Lance Cpls. Cody Varnell and Nick Lacarra, military working dog handlers with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, toss around a baseball outside their sleeping quarters following a training day during the Mojave Viper exercise on Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., Aug. 25, 2011. By trade, both Marines are machine gunners. On their upcoming deployment, they’ll work with military working dogs to find improvised explosive devices before the IEDs can reign destruction. Though their pre-deployment training is exhausting, they make time every night for throwing around the baseball. The simple activity is their refresher from the grind of grunt life. “No matter how tired we are, we always have time for some relaxation and fun,” the 20-year-old Lacarra, from Long Beach, Calif., said. “Baseball is our way to unwind.” Varnell, 20, is from Mesquite, Texas. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder)