TREK NAWA, Helmand province, Afghanistan — Lance Corporal

TREK NAWA, Helmand province, Afghanistan — Lance Corporal Christopher D. Hatley Jr., an Abilene, Texas, native and a rifleman with Bravo Company, takes time before a patrol for a photo. Hatley, a 2010 Pine Crest High School graduate, thought he was hit in the head with a rock after bullets impacted a wall close to him during a recent operation. He and his fellow Marines realized shortly thereafter he had actually been shot in the head. His Kevlar helmet, however, saved his life and he was left with only a severe headache. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Earnest J. Barnes)