2014 Military Photographer of the Year Awards

FEATURE, 1ST PLACE | Members of the Special Tactics Training Squadron enter the pool with their hands and feet bound. The drown proofing exercise teaches students to remain calm in the water during stressful situations, skills that are vital during real-world operations. Jeffrey Allen/U.S. Air Force

PORTRAITS, HONORABLE MENTION | Airman 1st Class Keith Fussell, 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, dons his helmet before training on Hurlburt Field, Fla., July 17, 2014. Firefighters spent more than an hour training on the correct ventilation techniques to maintain proper readiness to complete the mission. Christopher Callaway/U.S. Air Force

"The Thunder Returns" (First Place: News)

"Remembering" (Second Place: News)

SPORTS, HONORABLE MENTION | Jace Manning, of Belton, Texas, squats 385 pounds during a weight-lifting competition aboard the USS Bataan at sea on April 20, 2014. Manning placed first in the light-weight division of the competition, lifting 1,175 pounds between bench presses, dead lifts and squats. Austin Hazard/U.S. Marine Corps

"Down and Dirty" (Third Place: Feature)

COMBAT TRAINING, HONORABLE MENTION | Members from the U.S. Air Force 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Fort Bragg, complete helo, fast rope, and hoisting training during exercise Advanced Guard, Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., April 14, 2014. Jodi Martinez/U.S. Air Force

"Land Nav" (Second Place: Combat Documentation, Training)

MILITARY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR, 3RD PLACE | A U.S. Marine Corps paratrooper jumps from a CH-47 Chinook in support of Emerald Warrior, John C. Stennis Space Center, Miss., May 7, 2014. Jodi Martinez/U.S. Air Force

"Beyond" (First Place: Sports and Photo Of The Year)

"Out of the Sea" (First Place: Pictorial)

ILLUSTRATIVE, HONORABLE MENTION | Media pressures to be model thin are overwhelming for many American women. From ages as young as 5, advertisements and television shows present an almost impossible to attain image of feminine perfection. The struggle to meet the beauty standards set by media can become an obsession for women and girls. Corey J. Hook/U.S. Air Force

"Cyber Deception" (Second Place: Illustrative)

"Afghan Gunner" (Third Place: Combat Documentation, Operational). TSgt Jason Robertson

"Recon Patrols" (First Place: Combat Documentation, Operational)

"Dustoff! Dustoff!" (Third Place: Combat Documentation, Training)

"Night Fire" (First Place: Combat Documentation, Training)

PORTRAITS, HONORABLE MENTION . Sara E. Keller/U.S. Air Force

"Wounded Warrior" (Second Place: Combat Documentation, Operational)

Air Force Staff Sgt. Vernon Young won photographer of the year for the following photos: "Low Pass" ...

SPORTS, HONORABLE MENTION | University of Michigan right fielder, Kyle Jusick, poses for a portrait during the College of Charleston Tournament, March 15, 2014, in Charleston, S.C. James Richardson/U.S. Air Force

Air Force Staff Sgt. Vernon Young won photographer of the year for the following photos: "Transition Fun" ...

"Sky Miles" (Second Place: Pictorial)

MILITARY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR, 3RD PLACE | Three friends reach for a rebound during a basketball game in downtown Charleston, S.C., July 22, 2014. Jodi Martinez/U.S. Air Force

MILITARY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR, 3RD PLACE | A U.S. Marine Corps recruit pushes her way through bobbed wire during the Crucible, Sept. 11, 2014, Parris Island, S.C. The Crucible is a 54-hour training exercise that validates the physical, mental and moral training they've endured throughout recruit training. They face challenges testing their physical strength, skills and the Marine Corps values they have learned throughout training.Jodi Martinez/U.S. Air Force

Air Force Staff Sgt. Vernon Young won photographer of the year for the following photos:…And "Beam Me Up."

Untitled (Third Place: Sports)

"Retiring the colors" (Second Place: Feature)

Air Force Staff Sgt. Vernon Young won photographer of the year for the following photos: "Faces of Afghanistan" ...

"Assault overwatch" (Third Place: Pictorial)

"Roar" (Second Place: Sports)

"Survivor" (First Place: Picture Story)

Staff Sgt. Chantel Thibeaux was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2014 during her very first class as an Air Force technical school instructor. With the support of her family, she was able to fight through a disease that claims the lives of thousands each year. As a US Air Force technical school instructor, Thibeaux has been charged to train the next generation of dental assistants.

COMBAT TRAINING, HONORABLE MENTION | Australian soldiers assigned to 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment fire an 84 mm M3 Carl Gustave rocketlauncher at Range 10, Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, July 20, 2014, during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2014. Matthew Callahan/U.S. Marine Corps

"Game Time" (Second Place: Portrait)

FEATURE, HONORABLE MENTION | A soldier assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Calvary Regiment jokingly holds his helmet above the hesco barrier at Combat Outpost Mushan in an attempt to draw out gunfire during Operation Chamtoo II in Panjwai district, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, Feb. 15, 2014.Harold Flynn/U.S. Army

"Loud and Clear" (First Place: Portrait)

MILITARY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR, 2ND PLACE | An Airman from the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron is tossed from a Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC) during training at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. The team is practicing small boat infiltration and exfiltration operations in the high surf. Jeffrey Allen/U.S. Air Force

"The Reach" (First Place: Illustrative)

Air Force Staff Sgt. Vernon Young won photographer of the year for the following photos:"A Deeper Connection" ...

MILITARY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR, 3RD PLACE | Members from the 24th Special Tactics Group, Fort Bragg, N.C., steal a few minutes of rest inside a C-17 Globemaster III during Advanced Guard, Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., April 21, 2014. Jodi Martinez/U.S. Air Force

"The Army Chaplain" (Third Place: Portrait)

"Coast Guard Memorial Day Weekend Rescue" (Third Place: News)

Air Force Staff Sgt. Vernon Young won photographer of the year for the following photos: "Timing" ...

ILLUSTRATIVE, 3RD PLACE | An illustration showing the effects of domestic violence. According to the Family Advocacy Program, more than 18,000 cases of domestic violence were reported in 2013. Rusty Frank/U.S. Air Force

MILITARY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR, 3RD PLACE | A U.S. special forces member walks between two buildings during Emerald Warrior, Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Miss., May 2, 2014.Jodi Martinez/U.S. Air Force

PICTURE STORY, HONORABLE MENTION | Soldiers prepare for upcoming deployments at the National Training Center, Calif, the training scenarios are called decisive action rotations. Decisive action rotations are reflective of the complexities of potential adversaries our nation could face and include: guerrilla, insurgent, criminal, and near-peer conventional forces woven into one dynamic environment. Daniel Hughes/U.S. Air Force

"Becoming "Semper Fidelis"" (Second Place: Picture Story)

US Marine Corps female recruits endure and conquer the Crucible, one of the toughest challenges a recruit will face during their 3-month boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., on Sept. 10, 2014. The women used teamwork, grit, and perseverance to earn the title of Marine and their emblem: the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor.

"Tenderfoot" (Third Place: Picture Story)

Per the military's description, "Farrier Henry Heymeiring has been shoeing horses for more than 40 years, and describes the trade as an art. The foundation of Heymering's art is his love of the animal. A man of few words and many smiles, Heymeiring's smiles truly convey his passion for his work."

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon with the 18th Aggressor Squadron flies through bad weather while conducting an air-to-air combat mission in support of Cope North 13 near Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 12, 2013. Cope North is an annual air combat tactics, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise designed to increase the readiness and interoperability of the U.S. Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force and Royal Australian Air Force.