Dr. (LT) Donald R. Ratliff, a dentist with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU), prepares to treat a Kurdish refugee patient in a field facility. He and his assistant, Hospitalman 1ST Class Charlie Alva, comprise one of two dental teams from the 24th MEU providing dental care as part of Operation Provide Comfort, an Allied effort to aid refugees who fled the forces of Saddam Hussein in northern Iraq