NEW CHAIRMAN

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey delivers remarks during the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff change of responsibility ceremony at Summerall Field, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., Sept. 30, 2011. Dempsey, the18th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, succeeded Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, outgoing chairman, during the ceremony. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey

COIN PRESENTATION

U.S. Navy Capt. David Lausman presents a command coin to a Korean girl after arriving in Busan, Republic of Korea, for a port visit in Busan, Republic of Korea, Sept, 29, 2011. Lausman is the commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington. The George Washington pulled out of her forward operating port of Yokosuka, Japan, Sept. 19, 2011, to continue her 2011 patrol. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Kaitlyn R. Breitkreutz

VIGIL WATCH

Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Peterson stands at attention in front of the Prisoners of War- Missing in Action Memorial as part of the 2011 POW/MIA Recognition Day at Heritage Park on Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., Sept. 29, 2011. Peterson is assigned to the 49th Materiel Maintenance Group. For 24 straight hours, airmen took turns standing vigil and making sure the eternal flame remained lit as a symbol that POWs and MIAs of today and the past are never forgotten. U.S. Air Force courtesy photo

STAIRWAY SENTINELS

U.S. Army Cpl. Kristine Tejeda and Pfc. Thomas Adgate climb the steps of the Ziggurat of Ur to provide security for a tour of the ancient city in Dhi Qar province, Iraq, Sept. 24, 2011. Tejeda and Adgate are assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division's Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade. The soldiers have provided security for more than 20 tours of the ancient city of Ur since December 2010. U.S. Army phoyo by Pvt. Andrew Slovensky

MOONLIGHT TRANSIT

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay transits the Arabian Gulf, Sept. 20, 2011. The Mobile Bay is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations and support missions as part of operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Walter M. Wayman

DIRT DUTY

U.S. Army and Afghan soldiers build the perimeter of Checkpoint 4 along Route Chicken as part of Operation Fairbanks in Zabul province, Afghanistan, Sept. 24, 2011. The soldiers are assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, deployed from Alaska. Operation Fairbanks was a route clearing and stability operation to reclaim a major trade route between Qalat and Mizan that had been held by the Taliban for the past year. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Francis O'Brien

RENDERING HONORS

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, left, and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, right, observe the playing of the national anthem during the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff change of responsibility ceremony on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., Sept. 30, 2011. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen was succeeded by Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, who became the 18th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during the ceremony. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey

CEREMONIAL VIEW

Vice President Joe Biden, left, President Barack Obama, second from left, Deborah Mullen and her husband, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, observe the honor guard pass and review at the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff change of responsibility ceremony on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., Sept. 30, 2011. Mullen retired during the ceremony, bringing to a close his 43-year military career. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley