U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Charles Hooper, director, J5, Strategic

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Charles Hooper, director, J5, Strategic Planning and Policy, United States Africa Command, talks with U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Doru Pavel, a native of Mundelein, Ill., Operation ONWARD LIBERTY Armed Forces Training Command adviser, during a visit to Camp Ware, Liberia on a recent visit to the country Feb. 10. Hooper came to Liberia to inspect the progress of the AFL and its U.S. military mentorship program, Operation ONWARD LIBERTY. OOL is a group of approximately 50 U.S. military personnel who mentor and advise the AFL in order to develop a national military that is responsible, operationally capable, respectful of civilian authority and the rule of law and is a force for good among the Liberian people. While in the country, Hooper also attended events celebrating the 55th annual Liberian Armed Forces Day, including a military parade and a military ball. Other Armed Forces Day activities included a street cleanup and medical outreach, church services, an intra-AFL soccer match and a symposium regarding the status of the AFL in today’s Liberia. Pavel is deployed from 6th Marine Regiment, Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he is a company commander.