#3rd bct

You can't see it but this tanker is smiling as he inventories his new M1A2C tank. @3rd8cav is the first unit in the Army to field the new tanks. They will go through a month of new equipment training prior to firing them live for the first time.

Evening Quickie #soldierporn: Happy anniversary...

Corporal Jared Jenkins and First Sergeant Arthur Abiera, Apache Troop, 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, search a home during a routine presence patrol on the outskirts of Sadr City, Iraq. Photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika.

Staff Sergeant Jared C. Monti. 21 JUN 2006.

Died when his unit encountered enemy forces using small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades during combat operations in Gowardesh, Afghanistan. Monti was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 71st Calvary, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York.

Full Medal of Honor citation:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Sergeant First Class [then Staff Sergeant] Jared C. Monti, United States Army, for gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a team leader with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3d Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, in connection with combat operations against an enemy in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, on 21 June 2006.

While Sergeant First Class Monti was leading a mission aimed at gathering intelligence and directing fire against the enemy, his 16-man patrol was attacked by as many as 50 enemy fighters. On the verge of being overrun, Sergeant First Class Monti quickly directed his men to set up a defensive position behind a rock formation. He then called for indirect fire support, accurately targeting the rounds upon the enemy who had closed to within 50 meters of his position.

While still directing fire, Sergeant First Class Monti personally engaged the enemy with his rifle and grenade, successfully disrupting an attempt to flank his patrol. Sergeant First Class Monti then realized that one of his soldiers was lying wounded in the open ground between the advancing enemy and the patrol's position. With complete disregard for his own safety, Sergeant First Class Monti twice attempted to move from behind the cover of the rocks into the face of relentless enemy fire to rescue his fallen comrade.

Determined not to leave his soldier, Sergeant First Class Monti made a third attempt to cross open terrain through intense enemy fire. On this final attempt, he was mortally wounded, sacrificing his own life in an effort to save his fellow soldier. Sergeant First Class Monti's selfless acts of heroism inspired his patrol to fight off the larger enemy force.

Sergeant First Class Monti's immeasurable courage and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3d Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and the United States Army.

So then this would be the...male engagement team.

U.S. soldiers with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), smile as a young Afghan boy approaches them in Kaske village, Paktia province, Afghanistan. The soldiers were providing security for a female engagement team and a civil affairs specialist while they talked to villagers.