![dek](https://content.time.com/time/2009/50_top_10/photos/afghan.jpg)
A U.S. Army soldier from the 10th Mountain Division surveys a road in the Tangi Valley, Afghanistan, on Sept. 4.
TIME charts the highs and lows of the past year in 50 wide-ranging lists
A U.S. Army soldier from the 10th Mountain Division surveys a road in the Tangi Valley, Afghanistan, on Sept. 4.