AAVP-7A1 1/5 Marines, OIF, Iraq, 2003

Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines Regiment, 1st Marines Division, Regimental Combat Team 5, OIF, Iraq, 2003

The AAV7 is an armored tracked amphibious assault landing vehicle. The vehicle carries troops during marine landing operations from ship to shore. The main mission of the vehicles during an amphibious assault is to spearhead a beach and to secure coastline for ongoing troops. This vehicle disembarks from ship and comes ashore, carrying infantry and supplies to the area to provide a forced entry into the amphibious assault. Once the armored assault vehicles have landed, they can take on several different tasks including operations in urban terrain missions, manning check points, escorting convoys or mechanized patrol.