U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Vincent Goitortua, a Squad Automatic

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Vincent Goitortua, a Squad Automatic Weapon gunner with 1st Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and 19-year-old native of San Diego, scans for potential threats while his fellow Marines speak to a group of local farmers about illicit poppy growth in the area during a security patrol here, April 30, 2012. On the final patrol of their seven-month deployment, the Marines toured the Durzay region of Helmand province's Garmsir district to disrupt possible insurgent activity. After arriving in Garmsir in October 2011, the Marines aided Afghan National Security Forces in assuming lead security responsibility of the district, developing and expanding legitimate Afghan governance by defeating insurgent forces and securing the people of Garmsir.