Spc. Thomas Hawkins, a combat engineer from Summit,

Spc. Thomas Hawkins, a combat engineer from Summit, Miss., serving with 288th Sapper Company, a National Guard Unit out of Houston, Miss., performs a dismounted patrol through poppy fields in the Uzugan province in southern Afghanistan, April 2, 2012. Dismounted patrols, in conjunction with their route clearance missions, have lead to a significant decrease in insurgent activity in the Dorifshan and Baluchi valleys and an increase in not only the safety and security of the coalition and Afghan Security Forces, but also helped the unit form a bond with the local Afghan civilians.