Tigris river south of Mosul

Oakes' superiors and Iraqi commanding general with assistant at a dinner at FOB Q-West in September 2005

AH-64 Apache ready-line at FOB Q-West. Oakes' unit's compound is just off to the right of the picture.

FOB Q-West from the air. The white object in the middle ground is water palletized at the end of the runway.

A flock of sheep and their herders.

Gypsy farmers in a field between Mosul and FOB Q-West

DURMO yard at FOB Balad. This is the area where all the discarded equipment is brought; everything from tanks to refrigerators.

Armored HUMVEE gun truck escorts from the convoy. The sign on the back warns of danger to stay back in both Arabic and English.

Convoy traveling down MSR Tampa. On-coming traffic has stopped to permit the convoy to go. Note that the convoy travels down the center of the road to avoid IEDs on the edge of the road.

Part of the Samarra bypass, a wall built around a hostile Iraqi town for protection of the convoys.

Iraqi cemetery along MSR Tampa between FOB Q-West and FOB Balad.

Iraqi civilians looking for work just outside the gate of FOB Q-West.