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2007: The U.S. commander, visiting an Iraqi village, hears that the security situation has improved dramatically. (Associated Press)

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In this May 2011 photo provided by Sheron Long, Chula, a 30-pound Shetland sheepdog and veteran traveler, rests on a bed in the Sheraton Hotel at the Charles de Gaulle Airport, after a long flight from San Francisco to Paris, France. Travel for humans during holidays is tough enough: Long lines, crowds everywhere, extra bags full of presents. Throw a pet in the mix, and it's a recipe for disaster. Long is the author of "Dog Trots Globe - To Paris and Provence." (AP Photo/Sheron Long)

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**FILE** Brian Meenan of Millwood, N.Y., takes photos and video of items that were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy in his family's beachfront house on 31st Street on Long Beach Island in Long Beach Township, N.J., on Nov. 5, 2012. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** In this aerial photograph, heavy equipment pushes sand to restore a barrier dune along the Atlantic Ocean in Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island, N.J., on Nov. 9, 2012, after the region was pounded by Superstorm Sandy the previous week. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** A front loader works to remove sand and debris Nov. 11, 2012, as night falls on the Rockaway neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Puppeteer Kevin Clash poses Jan. 24, 2011, with "Sesame Street" muppet Elmo for a portrait in the Fender Music Lodge during the 2011 Sundance Film Festival to promote the film "Being Elmo" in Park City, Utah. (Associated Press)

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World War II veterans salute for a group photo following the Veterans Day at the National World War II Memorial event in Washington, D.C., Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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US Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class and Seabee (retired) Leon Clifton of Mt. Zion, Ill., is bundled up against the morning chill as he attends the Veterans Day at the National World War II Memorial event . (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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A World War II veteran wipes his eyes during speeches at the Veterans Day at the National World War II Memorial event in Washington, D.C., Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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Valencia Adams, of Bowie, Md., wipes tears from her eyes after getting a pencil rubbing of the name of her father Army Pvt. Phillip C. Adams who was killed in Vietnam on May 5, 1970 after being in country for 6 months, as she visits the wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial during Veteran's Day weekend in Washington, D.C. Her son is retiring soon from the military after tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)