Guided-missile destroyer

Guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) is under way off the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 15, 2010. Aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing 17 are conducting humanitarian and disaster relief operations after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake caused severe damage near Port-au-Prince Jan 12, 2010. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Stephen G. Hale II, U.S. Navy/Released)

U.S. Sailors assigned

U.S. Sailors assigned to Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) 6 and the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), upload a Navy security patrol boat Jan. 14, 2010, at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Fort McHenry is deploying to Haiti to assist with humanitarian relief efforts. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Paul D. Williams, U.S. Navy /Released)

Pentagon Honors Civil Rights Leader's Legacy

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden of American Forces Press Service   WASHINGTON, - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today challenged the Defense Department and all Americans to honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy during a Pentagon observance in advance of the Jan. 18 holiday that marks the civil rights leader's birth. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates delivers opening remarks at the Pentagon's Jan. 14, 2010, observance of the legacy of human-rights advocate and Nobel Peace-prize recipient Martin Luther King Jr. DoD photo by R.D. Ward (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "Remember and honor the great example Dr. King was," Gates said to an audience of defense employees and military members at the Pentagon's 25th annual observance of King's life and work. "Celebrate all that we have accomplished together. ... Keep working toward Dr. King's dreams with all our might." King spent his life advocating for equality and eventually became a world figure in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The Baptist minister led peaceful demonstrations and marches throughout the country and gave thousands of memorable speeches until his assassination in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968. The path of service and equality led by King paved way for desegregation and better opportunities, not just for African Americans, but for all citizens. He sought a society "founded and fueled on equality, justice, dignity, freedom and strength that can come only from being a truly united country," Gates said. The secretary noted that King's efforts continue to break down barriers even today. In the past two years, the nation has celebrated 60 years of desegregation in the armed forces and witnessed the election of the first black U.S. president. Gates cited prominent African-American military officers as examples of the opportunities King and the civil rights movement provided. He noted Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command; Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, director of the Joint Staff; and Air Force Maj. Gen. Darren W. McDew, vice director of strategic plans and policy for the Joint Staff, for their examples. "These officers represent the very best our nation has to offer, and I'm truly thankful that they chose to serve and defend our country," Gates said. The men and women who serve throughout the Defense Department are "ordinary Americans from all walks of life and backgrounds, [and] have put themselves in harm's way ... to confront those who would attack the ideals that Dr. King espoused." Their sacrifices have been made willingly on behalf of all Americans and speak volumes to their character and King's work, Gates said. Still, the secretary said, it's important to continue furthering King's principles and what he ultimately died trying to preserve. "Progress is neither automatic nor inevitable," Gates said, quoting King. "Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle." The Martin Luther King federal holiday was signed into law in 1983 and was first observed in 1986. The holiday is observed on the third Monday in January each year, around the time of King's birthday, Jan. 15. (Issued on : Jan 14, 2010) .

Biographies: Robert M. Gates

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates delivers opening remarks at the Pentagon's annual observance of the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Jan. 14, 2010. DoD photo by R.D. Ward Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution An observance Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy begins in the Pentagon's conference center, Jan. 14, 2010, with a video presentation highlighting some of King's most memorable speeches. DoD photo by R.D. Ward Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution

U.S. Coast Guard cutters sit offshore near Haiti

Two 270-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutters sit offshore near Haiti Jan, 13, 2010, in preparation to provide humanitarian aid to the earthquake-ravaged country. Coast Guard personnel have been mobilized to provide support to Haiti following a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. (DoD photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard/Released)

Guided-Missile Destroyer

U.S. Navy Cmdr. Mike McCartney, the commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93), gives a tour of the forecastle of the ship to Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Katsuya Okada Jan. 11, 2010, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. While in Hawaii, Okada met with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to discuss the movement of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, the expansion of the Japanese and U.S. security alliance, the war in Afghanistan and North Korea’s nuclear programs. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mark Logico, U.S. Navy)

Engineers Wire Up New Living Areas in Iraq

By Army Staff Sgt. April Mota Special to American Forces Press Service   BAGHDAD :  Soldiers from 317th Engineer Company and 808th Engineer Company are providing electricity to the future living spaces of U.S. forces as they prepare to hand off their current housing to the Iraqi army. Army Spc. Brandon Burgess makes sure all connections are secure while Army Pfc. Sean Carroll observes the process at Contingency Operating Station Carver, Iraq, Jan. 8, 2010. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. April Mota (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The move will happen as soon as soldiers from 1434th Engineer Company complete the new joint operations center at Contingency Operating Station Carver. Iraqi soldiers then will occupy a portion of Carver that currently is home to U.S. 10th Mountain Division soldiers. The engineers are busy digging ditches, upgrading electrical boxes, burying cables and connecting boxes to generators that provide housing units with electricity. The new housing units will allow the U.S. soldiers to vacate the space their Iraqi counterparts plan to use as they continue toward independent operations. Army Sgt. 1st Class Theodore Blanford of 1434th Engineer Company, who is responsible for some of the work done by the soldiers of 317th Engineer Company, said he was impressed with the soldiers' hard work. The most time-consuming part of the project was digging the ditches to bury the wires leading from the generator to the electrical boxes. The soldiers dug more than 60 feet of trenches by hand to conceal the cable. Wiring the electrical boxes correctly is paramount in ensuring the quarters are safe, said Army Spc. Josue Delgado of San Antonio, who serves with 808th Engineer Company. "We had to make sure the boxes didn't piggyback off each other," he explained. "They all have their own electric supply, [and] they are all routed and grounded properly, which is important. This makes sure there are no fire hazards." Another challenging aspect of the project, Delgado said, was salvaging electrical boxes. "The electrical boxes we used came from the [scrap yard]," he said. "We had to pick through, find proper boxes, then drill holes in the bottoms of the boxes to feed the wire through." Creating housing to relocate the 10th Mountain Division soldiers is a vital part of U.S. forces handing responsibility to the Iraqi army at Carver, Delgado said. (Army Staff Sgt. April Mota serves in U.S. Division Center with 101st Engineer Battalion, 16th Engineer Brigade.)

Related Sites: U.S. Forces Iraq

Army Spc. Brandon Burgess rolls up an extension cord used to power hand tools at Contingency Operating Station Carver, Iraq, Jan. 8, 2010. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. April Mota Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution Army Spc. Erek Frazier takes his turn at digging part of 60 feet of trenches to bury wires leading from a generator to electrical boxes at Contingency Operating Station Carver, Iraq, Jan. 8, 2010. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. April Mota Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution

Extraction exercise with a Marine Corps

U.S. Air Force pararescuemen conduct a combat insertion and extraction exercise with a Marine Corps CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter attached to Heavy Marine Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 464 in Djibouti Jan. 5, 2010. The two units are deployed to Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa. (DoD photo by Master Sgt. Jeremiah Erickson, U.S. Air Force/Released)