U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Deacon Holten, a squad leader with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, directs fellow Marines during an attack at Patrol Base Bracha in the Garmsir district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on Oct. 9, 2009. The Marines are deployed with Regimental Combat Team 3, whose mission is to conduct counterinsurgency operations in partnership with Afghan security forces in southern Afghanistan.