H/T : The fine folks @ militaryphotos.net

Since pictures will be out of order, please note that the following descriptions correspond to the image filenames.

defend1.jpg : A U.S soldier of the 82nd Airborne shaves his face at a forward operating base Diablo during his visit to Ghorak district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, Thursday, March 15, 2007. Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne are providing a security cordon around the heart of NATO's Operation Achilles

defend2.jpg : U.S. soldiers from the 82nd Airborne protect themselves from a dust storm kicked up by a Chinook helicopter dropping off supplies at a forward operating base Diablo in Ghorak district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, Thursday, March 15, 2007. Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne are providing a security cordon around the heart of NATO's Operation Achilles

defend3.jpg : U.S. Maj. Gen. Stephen Layfield, center, deputy commander for Security of International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, chats with U.S. soldiers of the 82nd Airborne about an operation at a forward operating base Diablo during his visit to Ghorak district of Kandahar province, Southern Afghanistan, Thursday, March 15, 2007. Layfield visited the forward base and spent time with the soldiers who providing a security cordon around the heart of NATO's Operation Achilles.

defend4.jpg : U.S. Maj. Gen. Stephen Layfield, third from right, deputy commander for Security of International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, is briefed by U.S. officers of the 82nd Airborne about an operation at a forward operating base Diablo during his visit to Ghorak district of Kandahar province, Southern Afghanistan, Thursday, March 15, 2007. Layfield visited the forward base and spent time with the soldiers who providing a security cordon around the heart of NATO's Operation Achilles

defend5.jpg : Kunduz/Potsdam, 15.03.2007 – Die deutschen Soldaten des Wiederaufbauteams stehen während ihrer Patrouillen in direktem Kontakt mit der afghanischen Bevölkerung.

defend6.jpg : Italian special forces Land Rovers somewhere in Herat or Farah province, Afghanistan

defend7.jpg : A Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Sperwenghar, 38 km west of Kandahar, is occupied by troops from Canada, USA and a small contingent of British troops