United States Department of Defense

White House to Honor Iraq War Veterans

President Barack Obama

DOD graphic by Souheil Mechlawi

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will honor Iraq War veterans and their families during a dinner at the White House later this month, White House officials announced, Feb. 7, 2012.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Army General Martin E. Dempsey Becomes 18th. Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

SpecialsMore »

Featured Photos

  • Army Lt. Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, commander of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command and deputy commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, updates reporters on current operations during a briefing at the Pentagon, Feb. 8, 2012. DOD photo by Glenn Fawcett
  • U.S. soldiers prepare to ascend a hillside to Observation Post 11 outside Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan, Feb. 3, 2012. The unit partnered with Afghan forces to execute a call-for-fire exercise to calibrate large weapons from the top of the the post. The soldiers are assigned to 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ken Scar
  • U.S. Army Pfc. James Dennis performs a torque check on the main rotor head of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on Camp Marmal, Afghanistan, Feb. 7, 2012. Dennis is a crew chief assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division's Company A, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Joe Armas
  • Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jobey French mans a MK 44 mini machine gun while conducting security escort operations for ships transiting out to sea through the inner coastal waterways of North Carolina during Exercise Bold Alligator 2012 in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 1, 2012. French is a boatswain's mate assigned to Riverine Command Boat 803 and attached to Riverine Squadron 2. U.S. Navy photo by Richard Brunson
  • As seen through a night-vision device, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Erain Abreu, left, aims a 240B light machine gun while Pfc. Zakary Mitchell looks on during a weapons familiarization exercise in the hangar bay of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 4, 2012. Abreu and Mitchell are assigned to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. The Wasp is participating in Exercise Bold Alligator 2012. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Aaron Chase
  • A sailor directs a landing craft air cushion vehicle during Bold Alligator 2012 on Camp Lejeune, N.C., Feb. 6, 2012. Exercise Bold Alligator 2012, the largest multinational naval amphibious exercise in 10 years, represents efforts by the Navy and Marine Corps to revitalize the full range of amphibious operations along the mid-Atlantic coast. DOD photo by Marvin Lynchard
  • Army Sgt. 1st Class Russell Minta, senior noncommissioned officer for the Defense Department's Military Working Dog Breeding Program on Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, holds a puppy in his hand. The program provides working dogs to every service branch and numbers among the largest military breeding programs in the world. DOD photo by Linda Hosek

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