Working Hand-in-Hand
You voted, and this week’s Top Corps Shot comes from Cpl. Reece Lodder. Lodder shot this photo while patrolling with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment in the village of Banadar in Garmsir district. He was following some of the Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers who were clearing buildings when he noticed two of them climbing a building. Lodder managed to snap a shot that captured the changing dynamic he saw in the southern part of Afghanistan. “This moment is powerful because it shows the Afghan soldier helping his Marine counterpart, not the other way around. This simple act signifies the turning of tides in Garmsir district as Marines prepare to transition lead security responsibility to the Afghan forces.”
Afghan National Army Sgt. Achmed, a noncommissioned officer with 4th Tolai, 2nd Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps, helps Staff Sgt. Joshua Holden, a section leader with 81mm mortar platoon, Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and a native of Alba, Mo., climb onto a roof while searching compounds during a security patrol, Feb. 6. On the patrol, 3/3 Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers partnered to conduct census operations within the local populace and search houses for illegal drugs and evidence of insurgent activity.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder). Original public domain image from Flickr