In this photograph taken on October 25, 2014, US Marines secure equipment onto a C-130 transport aircraft as they prepare to withdraw from the Camp Bastion-Leatherneck complex at Lashkar Gah in Helmand province. British forces October 26 handed over formal control of their last base in Afghanistan to Afghan forces, ending combat operations in the country after 13 years which cost hundreds of lives. The Union Jack was lowered at Camp Bastion in the southern province of Helmand, while the Stars and Stripes came down at the adjacent Camp Leatherneck -- the last US Marine base in the country. AFP PHOTO/WAKIL KOHSARWAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images
Thunderbirds Solo pilots perform the Cross Over Break during a practice show at Forth Worth, Texas, Oct. 23, 2014. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Manuel J. Martinez)
CAMP LEJUENE, N.C. (Oct. 26, 2014) Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Ethan Walton directs a light armored vehicle off a landing craft air cushion. The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group is returning home after a deployment supporting maritime security operations, providing crisis response capability, increasing theater security cooperation and a forward naval presence. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mark Andrew Hays/Released) 141026-N-JX484-051 Join the conversation: http://www.navy.mil/viewGallery.asp http://www.facebook.com/USNavy http://www.twitter.com/USNavy http://navylive.dodlive.mil http://pinterest.com https://plus.google.com
A Marine with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, prepares to load onto a KC-130 aircraft on the Camp Bastion flightline, Oct. 27, 2014. The battalion was the final Marine Corps infantry battalion to serve in Helmand province, Afghanistan, as the United States Marine Corps ended their operations.
Soldiers with Battery C, 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division maneuver their Paladins through Hohenfels Training Area, Oct. 26. Combined Resolve III is a U.S. Army Europe-directed multinational exercise at the Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels Training Areas, including more than 4,000 participants from NATO and partner nations (U.S. Army photo by Capt. John Farmer, 1st BCT, 1st CD Public Affairs)
A Chinook helicopter descends over U.S. and Afghan National Army Soldiers kneeling in preparation to load the helicopter for a partnered air assault mission to the town of Mirugal Kalay, on Camp Hero, Afghanistan, Oct. 23, 2014. The mission was the first time Beast Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Inf. Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Division, was able to partner with ANA soldiers on an air assault. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brock Jones)
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Crystal Cash, a boom operator with the 91st Air Refueling Squadron, refuels an F-15 Eagle aircraft attached to the 125th Fighter Wing during Vigilant Shield 15 over the United States Oct. 20, 2014. Vigilant Shield is a weeklong annual exercise designed to emphasize an integrated Department of Defense and civil response in support of the national strategy of aerospace warning and control, defense support of civil authorities and homeland defense. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Brandon Shapiro/Released)
141023-N-VC599-088 MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Oct. 23, 2014) Seaman Recruit Cornesha Weston attaches a span wire during a replenishment-at-sea with the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Leroy Grumman (T-AO 195) aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80). Roosevelt is deployed as a part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Wolpert/Released)
Marine Corps and Royal Air Force helicopters fly in formation after departing Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, Oct. 27, 2014. The Marine Corps ended operations in Helmand province and transferred the base to the Afghan National Army.
Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds (19) sings the U.S. Naval Academy's alma mater alongside teammates after an NCAA college football game against San Jose State in Annapolis, Md., Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014. Navy won 41-31. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)