Soldier from Menifee Takes Part in Operation Highland Thunder

U.S. Marine Sgt. Guillermo Floresmartines of Menifee, CA, in Sre Kala, Afghanistan. Photo credit: Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez

25-year native of Menifee, CA, U.S. Marine Sgt. Guillermo Floresmartines, an assistant squad leader with Alpha Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, wades through a canal during a patrol in Sre Kala, Helmand province, of Afghanistan, February 16, 2012.

Marines and sailors with 1st LAR and India Co., 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conducted clearing and disrupting operations in and around the villages of Sre Kala and Paygel during Operation Highland Thunder.

Marines with 1st LAR led the operation on foot, sweeping for enemy weapons and drug caches through 324 square kilometers of rough, previously unoccupied desert and marshland terrain. Mobile units with 1st LAR set up blocking positions and vehicle check points while India Co., 3/3 conducted helicopter inserts to disrupt insurgent freedom of movement.

Read more about Operation Highland Thunder here:
http://www.dvidshub.net/news/84159/marines-sweep-uncharted-areas-khan-neshin-during-operation-highland-thunder

U.S. Marine Sgt. Guillermo Floresmartines of Menifee, CA, in Sre Kala, Afghanistan. Photo credit: Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez