U.S. Army Spc. Toby Cagle shows an Iraqi Army soldier the proper way to hold the weapon during close quarters combat training at Forward Operating Base McHenry, Iraq, Jan. 2, 2006. U.S. Army soldier from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky., are training Iraqi army soldiers on basic rifle marksmanship. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Timothy Kingston


U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Bryson K. Jones, G3 combat photographer, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, aims in down range and fires off rounds at a range at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, Jan. 14, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Michael J. O'Brien


U.S. Army Spc. James Kalkstein participates in a raid on Bayji Island, Iraq, Jan. 15, 2006. Kalkstein is assigned to Headquarters Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jose Ferrufino


U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Edward Smith and Iraqi police officers perform a sweep across a field during an operation in the Zafaraniyah District, Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 16, 2006. The Iraqi police and U.S. Army soldiers are looking for weapons caches suspected to be hidden in the area. Smith is assigned to Bravo Battery, 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Teddy Wade


U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Castello patrols a field during an operation in the Zafaraniyah District, Iraq, Jan. 16, 2006. Castello, assigned to Bravo Battery, 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, is working with the Iraqi police to find hidden weapons caches. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Teddy Wade


U.S. Army Spc. Shawn Aiken, a medic with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, poses for a photo with children during a dismounted patrol in Mosul, Iraq, Jan. 18, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. James H. Christopher III


U.S. Army Spc. James Close watches for threats during a joint U.S. and Iraqi army foot patrol in Mosul, Iraq, on Jan. 21, 2006. Close is attached to Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. John M. Foster


U.S. Army Pfc. Tony Medina, assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, provides security during a dismounted patrol in Mosul, Iraq, Jan. 21, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. James H. Christopher II


U.S. Army 1st Lt. Paul Waldoff, 2nd Platoon leader, Bravo Troop, 1st Battalion, 71st Cavalry Regiment, gives an Iraqi boy a soccer uniform and soccer shoes in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 21, 2006. Waldoff knew the boy was a soccer fan and had the uniform sent from the United States. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kevin L. Moses Sr.


U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Richard Schuster, with Bravo Company, 4th Brigade, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, climbs through a window of a ruined building during a sweep for weapons and items used for making improvised explosive devices in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 23, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. William Servinski II



photos from Defend America