FRIDAY FOTO (Oct. 29, 2010)

BOOM!

(Defense Dept. photo by Lance Cpl. James B. Novle, USMC)

Two U.S. Marines fire a mortar round during combat operations at Forward Operating Base Nolay, located on the outskirts of Helmand Province‘s volatile Sangin Valley district in southern Afghanistan. The Marines are from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, which is deployed in support of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan.

This weapons system is an M252 81mm medium weight extended range mortar. In the background one can make out the HESCO barriers used to protect troops from small arms fire and explosions. The barriers or bastions are made of prefabricated wire frames with heavy duty fabric liners that are filled with dirt or sand. If you click on the photo and enlarge it, you can see the second mortarman ducking down from the blast.