U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Nicolas Bourgeois, a 20-year-old

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Nicolas Bourgeois, a 20-year-old rifleman with 2nd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and Ft. Worth, Texas, native provides security while helping Afghan National Army soldiers clear strains of illegal activity remaining among the bazaar's legitimate vendors during Operation Sandman here, Dec. 28. Safar Bazaar was once a hotbed for insurgents, its shops teeming with illegal drugs and streets laden with improvised explosive devices. Over the last two years, four Marine infantry battalions and their Afghan National Security Forces counterparts have labored to make it safe. Today, the buzzing bazaar is the commercial hub of southern Garmsir district. Thousands of Afghans from around the district travel to the bazaar each week to purchase goods.