Top 20 most powerful military photos this week

Jessica Manfre Avatar

By Jessica Manfre

Updated on Jan 20, 2021

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U.S. Army Specialist Prudencio Feliz, a member of the 107th Military Police Company, New York Army National Guard, supports interagency local, state, and federal partners in Washington D.C., Jan. 11, 2021. National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from several states have traveled to Washington to provide support to federal and district authorities leading up to the 59th Presidential Inauguration. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Amanda Bodony)

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It’s been a busy week for our Armed Forces here at home and overseas. From guarding the Capitol, COVID-19 vaccinations across the globe and defending all of us – there’s been a lot of poignant moments captured. Here are our Top 20 photos from the week:

1. Answering the call.

Members of the Rhode Island National Guard prepare to assist the Washington DC National Guard for the 2021 Presidential Inauguration. January 16, 2021, East Greenwich Rhode Island. The National Guard has participated in every presidential inauguration since the inauguration of George Washington in 1789. (Army National Guard Picture by PFC David Connors)

2. Taking one for the team

210116-N-KH151-0009 NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (Jan. 16, 2021) – Cmdr. Justin Canfield, executive officer of Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota, Spain, receives the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from Hospitalman Anastasia Kennedy, assigned to U.S. Naval Hospital (USNH) Rota, Spain, at NAVSTA Rota’s movie theater on 16 January, 2021. USNH Rota has begun administering the vaccine to front line healthcare and first responders as part of the vaccination campaign. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eduardo Otero)

3. Mission ready

U.S. Air Force Airmen walk to a C-130 on the flight line of the 165th Airlift Wing, Savannah, Georgia, Jan. 16, 2021 before flying to D.C. to support the upcoming 59th Presidential Inauguration Jan. 20. The Georgia Air National Guard will be assisting federal and district authorities. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Amber Williams)

4. Opening ceremonies

Col. Peter L. Gilbert, Brigade Commander of the 101st Division Sustainment Brigade, speaks to soldiers moments before cutting the ribbon to the new Eisenhower Theater Gateway at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Jan. 10, 2021. Eisenhower Theater Gateway will help alleviate the mass flow of soldiers throughout other gateways who will be re-deploying back home. (U.S. Army Photo by Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jorge Orozco)

5. Partnership

U.S. Army AH-64E Apache and UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters assigned to 1st Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) participate in Eddie’s Odyssey, a first-time joint exercise with U.S. and Greek aviation and special operation forces in the Aegean Sea in Greece, Jan. 14, 2021. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Renee Seruntine)

6. Fire away

U.S. Marines with Kilo Company, 3d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, prepare to fire a 60mm mortar during a live-fire range as part of exercise Fuji Viper 21.2 at Combined Arms Training Center, Camp Fuji, Japan, Jan. 14, 2021. During this evolution of Fuji Viper, Marines honed their tactical skills, demonstrating that infantry formations can facilitate joint force multi-domain maneuver in support of naval operations. 3/8 is forward-deployed in the Indo-Pacific under 4th Marine Regiment, 3d Marine Division. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alexis Moradian)

7. Food for the soul

210111-N-PS962-1062 ARABIAN SEA (Jan. 11, 2021) – Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Darien Floyd prepares dinner for the crew aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) in the Arabian Sea, Jan. 11. Winston S. Churchill is deployed to U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and Pacific through the Western Indian Ocean and three critical chokepoints to the free flow of global commerce. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Louis Thompson Staats IV)

8. Refuel

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft assigned to the 555th Fighter Squadron, Aviano Air Base, Italy, is refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft assigned to the 100th Air Refueling Wing, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, during a mission over the Black Sea, Jan. 14, 2021. U.S. military operations in the Black Sea enhance regional stability, combined readiness and capability with our NATO allies and partners. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Emerson Nuñez)

9. Homeland Security

A crewmember from Maritime Security Response Team-East, located in Chesapeake, Va., looks on during a security patrol on the Potomac River in Washington ahead of the 2021 Presidential Inauguration, Jan. 16, 2021. On Sept. 24, 2018, the Department of Homeland Security designated the Presidential Inauguration as a recurring National Special Security Event. Events may be designated NSSEs when they warrant the full protection, incident management and counter-terrorism capabilities of the Federal Government. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberly Reaves/Released)

