Person of the Year 2003

The American Soldier

They swept across Iraq and conquered it in 21 days. They stand guard on streets pot-holed with skepticism and rancor. They caught Saddam Hussein. They are the face of America, its might and good will, in a region unused to democracy. The U.S. G.I. is TIME's Person of the Year More »

Cover Story

For the challenge of defending our freedoms, the American soldier is TIME's Person of the Year More »
Portrait Of A Platoon

How a dozen soldiers — overworked, under fire, nervous, proud — chase insurgents and try to stay alive in one of Baghdad's nastiest districts More »
Secretary of War

A profile of Donald Rumsfeld More »
Photos: A Soldier's Life

Life of the American soldier in pictures More »
From the Editor

What happened that day on patrol More »
The Making of the American GI

How patriotism, and a brutal lesson in Vietnam, shaped the modern U.S. warrior More »
A Fond Farewell

Farewell to those who left us in 2003 More »
People Who Mattered

From Schwarzenegger to Putin, TIME's list of people who mattered this year More »
Graphic: Where the Troops Are

After World War II, the U.S. stationed tens of thousands abroad to meet the Soviet threat. But today's threats are far less predictable More »