Serving as a soldier in the US Army is a challenging role. But with talent shows on bases and puppy snuggles, not every moment of active duty is serious.

Here are 12 heartwarming photos of US Army soldiers on and off duty.

Women have made significant strides in their fight for equality in military careers

During the invasion of Panama in 1989, Captain Linda L. Bray became the first woman to lead US troops in battle.

As the Commander of the 988th Military Police, Bray, from Butner, North Carolina, led 30 military police officers into combat.

Captain Kristen Griest broke barriers as one of the first two women to graduate from the US Army Ranger School

US Army Captain Kristen Griest graduated from the US Army Ranger School in 2015. She and First Lieutenant Shaye Haver became the first female soldiers to complete the Army’s rigorous school.

Army bases occasionally host events like talent shows for soldiers stationed there

US Army Specialist Nate Sangsland of Indianapolis, Indiana, performed at a Fourth of July talent show at the Baghdad International Airport in 2003.

And they make sure that holidays spent overseas feel a little like home

United States Army Captain Timothy Tyson carefully piped icing onto pies for Christmas dinner on Bagram Air Force Base in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2001.

Not every moment of being a soldier is somber and disciplined

A US Army soldier tried to catch falling snowflakes in his mouth while on duty at a ceremony in Zagan, Poland.

US Army soldiers have been known to play American football with British Marines

United States Army soldiers and British Marines played a game of touch football in 2001 at Bagram Air Force Base in Kabul, Afghanistan. No word on who won the game, but good sportsmanship makes everyone a winner.

Sometimes, a soldier’s duty allows for playful moments

Sergeant Kyle Whalen from Plover, Wisconsin, playfully bumped helmets with an Iraqi boy, who was wearing a donated toy football helmet. Whalen was visiting a school in Mosul.

Playing with puppies, for example

Private Christopher Willard of New York City played with a small puppy named Bernard while relaxing from duty along the front line near Safwan, Iraq, in 1991.

Sometimes a soldier’s duty gets personal

Staff Sergeant Marie Wallace broke down crying while feeding three-year-old Micah Francois in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince in 1994. Wallace had walked past Micah near her quarters and came back with food from her MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) pack to feed the hungry child. Wallace, originally born in Haiti, told AP she missed her four children at home.

Receiving the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest honor for bravery on the battlefield, is a powerful moment

President Barack Obama bestowed the Medal of Honor to Ryan M. Pitts, a 28-year-old former staff sergeant from Nashua, New Hampshire, who fought off enemy fighters during one of the bloodiest battles of the Afghanistan war despite his own critical injuries, in 2014.

Saying goodbye to loved ones can be difficult

Staff Sergeant Anthony Braddy hugged his daughter Georjetta before leaving to Kuwait in 2003 at Fort Benning, Georgia.

But surprise returns are always heartwarming

Sergeant Dan Urman surprised his parents Ronit and Eitan at an NHL hockey game in Arizona in 2015 when he returned from deployment without telling them.