USS Whirlwind The patrol craft USS Whirlwind protects Iraq's oil terminals in the North Persian Gulf, April 14, 2006. Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan were a joint effort all along and joint warfighting is widely considered to be the way combat operations will be carried out in the future. SHARE IMAGE: Download Image: Full Size (0.13 MB) Photo By: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Zack Baddorf VIRIN: 060414-N-ZZ999-001C.JPG Photo Gallery