ZABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan — The high standards of U.S. leadership training have found their way to Afghanistan.

AFGHANISTAN — The people and places the military introduces servicemembers to, can at times seem quite small. For every deployment to a remote forward operating base, there are multiple occasions when Soldiers run into an old friend or colleague. Command Sgts. Maj. Samuel G. Murphy and John Wayne Troxell are no different; their career paths began to crisscross at Fort Bragg, N.C., years before their recent meeting in southern Afghanistan. This meeting allowed the two senior NCOs the chance to look back on their friendship.

TRANSIT CENTER MANAS, Kyrgyzstan — During the two week period of Dec. 10 to 25, approximately 17,108 servicemembers travelling via the Transit Center at Manas made it home in time to see their families for the holiday season.

KUWAIT — In preparation for Operation Inferno Creek, an upcoming multinational joint training mission in Oman, 1st Platoon, 125th Fire Support Company of 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery Regiment from Joint Base Lewis-McChord conducted four straight days of urban operations training at the Kuwait Armed Forces Training Center at the Udari Range Complex. This intensive training culminated in a platoon live-fire attack on a small compound.

BAGHDAD — The men and women gathered in the apse of the Al-Faw Palace here spoke volumes of what the United States military has become.

SHOALWATER BAY TRAINING AREA, Queensland, Australia — With the two machine guns aimed, demonstrators from 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Army, engaged their target, as U.S. Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, observed.

SHOALWATER BAY TRAINING AREA, Queensland, Australia — Australian military cooks from across the nation are filling the bellies of U.S. and Australian troops during Talisman Sabre 2011 at Camp Growl and across the rest of Shoalwater Bay Training Area.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Lieutenant General Mike Scaparrotti assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command from Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez Monday.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — About 100 I Corps Soldiers gathered in a dimly lit hangar at North Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan, to watch as the I Corps colors were uncased during a ceremony July 7.

BAGRAM, Afghanistan — “There is something I need to tell you” are not the words any mother wants to hear from her son who is deployed to Afghanistan.

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