First Lt. Jarrod Birney (left), a Topeka, Kan., native and platoon commander with Transportation Support Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 6, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, reaffirms his oath of office during a promotion ceremony at Twentynine Palms, Calif., May 27, 2013. Birney stood atop a windswept mountain, where he pinned on the rank of first lieutenant on the verge of deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.