A U.S. Army special forces weapons sergeant, with Special Operations Task Force – South, adjusts his night-vision goggles before boarding an MH-47 Chinook helicopter en route to a village clearing operation in Shah Wali Kot district, June 7, 2011, Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Operations such as these are conducted in order to deny Taliban influence and promote the government of Afghanistan, while providing security and stability throughout the province.