"And do you realize this is as popular in the military as Pokemon is with fourth-graders?"
Is it really? This is the first I've heard of it. I suspect it is a very small minority of military personnel who are doing this. I don't believe for a moment that it is widespread.
It's not a new phenomenon - and I would expect that most soldiers with digital cameras have hundreds and hundreds of images altogether and among those hundreds of personal photos are a few Matthew Bradyesque ones.