GARMSIR DISTRICT, Helmand province, Islamic Republic

GARMSIR DISTRICT, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Sgt. Benjamin Maldonado and Sgt. Farhad speak to a local elder during a security patrol here, May 19. Maldonado, a native of Quinton, N.J., is a squad leader with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and Farhad is a squad leader with 2nd Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps. They have built a special relationship in only a month's time. Their relationship is just one example of how Marines from 1/3 are working together with their Afghanistan National Army counterparts. The battalion supports Regimental Combat Team 1, under 2nd Marine Division (Forward), which serves as the ground combat element in Helmand. The mission of the division is to partner with Afghan National Security Forces to conduct counterinsurgency operations to secure the Afghan people, defeat insurgent forces, and enable Afghanistan to assume security responsibilities in the region. Ultimately, the partnered forces promote the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.