Soldiers in four-wheel vehicles wait as bundles of fuel are air delivered by a C-17 Globemaster III to Forward Operating Base Waza K'wah in Paktika province, Afghanistan, Jan. 30. The Soldiers are assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army The U.S. Army has had a busy year – from the big announcement that soldiers serving in Iraq would be pulled out and home for the holidays to the demise of Osama bin Laden to the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

We found some absolutely stunning photos taken by U.S. Army staff over the last year that captured close-ups of military missions, trainings and the life of the American soldier.