Following the mission, Gen Allen served as acting deputy commander of the US Central Command, overseeing American military operations across the Middle East and central Asia.

BBC: Gen John R. Allen

Today, General Lloyd Austin became the first African-American to lead the U.S. Central Command, which has a wide-ranging area of responsibility for 20 countries in the Middle East and southwest Asia.

WHITEHOUSE: Lloyd Austin to Lead U.S. Central Command

The most outspoken of those officers is Admiral William Fallon, who until recently was the head of U.S. Central Command, and thus in charge of American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

NEWYORKER: Preparing the Battlefield

Tommy Franks, chief of the U.S. Central Command, told CNN on Sunday the number of American losses this time still troubled him.

CNN: Coalition deaths fewer than in 1991

For one month a year, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) converts this area into holiday central for NORAD's Santa Tracker, a half-century-old program that has become a thing of legend -- a curious juxtaposition of warfare preparedness and storybook magic.

ENGADGET: A visit to NORAD's Santa-tracking facility (video)