general of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), and Group Captain Jock Brown, commander of the U.K.’s Task Force Jaguar, were on hand to celebrate the refurbishment of the terminal. The updates feature dual refueling points. U.S. and U.K. aircraft typically refuel on opposite sides; the dual fuel points increase efficiency and collaboration between the two nations.

Landing support team Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 5 rush toward a hovering Kaman K1200, “K-MAX,” unmanned helicopter in Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 22. Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2 made history with the CLB-5 Marines by performing the first ever unmanned, mid-flight cargo hookups, also known as “hot hookups.”

A Kaman K1200, “K-MAX,” unmanned helicopter with Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2 hovers over a cargo load in Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 22. The squadron broke new ground with the platform by performing the first mid-flight, unmanned cargo hookups with landing support team Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 5.

Marines with 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment disembark an MV-22B Osprey from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 28. Two VMM-365 crews, with close-air-support from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, inserted approximately 40 Marines, sailors and Afghan National Army soldiers in southwest Afghanistan to support combat operations.

Marines with 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment disembark an MV-22B Osprey from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 28. Two VMM-365 crews, with close-air-support from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, inserted approximately 40 Marines, sailors and Afghan National Army soldiers in southwest Afghanistan to support combat operations.

Sgt. Andrew Lopez, a squad leader with 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment and a Port Jervis, N.Y., native, prepares to disembark an MV-22B Osprey in Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 28. The 2/6 Marines, sailors and Afghan National Army soldiers flew with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 in support of combat operations.

Military working dog, “Bone,” leads the way as Marines with 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, disembark an MV-22B Osprey in southwest Afghanistan March 28. Sgt. Kyle Harrison, a crew chief with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 and San Diego native, keeps a watchful eye on the horizon while the 2/6 Marines spread out in the unstable region.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Cody Vaneerd, a Three Lakes, Wis., native and hospital corpsman with 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, gives military working dog, “Bone,” an ear rub before taking off in an MV-22B Osprey, March 28. Approximately 40 Marines, sailors and Afghan National Army soldiers flew with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 to a patrol site in Helmand province, Afghanistan.