With news of the sinking of a South Korean navy vessel less than five months old, this year’s annual exercise, Ulchi Freedom Guardian 2010, is a timely reminder of I Corps’ defense commitments to the country’s Asian-Pacific allies.

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq — As U.S. forces were preparing to cross the Iraqi desert to invade an area controlled by a powerful dictator in March 2003, Mitchell Anwar was busy constructing a special gift for his dad in Mr. Morris’ seventh-grade woodshop class in Olympia.

BAGHDAD — When 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, arrived at Joint Security Station Tarmiyah in January 2010, there were still empty shell casings scattered on the rooftops and in the guard towers; a misleading sign as to what they would encounter over the next year.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE CONSTITUTION, Iraq — General Raymond Odierno, commander of United States Forces–Iraq, Abdel Qader Jassim, Iraqi Minister of Defense and other senior U.S. and Iraqi leaders, watched as two Iraqi and three American soldiers marched crisply across the parade field to a display where their units’ colors and their nations’ flags flew in the wind.

SOUTHWEST ASIA – Reservists from the 446th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and 446th Maintenance Squadron from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, deployed to Southwest Asia in May. A snapshot of what they’ve been doing since they left Washington is impressive.

BAGHDAD – As their unit prepares for redeployment, the workload of Soldiers in the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division’s administrative section, or S-1, grows tremendously.

SOUTHWEST ASIA — A high operations tempo full of airdrops, cargo movement and passenger transport topped with providing necessary training to Airmen new to not only the world of deployments, but also the Air Force, makes for a straining 120 days in the desert.

Editor’s note: The following is a personal account of one mission being carried out by members of 62nd Medical Brigade in Afghanistan. It provides a snapshot of the sort of positive, but unpublicized efforts U.S. forces are making to achieve success.

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – While Staff Sgt. Alqua Stephenson was conducting her normal inspection of the electronic warfare systems on several vehicles and taking notes in her notebook, she saw something was different.

CAMP NATHAN SMITH, Afghanistan – The 504th Military Police Battalion, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, assumed responsibility for the mentoring and partnership mission from the 97th MP Battalion in Kandahar City, July 6.

BAGHDAD – Short and squat in stature, with spindly legs sticking out underneath and a loud, whiney engine like a leaf-blower on steroids, the gasoline-powered Micro Air Vehicle, or gMAV, won’t be winning beauty contests anytime soon.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Sixteen medics from 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, participated in a top medic challenge at Camp Taji June 21.

DIYALA, Iraq — As the sun rose over the Bakhtiyari neighborhood of Khaniqan, Iraq, citizens started lining up at the local clinic to receive medical care on June 22. The treatment being offered wasn’t from the normal medical staff of one doctor and several nurses. Instead, medics and doctors from three battalions of 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, treated the patients.

JOINT SECURITY STATION NASIR WA SALAM, Iraq – The temperature baked 100-plus degrees of heat on Joint Security Station Nasir Wa Salam when they began running June 12.

DIYALA, Iraq — Haley Moss is a 15-year-old girl who was diagnosed at the age of four with the rare heart condition Double Outlet Right Ventricle, and a rare congenital heart Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a condition in which both her primary artery and vein share the right side of her abnormal three-chambered heart.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq — A transfer-of-authority ceremony between the 17th Fires Brigade and 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division was held in the chapel on COB Basra June 17.

DIYALA, Iraq ­— It all started with grief. Three Soldiers lost their lives in 2004-2005, and a U.S. civilian contractor, who had befriended them, had to face their deaths.

We can’t all be rock stars like Shakira, but perhaps there’s something in the water.

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery were awarded Combat Action Badges by Brig. Gen. John G. Rossi at a May 13 ceremony.