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There is uncertainty as to how successful and convincing Hillary Clinton’s announcement will be and, of course, no one knows who will become our 47th president come January 2017.
One thing we can all be absolutely certain of is that our troops will be there, on January 20, 2017, and on every Inauguration Day thereafter, serving our country as they have for more than 200 years.
Here are some recent photos of them, their systems, their joys and their ultimate sacrifice.
Capt. Joey Tynch, commanding officer of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), addresses Sailors and Marines during an all-hands call on the flight deck. Bonhomme Richard is the lead ship of the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), and is currently at anchorage conducting an ordnance offload ending an underway in the U.S. 7th Fleet Area of Operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kevin V. Cunningham)
A Coast Guard rescue swimmer conducts a free fall direct deployment from an HH-65D Dolphin helicopter in the Pacific Ocean, April 7, 2015. The HH-65D Dolphin is assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles
U.S. sailors aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald heave a line to connect a fuel probe from the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Pecos during a replenishment at sea in the South China Sea, April 5, 2015. The Fitzgerald is on patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.
U.S. soldiers leap over a canal after patrolling through a field near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, March 24, 2015. The soldiers are assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry.
The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort transits the Atlantic Ocean at night, April 3, 2015, while supporting Continuing Promise 2015. The operation shows U.S. support and commitment to Central and South America and the Caribbean.
A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress receives fuel from a New Hampshire Air National Guard KC-135R Stratotanker near the eastern coast of Canada, April 2, 2015. The B-52H was returning home after supporting Polar Growl, a U.S. Strategic Command-directed mission to the Arctic and North Sea regions. The B-52H Stratofortress is assigned to Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
Marine Corps Cpl. Jordan Claspell meets Eliljah, his 2-month-old son, for the first time upon his return to Camp Pendleton, Calif., April 4, 2015, after a seven-month deployment with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility
Jeffrey and Sheryll Pearson look at the portrait of their son, Army Pfc. Michael Pearson, before the Purple Heart and Defense of Freedom Medal ceremony on Fort Hood, Texas, April 10, 2015. The event honored the 13 people killed and more than 30 injured in a gunman’s 2009 shooting rampage on the base.
Lead photo: A Team Malmstrom member runs past the blue station during the wingman month kickoff event color run, April 1, 2015, at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. The blue station, one of four set up around the 1.7 mile course, represented Child Abuse Prevention Month. (U.S. Air Force photo/Chris Willis)
All photos and captions: DOD
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.