A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES: Photographed by 125 of the World's Leading Photojournalists on a Single Day, October 22, 2002

This dazzling collection of photographs, the latest installment in the long-running A Day in the Life series, pays tribute to the men and women of the U.S. armed forces in their work and their play, from the jungle tents in which members of the "Joint Task Force–Full Accounting Team" sleep, to the mind-boggling hardware that the all-male Trident sub crew operates. The photographers, who include Pulitzer Prize winners and military personnel, enjoyed terrific access to facilities and troops, and their crisp shots reveal predawn war games on Icelandic lava fields; lunch prep at the army's Advanced Culinary Training Course in Ft. Lee, Va.; a field of "mothballed" planes in an Arizona desert; soldiers' search for al Qaida operatives in the eerie green light of night vision goggles; and an army recruiter's meeting at an Iowa Pizza Hut. The brainchild of EpiCom—a new book packaging outfit whose principals are Naythons, a veteran book packager; Korman, the former CEO of Columbia Pictures Entertainment; and Trident Media head Robert Gottlieb—this volume casts military personnel as hard workers, patriots and heroes. As such, it may appeal as much to military recruiters as it will to vets and everyday Americans looking for a portrait of the men and women sworn to defend the U.S. (EpiCom also enlisted Gerald Ford's former personal photographer, David Hume Kennerly [who now covers Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon as a Newsweek contributing editor], as "executive producer" of the project.) With Boeing underwriting the project, some readers may wonder about a certain military-industrial complex quid pro quo—but this is a gripping portrait of the inspiring men and women of the armed forces nevertheless. (May 13)

FYI:An exhibit at the Washington, D.C., Women in the Military memorial, running from May 9 to July 8, features photographs from the book.