A day at Camp Ripley with the Red Bulls

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Little Falls, MN, USA — Service members prepare Humvees before taking them out onto the practice range at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minnesota, on November 20, 2010. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Little Falls, MN, USA — Spc. Charles Gerads momentarily struggles to align the sights with the target during weapon familiarity training at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minnesota, on November 20, 2010. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Little Falls, MN, USA — Sgt. Tristyn Runia is one of the 2700 members of Minnesota's Red Bull brigade being deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in the spring of 2011. Theirs will be the largest Minnesota National Guard deployment since World War II. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Little Falls, MN, USA — Part of combatives training at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minnesota, is learning how to choke an enemy combatant. On November 20, 2010, service members practiced choking techniques on each other -- under the watchful eye of an instructor. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Little Falls, MN, USA — After a morning dose of caffeine, Sgt. Jozy Olson (left) and Staff Sgt. Joshua Stinson joke around before heading back out for battle training at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minnesota, on November 20, 2010. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Little Falls, MN, USA — All service members must go through Soldier Readiness Processing at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minnesota. Here they wait for appointments with doctors, dentists or legal experts. They can also sign up for life insurance and fill out their wills. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Little Falls, MN, USA — Members of the Red Bulls brigade prepare their machine guns for the day's activities at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minnesota, on November 20, 2010. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Little Falls, MN, USA — Service members enter the "shoot house" at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minnesota, on November 20, 2010. The multi-roomed structure represents a building or home that may contain insurgents. Here they practice knocking down bolted doors, navigating narrow passageways and attacking enemy targets. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Little Falls, MN, USA — Members of HHC 1-194 go through a series of "common tasks" on November 20, 2010 at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minnesota. This training focuses on military movement techniques and battle drills. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Little Falls, MN, USA — Sgt. Andrew Leino and 2nd Lt. Jacob Lefever take part in combatives training at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minnesota, on November 20, 2010. Instructors say those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan face more house-to-house missions than soldiers in past wars. As a result, today's deployment preparation includes a variety of one-on-one exercises to prepare soldiers for potential one-on-one attacks in the field. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Little Falls, MN, USA — Service members take a quick lunch break during training at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minnesota, on November 20, 2010. Their weekend MREs include everything from fruit to potato chips to Smuckers Crustables (jelly sandwiches with the crusts removed). (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Little Falls, MN, USA — While at Camp Ripley, members of the Red Bull brigade have the opportunity to talk with a chaplain. When they check in for their appointments, Sgt. David Torry offers them everything from brochures on stress management to rosaries. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Little Falls, MN, USA — Pfc. Sophia Vaughn tries to overpower Spc. Ricardo Gomez in a combative training exercise at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minnesota, on November 20, 2010. Instructors will run members of Minnesota's Red Bull brigade through as many war-like experiences as possible before their 2011 deployment. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo