CHARLESTON, S.C. - Crewmembers of the Coast Guard Cutter Dallas man the rails as they pull into their homeport of Charleston Oct. 7, 2008. Manning the rail is a method of saluting or rendering honors, which evolved from that of manning the yards from the days of sail. The cutter just returned from a historic four-month deployment in the Gulf of Guinea off West and Central Africa, and the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Dallas crewmembers were deployed under the command of the Navy's 6th Fleet based in Naples, Italy and carried out multiple missions in support of the Navy in countries throughout Africa and Europe. The crew of the Dallas was the second United States military ship to bring humanitarian assistance supplies to the Republic of Georgia following the conflict between Russian and Georgian forces in August. The crew loaded more than 76,000 pounds of hygiene products, infant care, and food items onto the ship's flight deck in Souda Bay, Crete, and delivered it to Batumi, Georgia, Aug. 27, 2008 for further distribution to those affected by the fighting. Coast Guard photograph/PA2 Bobby Nash.