II MEF News

Abdulla, a bee keeper in Gereshk, Helmand province, prepares to show bees to over a dozen Afghan men present at his farm for a class on how to farm the insects, July 26. The course was a three-day course Abdulla, who is the first bee keeper in Gereshk, hosted with the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, British Royal Army and Danish Army. - Abdulla, a bee keeper in Gereshk, Helmand province, prepares to show bees to over a dozen Afghan men present at his farm for a class on how to farm the insects, July 26. The course was a three-day course Abdulla, who is the first bee keeper in Gereshk, hosted with the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, British Royal Army and Danish Army.

LASHKAR GAH (July 25, 2011) Helmand Provincial Governor Gulab Mangal addresses the Afghan National Civil Order Police 5th Brigade during a ceremony commencing ANCOP taking full control of their operations in Helmand province. ANCOP are an elite police force that conduct counter-insurgency and public order operations throughout the country to support a safe and secure environment for the people of Afghanistan. (Official U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Matt Snodgrass/Release) - LASHKAR GAH (July 25, 2011) Helmand Provincial Governor Gulab Mangal addresses the Afghan National Civil Order Police 5th Brigade during a ceremony commencing ANCOP taking full control of their operations in Helmand province. ANCOP are an elite police force that conduct counter-insurgency and public order operations throughout the country to support a safe and secure environment for the people of Afghanistan. (Official U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Matt Snodgrass/Release)

110720-N-TH989- BOLAN-T, Afghanistan. (July 20, 2011) (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jonathan David Chandler/Released) - 110720-N-TH989- BOLAN-T, Afghanistan. (July 20, 2011) (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jonathan David Chandler/Released)

First Lt. Rune Dyhr, Danish Force Protection Platoon, Danish Battle Group, carries the Danish flag during the Danish Contingent March aboard Camp Leatherneck, July 26. The DANCON march is a 15-mile endurance contest held by Danish troops wherever they are deployed. - First Lt. Rune Dyhr, Danish Force Protection Platoon, Danish Battle Group, carries the Danish flag during the Danish Contingent March aboard Camp Leatherneck, July 26. The DANCON march is a 15-mile endurance contest held by Danish troops wherever they are deployed.

Cpl. Henry Garza, a turret gunner with Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, and a native of Halletsville, Texas, helps an Afghan child learn to drink a juicebox during a patrol near Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, July 28. "I grew up in the country," said Garza. "In the summertime where I'm from, the kids just try to occupy themselves outdoors like these kids do." (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Jeremy Ross) (Released) - Cpl. Henry Garza, a turret gunner with Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, and a native of Halletsville, Texas, helps an Afghan child learn to drink a juicebox during a patrol near Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, July 28. "I grew up in the country," said Garza. "In the summertime where I'm from, the kids just try to occupy themselves outdoors like these kids do." (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Jeremy Ross) (Released)

Lance Cpl. Ernest Prempeh, a mail clerk with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment poses for a photo at Camp Hanson, Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 27. Prempeh, now on his second deployment, served as an M249 squad automatic weapon gunner with Bravo Company, 1/6, during the battalions’ deployment to Afghanistan last year. - Lance Cpl. Ernest Prempeh, a mail clerk with Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment poses for a photo at Camp Hanson, Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 27. Prempeh, now on his second deployment, served as an M249 squad automatic weapon gunner with Bravo Company, 1/6, during the battalions’ deployment to Afghanistan last year.

Lance Cpl. Chandra Francisco, with Female Engagement Team 15 in Sangin District, Helmand province, and a native of Monroe, Wash., enlisted into the Marine Corps in September 2009 as a supply administration Marine. Francisco was put on FET by her parent unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, last fall, and says, "At first I really had no idea what I was getting into. Once I started training I loved it. This is by far one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever gotten to have." - Lance Cpl. Chandra Francisco, with Female Engagement Team 15 in Sangin District, Helmand province, and a native of Monroe, Wash., enlisted into the Marine Corps in September 2009 as a supply administration Marine. Francisco was put on FET by her parent unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, last fall, and says, "At first I really had no idea what I was getting into. Once I started training I loved it. This is by far one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever gotten to have."

110718-N-TH989- CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan. (July 18, 2011) (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jonathan David Chandler/Released) - 110718-N-TH989- CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan. (July 18, 2011) (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jonathan David Chandler/Released)

110718-M-SM240-034.JPG -