Local children with a fresh catch of fish walk past

Local children with a fresh catch of fish walk past Lance Cpl. William M. Baldridge, a radio operator with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, during a security patrol here recently. Baldridge, a 22-year-old native of Palmdale, Calif., spoke to the children in Pashto, the primary language here. During the past two years, Afghan National Army soldiers and Marines cleared the area of insurgents and developed positive relations with local villagers. The 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines are currently assigned to Regimental Combat Team 6, which is a part of Task Force Leatherneck. Second Marine Division (Forward) heads Task Force Leatherneck, the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest), and works in partnership with the Afghan National Security Force and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces, and enabling ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its area of operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.