Myeshia Johnson, widow of U.S. Army Sergeant La David Johnson, who was among four special forces soldiers killed in Niger, sits with her daughter, Ah'Leeysa Johnson at a graveside service in Hollywood, Fla., on Oct. 21. Joe Skipper/Reuters hide caption
A U.S. Army team transfers the remains of Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga., at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Oct. 5. Wright was one of four U.S. troops killed in an ambush in Niger. U.S. forces work with many African militaries. While the Americans are advising and assisting in most cases, they also travel into the field, where they can face combat. Staff Sgt. Aaron J. Jenne/U.S. Air Force via AP hide caption
American flags are placed at graves at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on May 25, in preparation for Memorial Day. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
U.S. Army Gen. John Nicholson told the Senate Armed Services Committee in February that the war in Afghanistan was at a "stalemate." Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption
Displaced Syrians head to refugee camps on the outskirts of Raqqa on Sunday. Syrian fighters, backed by the U.S., have been driving out the Islamic State. However, many civilians are fleeing the fighting, and there's still no sign of a political settlement in Syria on the horizon. Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will maintain current policy on transgender service members, promising to convene a panel to study how to implement President Trump's ban on transgender troops. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption
Physician assistant James Williams (right) describes the treatment of burn patients as "a very tactile type of medicine." Wendy Rigby/TPR hide caption
An Afghan girl on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, in October 2016. The U.N. mission in Afghanistan says the number of children killed or wounded increased 24 percent last year. Rahmat Gul/AP hide caption
American soldiers are pictured during a welcome ceremony at the Polish-German border in Olszyna, Poland on January 12, 2017. U.S. troops are being deployed in Poland under Operation Atlantic Resolve. The troops will be followed by 87 tanks, 144 Bradley fighting vehicles and 2,500 vehicles being transported by land from Germany. Natalia Dobryszycka/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
An Estonian soldier takes aim during a training exercise at Tapa Army Base, Estonia, on Nov. 17. U.S. troops were also taking part in the training, about 70 miles from the border with Russia. NATO countries are stepping up their presence in Eastern Europe at a time of rising tensions with Russia. Lucian Kim/NPR hide caption
A girl named Farida, age 7, and her mother at a hospital after a militant attack on a Shiite shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Oct. 12. Rahmat Gul/AP hide caption
The U.S. Air Force Honor Guard carries the remains of World War II pilot Elaine Harmon during services on Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption
Ameera, 6, walks with assistance at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. She is recovering from a gunshot wound sustained when she was caught in a firefight between U.S. and Afghan soldiers and Taliban insurgents. Senior Airman Robert Dantzler/U.S. Air Force hide caption
A MiG-21 fighter — a leftover monument from the Soviet era — is the centerpiece of the Aviators Neighborhood in Deveselu, Romania. Now the base has become a U.S. Navy facility that is part of NATO's anti-missile shield for Europe. Gabriel Amza for NPR hide caption