U.S. Marines use metal detectors to sweep a hill during a route reconnaissance mission of Route Red, which extends from Highway 1 to Shir Ghazay, Afghanistan, on Jan. 1, 2012. The Marines are assigned to the 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group. The purpose of the mission was to document inclines and declines in the route, sharpness of curves, the shortest width during the route, and where culverts were located or needed to be placed.