U.S. Navy Seaman Thoren Pond removes chocks and chains from an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter during flight operations on the guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher in the Persian Gulf, Jan. 7, 2015. Pond is a boatswain's mate assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26. The destroyer is supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, which includes strike operations in Iraq and Syria as directed.