***Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - 24 APR 03/Day 36 - LIVE THREAD***

24 APR 03 | An.American.Expatriate

[Mo1]

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Link to the previous thread

Good Morning.

This is the Daily Thread of Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - LIVE THREAD.

It is designed for general conversation about the events of the day. In depth discussion of events should be left to individual threads - but links to the threads or other articles is highly encouraged. This allows us to stay abreast of the situation in general, while also providing a means of obtaining specific information.

[ican'tbelieveit]

woohoo, i got an x00 post.

[theophilusscribe]

Does that look like an "H" to you—beside the first S?

[retrokitten]

I know what you are saying. We cannot even begin to imagine what he has likely gone through (is either still going through or went through before he passed). I don't know how a person could recover from that ever. Unless he's been shipped to another country I'm not totally convinced he is still alive. I just think that his family deserves at least to know 100% without a doubt if he is alive or dead. It's got to be agony being told he's dead, then not dead, then possibly captured, then who knows.

[retrokitten]

Yes, it does.

[Dog]

Yes it does......or as some on another thread posted it could be H = tt.....as in Scott

[Carolina]

What's up with FR? It's slow as molasses.

[retrokitten]

I looked it up for you - five and half years. I had no idea it was that long.

[retrokitten]

I don't know. I was having problems for a while, too, but it seems okay now.

[najida]

I don't personally believe that....I see the opposite more often than not.

I am an advocate of quality of life versus quanity.

[retrokitten]

Just when I saw that it slows waaaaaaaaayyyyy downa again....

[retrokitten]

downa=down

but I kinda like downa

[Carolina]

Just when I saw that it slows waaaaaaaaayyyyy downa again....

LOL! I'll just go get my freepadone just in case.

[The Wizard]

and Koffee kake's attention is valuable to whom..............

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

C-Span2: Live briefing w/ B-52 Stratofortress Aircrew:

 

Crew is in the air returning to Minot Air base from a mission in SW Asia (Iraq)..crew assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing of the Minot Air Base in N. Dakota.

 

(Speaking - "Ironman One") "Morale was high throughout the deployment....the 8 guys on board are very, very excited to be heading home. I think morale was high throughout because of the tremendous support we (got from back home)..."

 

"The flight will be approx. 9 hours...we're heading out over the Atlantic now....to Southern tip of Greenland...over Canada...down into N. Dakota..."

 

"This is not really a new role for the B-52. We've been doing this since Vietnam....We prosecuted it well. We are very well trained."

 

"There was not many Air Force assets to be used in the northern part of Iraq ..so most of the assets...(came).from carriers in the Mediteranean and B-52s..."

 

"Throughout the whole time we had great support not just from crew members flying the mission, but from maintenance... and services support...everybody over there...everybody contributed and made the missions go ...so we could support our troops on the ground and keep (them safe)."..."Highlight...when Gen. Tommy Franks stopped in last week....told a few jokes...it was a great honor... (he's) an American hero.."

 

Lt. Col. John Stewart..re. question from Denver Post on worries about future health risks: "I worry more about the smog at home in Denver."

 

Major Justin Rice: "Mainly we flew close-air support and that's what we've done all along...the Lightning pod..this is the first time we used it...it proved to be quite successful and we look forward to using it in combat missions in the future ..if we ahve to."

 

Re. Gen. Franks' jokes: "Major Justin Rice - I am a bombadier...stand by for the joke..(didn't find the jokes..it appears)...I guess you'll have to ask Gen. Franks his jokes, they were great, they were clean...

 

"I'd like to give a thanks to everybody back home for supporting us...really made us proud to be serving our country as Americans."

 

Lt. Col. John Dewey: "The 457th Air Exp group stood up...group w/ phenomeal history....it was a great honor to reactivate the 457..."We produced devastating firepower over Iraq...I will tell you that having been around for nearly 20 years now...it's great having the support (from back home...I can't imagine doing this without it)...I'm greatful for our Leadership...the yellow ribbons (back home).."

"We've gotta run now. Over."

 

[TexKat]

Spymaster among 4 officials arrested

[The Wizard]

what's so hard to understand about UN inspectors aren't going in....

[theophilusscribe]

Hmmm. . .very interesting.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Thanks retro. I love all the old movies. That is interesting about the background on the Doris Day movie. There is another movie I like which you never see on t.v. anymore It is "Good Neighbor Sam" with Jack Lemmon, Claudia Cardinale, and Dorothy Provine. Very funny. The comedian Louis Nye was a detective in a Hooper Vaccuum Sweeper truck and did surveillance in it. I had to buy the tape as it is not rented anymore.

[retrokitten]

Thank you for the compliment. I had forgotten about those ships. I went back and did a search over at yahoo news to see if there was anything recent and the latest thing I could find was from April 6th. I'll see if I can dig up anything more recent.

U.S.-Led Forces Seize Iraqi Ship, Track Second Sun Apr 6, 7:31 AM ET

***DUBAI (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces have captured an Iraqi naval vessel and are tracking a second to prevent them from laying mines in the Gulf, a U.S. Navy (news - web sites) spokesman said on Sunday.

The seizure of the ship may help dispel fears that shipping operations in the Gulf, which provides 40 percent of world crude exports, could come under attack. "The first vessel, the al Shorook, was located in the northern Gulf two days ago and boarded by coalition forces," said Lt. Garrett Kasper of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.

"That particular threat has been eliminated." He did not say whether any mines had been found on board. The Iraqi ship al Fateh al Mobeen could also be towing a barge or barges to lay mines and was being tracked, Kasper said.

There is a massive U.S.-British naval presence in the Gulf and there have been no attacks on military or merchant shipping in the region since war erupted on Iraq on March 20.