DIYALA LOOK

U.S. Army soldiers scan for suspicious activity during a patrol of the Diyala River Valley in Iraq Dec. 27, 2008. The soldiers are assigned to the 25th Infantry Division's 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Walter J. Pels

BOWL HANDSHAKE

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus shakes hands with football players from the U.S. Air Force Academy and the University of Houston before the coin toss at the sixth annual Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, Dec. 31, 2008. Petraeus performed the coin toss and was honored during the game's half-time event. Houston won, 34-28. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Class Jhi L. Scott

COIN TOSS

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, performs the coin toss before the sixth annual Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, Dec. 31, 2008. The University of Houston Cougars played the U.S. Air Force Academy Falcons. Houston won, 34-28. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jhi L. Scott

THREE AMIGOS

U.S. Army Spc. Terrance Apatang, left, and Sgt. Shane Schroder, center, and U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Daniel Owen, enjoy a cup of chai during a break while conducting a patrol in Ghazaliya, Iraq, Dec. 20, 2008. Apatang and Schroder are assigned to Black Foot Troop, 4th Squadron, 5th Calvary Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division and Owen is assigned to Joint Combat Camera Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Daniel Owen

EN ROUTE TO NORFOLK

U.S. Navy Seaman Apprentice Steven J. O'Conner stands lookout while the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush transits to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Dec. 23, 2008, in preparation for the ship's commissioning on Jan. 10, 2009. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeffrey M. Richardson

ABOARD THE IWO JIMA

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Reserve Affairs H.C. "Barney" Barnum Jr. speaks to sailors and Marines during a Christmas Day all-hands call aboard the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, Bahrain, Dec. 25, 2008. The Iwo Jima is deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Starkey

PUPPY PLAY

U.S. Army Spc. David Cartwright plays with some puppies outside the Iraqi Police District Headquarters in Mahawil, Iraq, Dec. 21, 2008. Cartwright is assigned to the 1st Platoon, 230th Military Police Company, 793rd Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Wendy Wyman

MORNING FALCON

In the early morning of New Year's Eve 2008, an F-16C Fighting Falcon sits tethered to the hot cargo pad at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, Dec. 31, 2008. The aircraft is tethered to secure it in place prior to a full afterburner engine run-up. The Minnesota Air National Guard’s 179th Fighter Squadron carries the 332nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron designation while deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Erik Gudmundson