The Year in Pictures 2009

Bedded Down
U.S. Marines sleep in their fighting holes inside a compound in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Photographer David Guttenfelder explains, "We'd stopped in this farmer's field for the night. It took me an hour to dig my own firing position in the dark, and it feels like you're sleeping in a shallow grave. But you do feel safer— and sleep better — protected by those few inches of dirt. I got up at dawn and was able to get the guys enjoying the first full night's sleep they'd had after marching for six days in temperatures up to 135 degrees, carrying 120-lb. packs."

• The Year in Pictures 2008