For anyone who's interested, the AP puts a name to the face. Lance Cpl. James Blake Miller says he doesn't know what all the fuss is about, "I was just smokin' a cigarette and someone takes my picture and it all blows up."

The photograph, taken by a Los Angeles Times photographer and transmitted by The Associated Press, has been printed in more than 100 newspapers and shown on network television.

Miller, 20, is shown with smudged camouflage paint and a bloody scratch on his nose, a cigarette drooping from the side of his mouth. He was exhausted and grimy after more than 12 hours of nonstop fighting.

It's hard to put my finger on exactly why I like the photo so much. Aside from the obvious pride I feel for our fighting men and women, I think it's a nice diversion from all the bad news the media usually goes out of their way to report.