A landing signalman (enlisted) salutes an AH-64D Apache

A landing signalman (enlisted) salutes an AH-64D Apache assigned to 3-159th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion as it takes off from the deck of the USS Mesa Verde. The 3-159th ARB, an AH-64D attack helicopter battalion out of the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade in Germany, completed deck landing qualifications on the USS Mesa Verde from April 27 to April 30 in the Northern Arabian Gulf. The training was conducted in order to qualify pilots on Navy shipboard operations. The 3-159th ARB, currently deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, will continue to train with Navy assets in the region in order to gain familiarization in a maritime environment.