U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Shawn McKinney, attached to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, climbs the bank after crossing a river during a patrol in the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Sept. 30, 2009. The battalion is a combat element of Regimental Combat Team 3, which conducts counterinsurgency operations in partnership with Afghan National Security Forces in southern Afghanistan.