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 heartwarming photos of US Army soldiers on and off duty.

When "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed, soldiers could be themselves.

Love is love. 

David Lewis/AP

Sergeant Brandon Morgan, right, kissed his partner, Dalan Wells, in a helicopter hangar at the Marine base in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, upon returning from a six-month deployment to Afghanistan in 2012.

This was one of the first photos to show a gay active duty serviceman in uniform kissing his partner at a homecoming. 

Members of the US Navy marched in San Diego's pride parade.

Marching in pride. 

Gregory Bull/AP

Two women, both active duty sailors in the Navy who gave their names as Nikki and Lisa, kissed as they marched in the Gay Pride Parade in San Diego in 2011. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta thanked gay military members for their service, and the Pentagon marked June as gay pride month with an official salute.

US Air Force Senior Airman Shyla Smith and Courtney Burdeshaw tied the knot the day after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage.

Just married. 

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Three years after Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. Smith, left, and Burdeshaw got married at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau the day after the ruling in 2013 in New York City. 

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.