Beachfront property
February 24th, 2010 | Photography | Posted by Chris Maddaloni
Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne at FOB White, near the pier at Port-au-Prince, eat their meals (all MREs, all the time – this isn’t Afghanistan, y’know) on the beach – it keeps the rats away from tents.
The jolly regulator
February 18th, 2010 | Photography | Posted by Chris Maddaloni
A Navy Seabee diver studies the damage chart of the supports on the the pier at the port of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Hundreds of supports to the remaining 30 percent of the secondary pier will have to be fixed before more than one cargo ship can dock.
Port repair
February 17th, 2010 | Photography | Posted by Chris Maddaloni
Chief Equipment Operator Steven Eckroth, a Navy diver with Underwater Construction Team One, works to repair the supports on the the pier at the port of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The Army 544th Engineer Dive Team is working on the biggest mission in its history – hand in hand with Navy divers and engineers to help get the port running at a higher capacity – as it is the main artery for the country.
Need a lift?
February 12th, 2010 | Photography | Posted by Chris Maddaloni
Staff Sgt. Hasaan Jones, from the D.C.’s Guard medical detachment, waits at the 6th district police station. The Guard gave rides to critical personnel during the snow emergency in D.C.
Fort Stevens, under a different kind of attack
February 10th, 2010 | Photography | Posted by Chris Maddaloni
The only time D.C. came under attack during the the Civil War was at this fort, near the Fort Totten metro station:
On July 11, 1864, Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early’s exhausted Confederates reached the outskirts of Washington near Silver Spring. Skirmishers advanced to feel the fortifications, which at the time were manned only by Home Guards, clerks, and convalescent troops.
During the night, veteran units from the Union VI Corps disembarked from troop transports and marched north through the streets of Washington to bolster the defenses.
On July 12, Early was finally in position to make a strong demonstration, which was repulsed by the veteran Union troops. In the afternoon, VI Corps units sortied against the Confederate skirmishers, driving them back from their advanced positions in front of Forts Stevens and DeRussy.
Also rather interesting: President Lincoln watched the action from Fort Stevens and came under fire from Confederate sharpshooters.
Another view of its location today:
The Dahla Dam
December 9th, 2009 | Photography | Posted by Chris Maddaloni
The Dahla Dam on the Argandab River, which was built with help from the West in the 50’s, feeds a long network of canals, irrigating the former breadbasket of the country. Eighty percent of Kandahar’s population near some aspect of this system – and after years of war, the irrigation system works a significantly reduced capacity. ISAF officials say it will be at least five years until the dam and waterways are working fully again.
Undercover Work
December 7th, 2009 | Photography | Posted by Chris Maddaloni
A dog sleeps in a soldier’s cot after he left during the night for a patrol. A brief note about dogs – although command may often try to clamp down on having said mascots on bases, many soldiers sing the praises of having one around. Aside from morale issues, I have heard several accounts from various troops who say that their untrained, locally found dogs have found IEDs, arms caches, and warned them about Afghan ambushes while on patrol.
A Fine Cookie Mist
December 5th, 2009 | Photography | Posted by Chris Maddaloni
Soldiers clutch a newly arrived mail shipment as a helicopter takes off for its return leg to Kandahar airfield. Those cookies mom sent? That’s why they ended up like that.
Nomad Camp, Argandab
December 4th, 2009 | Photography | Posted by Chris Maddaloni
A Kuchi herder – Pashto nomads – tends to his flock of sheep outside of Rajan Kala, near the Argandab valley, during the closing night of Eid Al-Adha, the Muslim holiday that marks Abraham’s sacrifice – and ends up being a kind of Thanksgiving feast.
Tell Her About The Coffee
December 3rd, 2009 | Photography | Posted by Chris Maddaloni
Staff Sgt. Jason Hughes, Squad Leader, 1st Platoon, Charlie Co., 1-17 Infantry, writes a letter home to his grandmother at the Baba Saheb district center in Kandahar. He often takes up to three days to write a letter, taking his time to figure out what he wants to say.
I’d suggest he could let her know that the unit has the finest coffee I’ve ever had in the military, made with a truly mind-boggling piece of equipment, too. Can you tell these guys are based near Seattle?