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Ascent Captain Charles G. Grow, USMC (Ret) Acquisition Number: 2011.64.2 Medium: Oil on Canvas Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) serve as honor guards and pall bearers for a fallen Marine, Kandahar, Afghanistan, 17 January 2002. Service members continue to care for their comrades after death. Flag-draped transfer cases containing the remains of war-fighters are flown to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. It is the mission of the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations to ensure that dignity, honor and respect be paid to the deceased and that their families are supported. A solemn dignified transfer of remains is conducted upon arrival at Dover to honor those who have given their lives in the service of our country. Each fallen Marine is assigned a uniformed Marine to complete the journey to his or her place of burial. Across all branches, over 2,000 U.S. service men and women died during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan; more than 450 Marines paid the ultimate price, while nearly 5,000 were wounded.