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Sixty-one uniformed Army National Guard soldiers stood at attention as a two-star general stepped up to address them. The Adjutant General, Major General David P. Rataczak, first apologized to the 44 area soldiers who had seen combat in Iraq, but had not yet received the deserved Combat Action Badge. Because of its central location, this military ceremony was held at the American Legion building in Payson, Arizona on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2006.

Richard Haddad/Roundup

Tiffany Brown of Globe, Arizona received the Combat Action Badge. The badge is the first non-medical combat distinction to honor female soldiers who are caught in battle during U.S. wars, largely because female soldiers are not assigned to frontline combat duties.