11 notable U.S. military leaders of 2011

From the Osama bin Laden mission to senior leadership changes in the Department of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2011 has been a dynamic year for military leaders.

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Lance Cpl. Sebastian Gallegos is one of the many 2011 recipients of a Purple Heart, a military decoration awarded annually to members of the armed forces who are wounded or killed in combat. Lt. Gen. John F. Kelly, senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, presented the honor to Gallegos at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio on Feb. 14.

Nikki Kahn / The Washington Post

Officially speaking, Navy SEAL Team Six does not exist. Its real name, which is classified and not available to the public, denotes the team’s role as an elite Special Forces team whose missions are rarely visible to the public. But one mission on May 1 — the team’s assassination of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden — catapulted Team Six onto the national stage.

Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post

Robert Gates retired from his post as defense secretary in July. At Gates’s retirement ceremony, President Obama presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award. Gates presided over the efforts to remove more than 100,000 troops from Iraq.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

Secretary Robert Gates’s retirement from the Department of Defense prompted some upper-echelon movement. The Senate unanimously confirmed Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, who does not hold an official military title, to Gates’s former position on July 1. Soon after, Panetta jointly certified with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey that the military was prepared to repeal “don't ask, don't tell” regulations on gays in the military, triggering its final repeal after 60 days.

Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images

Retired General David Petraeus assumed Leon Panetta’s position as director of the CIA on June 30. Petraeus retired from the Army on Aug. 31, marking the end of his tenure as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) since July 2010.

Win McNamee / Getty Images

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, left, stepped into the top spot in Afghanistan on July 18. Although Allen is the fourth International Security Assistance Force commander in two years, he is the first Marine to command all U.S. forces in either Afghanistan or Iraq. Allen will oversee the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

Paul J. Richards / AP

Another notable appointment this year was that of Gen. Martin Dempsey to the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman position. After serving 137 days as chief of staff of the Army earlier this year, Dempsey assumed his current role as the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. Armed Forces on Sept. 30 following the retirement of Navy Adm. Mike Mullen.

Saul Loeb / Getty Images

Adm. Mike Mullen occupied the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman position for four years, from 2007 to 2011, when he ended his 43-year Navy career. The final day of Mullen’s career was anything but uneventful; hours before his retirement, U.S. officials confirmed the death of Anwar al-Awlaki, a prominent al-Qaeda leader, by drone attack.

Mohammed Ameen / Reuters

Army General Ray Odierno, chief of staff of the Army, commanded U.S. Joint Forces Command from October 2010 until its disestablishment in August. Recently, Odierno made headlines when he defended the expansion of roles for women in combat.

Jim Watson / Pool/Getty Images

On Sept. 15, retired sergeant Dakota Meyer became the first Marine veteran since 1973 to be given the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest honor. Meyer received the medal for his decision to risk his life and rescue 36 U.S. and Afghan troops from a "killing zone" on Sept. 8, 2009. At the time, he was 21 years old.

Alex Wong / Getty Images

Maj. Gen. Alfred Flowers will retire in December as the longest-serving African American general at the Pentagon and the longest-serving African American service member since the formation of the Defense Department in 1947. Here in November 2011, at a surprise gathering at the Pentagon, Flowers learned that he will be presented with the Order of the Sword in April 2012.

Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post

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Red Panda Bears sleep in the Panda Bear enclosure at the Beijing Zoo on May 22, 2012. The zoo grounds were originally a Ming Dynasty imperial palace and finally opened to the public in 1908. The zoo's history states that during the WWII, most of the zoo's animals died of starvation with only 13 monkeys and one old emu surviving the war. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTONMARK RALSTON/AFP/GettyImages

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CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 24: Actress Macy Gray attend the 'The Paperboy' photocall during the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 24, 2012 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

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May 21, 2012: Members of the Naval Academy freshman class (plebes) lock arms and form a human ladder while climbing the Herndon Monument at the United States Naval Academy on May 21, 2012 in Annapolis, Md. Each year members of the Naval Academy's freshman class (plebes) climb the lard covered 21-foot tall Herndon Monument to replace a plebe dixie cup hat with a midshipman's hat at the top of the obelisk.

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JOPLIN, MO - MAY 19: Grace Goebel plays outside of the new Habitat for Humanity home of her parents that was built on the spot of a home that had been destroyed after a tornado hit the neighborhood almost one year ago on May 19, 2012 in Joplin, Missouri. Tuesday will mark the one-year anniversary of the EF-5 tornado that devastated the town. The tornado left behind a path of destruction along with 161 deaths and hundreds of injuries, but one year later there are signs that the town is beginning to recover. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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COLLEGE PARK, MD - APRIL 4: Pet acupuncturist Greta McVey puts needles in mixed breed 'Cashew' at her home office in College Park, MD on April 4, 2012. Cashew was rescued by his owner this past December and suffers from anxiety and fear of abandonment. McVey first licensed as an acupuncturist on humans then went on to be certified on animals. She hosts a variety of clientele, anything from birds, to guinea pigs but mainly treats dogs and cats. (Photo by Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

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