I will end my 2013 writing marathon with two promises and one wish.
To those who have seen more than enough of my posts this year, I promise this will be my last post for the year.
To those who have seen more than enough images about conflicts and combat and wars, I promise that most of these will be different.
Different because they show our troops engaged in sports, at play, relaxing, enjoying their family and reuniting with their loved ones after long and difficult separations.
Lead photo: Navy Midshipmen run onto the field to start the 2013 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, Dec. 30, 2013. Navy played Middle Tennessee and won 24-6.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Zach Young, right, reaches for an opponent’s flag during a Captain’s Cup flag football game during a tournament on Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., Aug. 21, 2013. Young is assigned to the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kathryn E. Macdonald
Marine Corps Cpl. Josue Barron, left, puts up a shot as Army veteran Perry Price attempts a block during the gold medal wheelchair basketball match of the 2013 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 15, 2013. Army won the gold, 34-32. DOD photo by EJ Hersom
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Meredith Helay performs holiday music at a Weihnachtsmarkt, or Christmas market, in Trier, Germany, Dec. 23, 2013. The U.S. Air Forces in Europe Five Star Brass ensemble performed more than 15 German and American holiday classics like “O Tannenbaum” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher Ruan
Marines enjoy a moment of relaxation on a beach after conducting an amphibious training raid as part of Tropic Thunder, an exercise on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, Aug. 30, 2013. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Christopher O’Quin
A U.S. Marine dives near the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge during a swim call after the conclusion of Exercise Eager Lion 2013 in Aqaba, Jordan, June 22, 2013. The annual, multinational exercise is designed to strengthen military-to-military relationships and enhance security and stability in the region. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Corbin J. Shea.
Servicemen and their daughters hit the dance floor during “A Night in the Spotlight,” the San Diego Armed Services YMCA Father and Daughter Dance in San Diego, Feb. 16, 2013. More than 450 military fathers attended the 7th annual event. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class James R. Evans
Maj. Greg Boland hugs his children Rylie and Carter after returning from a deployment Sept. 15, 2013, at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. Boland is a 480th Fighter Squadron pilot from Reading, Pa. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Gustavo Castillo)
Army Staff Sgt. Samuel Spencer III gets an embrace from his family after returning from a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan at the Lawrenceville Armory in Trenton, N.J., June 6, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Wayne Woolley
A sailor gets a homecoming hug from a boy during a celebration for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group at its homeport in Norfolk, Va., July 2, 2013. The carrier group is returning to its homeport after operating in areas of responsibility for the U.S. 5th and 6th fleets. The sailors are assigned to Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron 5. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Leah Stiles.
Army Spc. Jessie Nelson hugs her husband, Matt, on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., July 10, 2013. Nelson and about 230 soldiers returned home after an eight-month deployment to Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kimberly Hackbarth
U.S. Army National Guard 1st Lt. Nick Aldridge poses with his family after surprising them with an appearance as Scuba Claus at the Mall of America’s Sea Life Aquarium tank in Bloomington, Minn., Dec. 22, 2013. Aldridge returned home from a deployment to Afghanistan in time for the holidays. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Blair Heusdens
Sadly, while many of our troops are leaving the combat zone in 2013…
U.S. Army Sgt. Anthony R. Francisco, left, and U.S. Army Spc. Eamonn Soll move a case to the Camp Phoenix flightline as they prepare to depart Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec. 25, 2013. Francisco and Soll are assigned to the Guam Army National Guard’s Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment.
and while many brave attempts are made to make New Year’s eve more pleasant to our troops overseas…
Comedians Rob Maher and Tommy Davidson pose for pictures after their show on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Dec. 31, 2013. The two performed a comedy routine for service members on New Year’s Eve.
…the New Year will relentlessly bring more deployments, more family separations, more heartbreaking goodbyes…
Soldiers say their final goodbyes during a farewell ceremony on McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C., Jan. 26, 2013. The soldiers, assigned to the South Carolina Army National Guard, will head to Fort Hood, Texas, to train before deploying to Afghanistan. National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jorge Intriago
More tours of duty in the same unforgiving combat zone…
U.S. airmen clear snow near an F-16 Fighting Falcon on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, during a snowstorm, Dec. 29, 2013. Total snow accumulation was about 3 inches in the first significant snowfall of the season
We wish all our service men and women the best New Year possible under the circumstances, and from the bottom of our hearts, Thank You For All You Do.
All photos and captions: DOD. Most photos from here
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.