10. Basic Training

Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Wilderman, lead company commander of recruit company Yankee-199, instructs recruits on properly handling their rubberized M-16 and identifying the different components of the rifle at U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, N.J., Jan. 13, 2021. Training Center Cape May serves the American public by leveraging the talent and passion of our staff to produce high quality, mission-ready recruits, and by delivering professional and customer-focused services to enable missions for our units, tenants, and region. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Shannon Kearney)

11. Mask up

Soldiers with 40th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division conduct a Gas Chamber near Camp Buehring, Kuwait January 14, 2021. The purpose was to improve understanding and confidence in the Soldier’s gas mask. (U.S. Army photo by: Staff Sgt. Michael West)

12. Time to fly

PHILIPPINE SEA (Jan. 14, 2021) Two MV-22B Ospreys assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit prepare to launch from the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6). America, lead ship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, along with the 31st MEU, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Theodore C. Lee)

13. All hail the chief

Photo of soldiers in front of Kandahar Airfield
CPO flag ahoy…Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Cameron Wink (right) the last Navy command senior enlisted leader at the NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit (MMU) at Kandahar Air Field is joined by Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Melvin Atangan to display the Navy’s Chief Petty Officer flag in an impromptu photo opportunity in front of Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan in 2020. Both were assigned to the Navy’s 22nd and last rotation – designated Whiskey – which turned over MMU responsibility September, 2020, concluding more than ten years deployed in the war-ravaged country at what was the Navy’s longest serving combat casualty hospital.(courtesy photo).

14. Always Ready

Photo of American flag in front of B Troop
The American flag hangs in the forefront as the Soldiers from B Troop, 1-94th Cavalry Squadron receive instruction on civil disturbance control tactics at Camp Ripley, on January 14, 2021. The cavalry scouts are receiving this training in preparation for their mission to provide support to local law enforcement in Washington D.C. for the 59th Presidential Inauguration. (Minnesota National Guard photo by Sgt. Sydney Mariette)

15. On guard

U.S. Soldiers with the National Guard assist law enforcement agencies with roadblocks near the U.S. Capitol Jan. 14, 2021, in Washington, D.C. National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from several states have traveled to Washington to provide support to federal and district authorities leading up to the 59th Presidential Inauguration. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Myhr)

16. His “Why”

Photo of an airman after getting the COVID vaccine
U.S. Air Force Col. Dave Duval, United States Air Forces in Europe and Air Force Africa Headquarters aerospace medicine division chief, displays his reason for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 11, 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jennifer Gonzales)

17. Home sweet home

Photo of loved ones reuniting after deployment
Members aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute (WMEC-620) are being welcomed by their loved ones after their 42-day patrol in the Caribbean. The Resolute is a 210-foot Reliance class cutter commissioned December 8, 1966, and has a crew of 78. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Erik Villa Rodriguez)

18. Never forgotten

Photo of body bearers folding the flag of Brig. Gen. James R. Joy.
Body Bearers with Bravo Company, Marine Barracks Washington, fold the flag of Brig. Gen. James R. Joy during a Full Honors Funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Jan. 15, 2021. Joy, a Conception Junction, Missouri native, was born Sept. 20, 1935, and commissioned in the Marine Corps as a second lieutenant in 1957. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he was awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat Distinguishing Device, Bronze Star with Combat Distinguishing Device, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device, and a Purple Heart. Joy retired in 1988 after 31 years of dedicated service, and he passed away on August 4, 2020. (U.S. Marine Corps Photos by Lance Cpl. Allen Sanders)

19. Sparks fly

Photo of sailors deployed in Guam
SANTA RITA, Guam (Jan. 14, 2021) Sailors forward-deployed as the maritime expeditionary security forces of Task Force 75 fire a .50-caliber machine gun during a live-fire exercise at the weapons range on Naval Base Guam. Maritime Expeditionary Security Group 1, Detachment Guam is a maritime forward-deployed naval force with U.S. 7th Fleet and can conduct combat operations to dominate the littorals and reinforce blue water operations while also providing high value asset escorts, harbor area defense, embarked security teams, and search and seizure overwatch. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Cole C. Pielop)

20. Through the hole

Photo of US Army combat engineers pictured through a hole in a cement brick
U.S. Army Combat Engineers assigned to Alpha Company, 91st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, pictured through a hole in a block of cement that was made by a shaped charge, make last minute preparations before a controlled detonation at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Jan. 13, 2021.