Photos of U.S. Forces Departing For and Arriving In The Middle East (Operation Enduring Freedom)

Thank you!

A private plane pulls a banner as sailors man the rails of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz as it departs from San Diego, March 3, 2003. The Nimitz and its eight-ship battle group of 8,000 sailors will bolster U.S. forces already in the Middle East region as the United States continues it's military buildup for a possible war with Iraq (news - web sites). (Mike Blake/Reuters)

Wow, I wonder how they managed to get permission to fly there. IIRC, North Island NAS is right across the bay from Lindbergh Field, and the airspace over the bay is major-league Class B and no doubt tightly controlled.

(of course, it helps that control to have a Naval Air station right there, as well as Marine Corps Air Station Miramar not too far away... "Caution! Intensive jet activity" indeed...)

"Drill, R&D, and conserve" should be our watchwords!"

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Tue Mar 4, 1:54 PM ET

A U.S. Airforce Galaxy C-5 military transport plane takes off from the joint-use Spanish-U.S. airbase in Moron de la Frontera, southern Spain, Tuesday, March 4, 2003 hours before lawmakers in Madrid vote in a secret ballot on the government's pro-U.S. policy on Iraq

Tue Mar 4, 1:46 PM ET

in this undated handout photo made available in London on Tuesday, March 4, 2003, Ranger Mathew Foster, 19, serving with the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment, practices basic section battle skills during a patrol in the Kuwaiti desert, before any possible operations in Iraq

Tue Mar 4, 1:46 PM ET

in this undated handout photo made available in London on Tuesday, March 4, 2003, a specialized Land Rover from the 1st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, armed with a 50 calibre Browning heavy machine gun, 7.62 General Purpose Machine Gun and MILAN anti-tank missile system, practices basic section battle skills, during a patrol in the Kuwait desert before any possible operations in Iraq

Tue Mar 4, 1:30 PM ET

The first British Challenger 2 battle tanks to arrive in Kuwait roll off a transport ship in the port of Kuwait City, in this photo made available, Tuesday March 4, 2003. (AP Photo/Army HO)

Tue Mar 4, 1:28 PM ET

Juliet McBride holds aloft a banner, as she stages an anti-war protest inside the perimeter fence, close to a USAF B-52 aircraft at the Royal Air Force base at Fairford, England, Tuesday March 4, 2003. Patrols have been stepped up at the base to detain anyone regarded as suspicious within a mile of the perimeter fence. The arrival of the B52 is part of preparations for a possible war with Iraq

The United States denounced North Korea's intercept of a U.S. surveillance plane as reckless on Tuesday but said it still saw a diplomatic, not military solution to the stand-off with the communist state. But Sunday's close call over the Sea of Japan underscored fears in the region that the crisis over Pyongyang's resumption of a nuclear weapons program could spiral out of control. (Reuters Graphic)

Tue Mar 4, 1:10 PM ET

The United States denounced North Korea (news - web sites)'s intercept of a U.S. surveillance plane as reckless on Tuesday but said it still saw a diplomatic, not military solution to the stand-off with the communist state. But Sunday's close call over the Sea of Japan underscored fears in the region that the crisis over Pyongyang's resumption of a nuclear weapons program could spiral out of control.

Tue Mar 4,10:39 AM ET

Model Alex Celini waves an American flag while wearing a specially-created New York tartan as a preview for Scotland's National Tartan Day on the slopes of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, Tuesday March 4, 2003.

REUTERS/Peter Macdiarmid A U.S. serviceman walks under the tail of a B-52 bomber at Fairford Royal Air Force (RAF) base, Gloucestershire, on March 4. A fleet of U.S. B-52s landed at the base on Monday, as Washington continues its military build-up ahead of a possible conflict with Iraq.

BUMP