Sunset Stop
You voted, and this week's Top Corps Shot comes from Cpl. Reece Lodder. Lodder shot this photo with about two minutes of sunset left on a cold Afghan day. Lodder said, “Vehicle checkpoints are monotonous and routine, but I wanted to capture a variety of photos to show how visually interesting the interaction between Marines and Afghans at these VCPs can be - from sunlight to sunset.” Lodder said Lance Cpl. Phil Schiffman is very charismatic with the Afghans. Schiffman often jokes around with them or shares a smile, and they often return the favor. “These little moments are a ray of sunlight in a boring yet important duty,” Lodder said. “They show that Marines aren't just occupying Afghanistan — we're building relationships with the Afghan people.”
U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Phil Schiffman, a 22-year-old mortarman with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and native of Phoenix, waves to two Afghan men on a motorcycle after searching them at a vehicle checkpoint here, Dec. 1. During their seven-month deployment in Helmand province’s Garmsir district, the VCPs are a regular part of the mortarmen’s duty rotation, which also includes security patrols and standing post. Though they spend hours stopping vehicles and searching passersby, their presence isn’t merely a formality. The Marines are constantly on alert for anything out of the ordinary, especially information that can be used to locate and disrupt insurgent activity.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder). Original public domain image from Flickr