Task Force Rugged Soldiers assigned to 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. join an Aravaipa hand crew, August 16, 2018, in Mendocino National Forest, California, to lay hose in pr More
Task Force Rugged Soldiers assigned to 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. join a group of Redding Hotshot firefighters, August 17, 2018, in Mendocino National Forest, Calif., to More
Task Force Rugged Soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. continue wildland fire containment efforts, August 19, 2018, in Mendocino National Forest, Calif. The active-duty crew, supervised by two More
Task Force Rugged Soldiers move up a five-blade dozer line, August 23, 2018, in Mendocino National Forest, Calif., to clear unburned brush and clean up hot spots in a black area they burned only days before. Th More
Brian Hicks, U.S. Forest Service, walks a fire line, August 24, 2018, that had been dug into the Mendocino National Forest mountainside by Task Force Rugged Soldiers. The proverbial “line in the sand” is meant More
U.S. Army North Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan speaks to Soldiers from Task Force Rugged August 25 in Ukiah, California. Buchanan was in Ukiah visiting the Soldiers from Joint Base Lewis McCho More
Two Aravaipa hand crew sawyers cross the Russian River, August 16, 2018, on an impromptu floating bridge made from riverside timber and branches in Mendocino National Forest, Calif. Four Soldiers, assigned to 1 More
Task Force Rugged Soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. continue wildland fire containment efforts, August 22, 2018, in Mendocino National Forest, Calif. The active-duty crew, supervised by two More
Task Force Rugged Soldiers chain out Manzanita limbs, August 23, 2018, from a black area the crew burned only days before in Mendocino National Forest, Calif. The controlled burn and subsequent cleanup will hel More
Lancer Brigade Commander, Col. Jay Miseli, talks with Task Force Rugged Soldiers, August 24, 2018, who have been working for two weeks to help contain the wildland fire in Mendocino National Forest, Calif. The More
U.S. Army North Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan (right) receives hat from U.S. Forest Service military liaison Frank Guzman August 25 in Ukiah, California. Buchanan was in Ukiah as part of a vi More
Task Force Rugged Soldier Pfc. Collin Heyman, E Company, Forward Support Company, 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., crosses the Russian River, August 16, 2018, on an impromptu More
Smoke and flames cover a portion of Pine Mountain in the Mendocino National Forest after a controlled burn set by Redding Hot Shot firefighters. The firefighters, alongside Task Force Rugged Soldiers assigned t More
U.S. Army North Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan (right) speaks with 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion commander Lt. Col. Eric Parthemore (center) and Regional Fire and Aviation Management Directo More
Fire retardant chemical covers foliage, August 16, 2018, in Mendocino National Forest, Calif. The chemical allows wildland firefighters to work closer to the hot line to prevent the spread of flames into sensit More
Task Force Rugged Soldier 1st Lt. Liam Koenen, B Company, 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., sharpens the edge of his axe August 17, 2018, in Mendocino National Forest, Calif. K More
A fire crew from Task Force Rugged poses for a photo, August 24, 2018, with their crew bosses and 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Commander, Col. Jay Miseli, in Mendocino National Forest, More
A water tender drives down the road, August 16, 2018, wetting foliage on both sides to lessen the chance of the impending fire crossing the manmade containment line in Mendocino National Forest, Calif. Civilian More
Task Force Rugged Soldier Pvt. Tianna Nguyen, D Company, 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., coils a length of fire hose following a controlled burn August 17, 2018, in Mendocino More
Task Force Rugged Soldiers Sgt. Da Hye Park and Pvt. Tianna Nguyen, D Company, 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., carry a hose in preparation to move on to another mop-up locati More
Task Force Rugged Soldier Pvt. Tianna Nguyen, D Company, 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., uses a Polaski tool to break into a charred log in search of “hot spots” during mop-u More
Staff Sgt. Jacob Vargas, a Task Force Rugged Soldiers assigned to B Company, 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., watches a controlled fire set by a group of Redding Hotshot firef More
Task Force Rugged Soldiers assigned to 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., watch a controlled fire set by a group of Redding Hotshot firefighters, August 17, 2018, in Mendocino N More