()

Mark Oliva ©Stars and StripesPersian Gulf, February, 2003: Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew Stoker stretches to provide a clean windshield for pilots of a heavy-lift transport helicopter aboard the USS Tarawa as the the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit prepares to land ashore in Kuwait after a month at sea. Commanding the 15th MEU in 2003 was Col. Thomas Waldhauser, now a four-star general heading the U.S. Africa Command.

RELATED MATERIAL: Stars and Stripes' 2003 story about the 15th MEU.