A child clings to a U.S. Marine on the flight deck of the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) after a frightening first ride in a helicopter evacuating her from Freetown, Sierra Leone, on May 30, 1997, during Operation Noble Obelisk. She is among the first evacuees to arrive on board the Norfolk-based amphibious assault ship. Over 900 people from 40 different countries have been evacuated.