FET: Female Marines Build Relationships in Helmand

GARMSIR DISTRICT, Helmand Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan — Sgt. Kimberly Nalepka, a Coral Springs, Fla., native, speaks to a teacher about the day’s lesson plan at a local school April 30. Nalepka is the team leader of the Female Engagement Team in Garmsir, where 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment operates. Nalepka and her team regularly visit medical clinics and schools on the area. The FET’s purpose is to interact with the female population in the local community and help identify the needs of the women in the area. The FET supports Regimental Combat Team 1, 2nd Marine Division (Forward), which is heading the ground combat element in Helmand province. The mission of the RCT is to partner with the Afghan National Security Force and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations to secure the Afghan people, defeat insurgent forces, and enable ANSF assumption of security responsibilities in the region. Ultimately, the partnered forces promote the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.