Soldiers from the U.S. Army National Guard dig a trench as one of the obstacles on Red Beach at Camp Pendleton, Calif., on June 24, 1997, during Exercise Kernel Blitz 97. Kernel Blitz 97 is a major amphibious exercise taking place in Southern California and waters offshore. More than 12,000 sailors, Marines, soldiers, guardsmen and airmen are involved in the exercise which is designed to test the Navy-Marine Corps team's ability to project combat power ashore. The guardsmen are from the 578th Engineer Battalion, Kearny Mesa, Calif.