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circa 1915: Cat on a cannon The mascot cat of HMS Queen Elizabeth on a 15-inch barrel

<p>SCIO, N.Y.—Gunner, a bomb-sniffing dog mustered out of the Marines for canine post-traumatic stress disorder, has found a new home with Deb and Dan Dunham, whose Marine son died in Iraq protecting the men beside him.</p> <p>With patience and a red-rubber toy, the Dunhams are trying to coax Gunner back to emotional health. With liquid brown eyes and Labrador loyalty, Gunner is giving the Dunhams back a little of what they lost. Together, they are healing what they can and living with what they must.</p>

8/10/2009 - CAMP TAJI, Iraq (AFNS) -- A trio of Airmen here are teaching Iraqi air force aerial gunners to defend their crew and cargo against threats. The three Airmen are part of the 721st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, whose mission is to "train, advise and assist" the Iraqis at the helicopter squadrons. The Iraqi gunners train using PKC machine guns mounted to makeshift metal platforms. "The Iraqi gunners are as integral a part of the crew for their helicopter, as we are for ours back home," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Burt, a flight engineer from Andrews Air Force Base,...

CAMP AL TAQADDUM, Iraq, May 1, 2009 – Cpl. Susy H. Aguilar was a city girl from coastal California when she shocked her family and friends in 2005 to become the first in her family to join the Marine Corps. Marine Corps Cpl. Susy H. Aguilar sights in and prepares her .50-caliber machine gun for a test fire at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, April 21, 2009. Aguilar extended her contract with the Marine Corps to deploy as a machine gunner. She serves with Transportation Support Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 7, 2nd Marine Logistics Group. U.S. Marine Corps photo...

8/22/2007 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- The scene in the rotunda of Randolph's Taj Mahal Aug. 21 probably seemed like too much hoopla to one former Army Air Corps staff sergeant. But all the TV cameras and reporters there to capture the moment, the remarks by an Air Force major general and the admiration shown by servicemembers and civilians alike more than fit the occasion -- a long-overdue ceremony to honor a true American hero. With one of his daughters at his side, Roy E. Talbott, 84, a self-effacing veteran who once served as a B-24 gunner...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq, March 1, 2007 — Women throughout history have faced many barriers such as not being able to vote, get a secondary education, hold a government position or work in combat arms. But with time, many of these restrictions have crumbled because women are willing to go the extra mile. One such woman is Pfc. Evelyn Williams of Temple Hills, Md., the only woman in the Personal Security Detachment for the command group of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. Her role isn't one of support, but rather one of combat, as Williams is a...

I was fortunate. I had both a pack of cigarettes AND a tasty beverage on my person to enjoy during the upcoming hour and a half stuck in the bunker as various high ranking folks combed the FOB to see if anybody had been hapless enough to get vaporized. Oh, and to make sure there were no unexploded surprises sputtering away in the middle of darkened roadways to disturb any late night treks to the loo. Actually, we were only in the 'sandbag sauna' for about 20 minutes--a new record in speedy Bomb Damage Assessment. So we were sitting in...

From the frontlines in Iraq Tikrit,-Iraq- …Your flight lands and sends an intense rush of wind and sand against your body. The crew chief waves you on to approach the "bird"; you lumber towards the ramp at the rear of the aircraft in full "battle rattle" and all of your equipment. If it is cold outside your body goes beyond a shiver to a jaw clinching brace

In the gunner’s hatch of his Humvee, Spc. Dean Levy poses with fellow crew members (left to right): Staff Sgt. Herminio Rodriguez, Spc. Patrick Grubert, and 42nd Infantry Division Artillery Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Flynn. The picture was taken on Levy’s first day back to work after recovering from burns he suffered in a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device explosion. Flynn is holding the leash of “Zappa”, a dual-purpose explosive detection dog. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Raymond Drumsta U.S. Army Spc. Dean Levy Gunner Goes Head-to-Head with a V-Bed, Saves Crew By Staff Sgt. Raymond Drumsta, 42nd Infantry...