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| Iraq |
| "Bush International Airport" Open for Business |
| 2003-03-27 |
| TALLIL AIRFIELD, Southern Iraq - The first U.S. airplane landed Thursday at a key Iraqi airfield, which forces informally renamed "Bush International Airport." The captured airfield is expected to be a major resupply base and transport hub for American forces. A C-130 transport plane glided down onto a 12,000-foot runway newly cleared of concrete blocks, wrecked vehicles and other barriers placed on the strip by the Iraqi military to prevent its use. A hastily erected sign at the airfield's entrance read "Bush International Airport" for the U.S. president. The sprawling base is located four miles from Nasiriyah where U.S. Marines are trying to root out resistance by groups loyal to Saddam Hussein's regime, such as the Fedayeen militia. The airfield, second in size only to Saddam International Airport in Baghdad, had been out of use since the establishment of the no-fly zone following the 1991 Gulf War. Tallil's main runway, once used by Iraqi jet fighters, is long enough to take the military's largest transport planes, as well as civilian jumbo jets. Air Force Red Horse units will have this base up and running in no time. Tallil sits astride a major logistics corridor for U.S. forces, running from Kuwait toward Baghdad. Aircraft flying in could help speed the flow of supplies from Kuwait to troops in the field. "It's been sitting in a time warp, waiting for someone to wake it up," said Col. A. Myers of the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command. His unit, from Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, had the mission to revive it. The airbase, overrun by the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division on March 22, had been only partially occupied and maintained in the past decade. Jumbles of rusting equipment were strewn around the derelict control tower and U.S. troops were clearing out ramshackle buildings before moving in. Regular air traffic was expected in coming days, weather permitting. This will be a big help. Interesting that we have heard nothing about similar operations at the other Iraqi airfields, H-1,2, and 3, that we have secured in the west. Wonder who's using those? |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #9 Much as I'm happy to see them recognize the man-in-charge, I would think it would be better to name it for "Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone" (Killed by "Sgt" Akbar.) or "Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch" ...after all, they paid for it. |
| Posted by: Frank Martin 2003-03-27 15:39:19 |
| #8 H-1 through H-3 needs to have the reporters kept out. I'm sure our forces, the Brits, and others are hard at work keeping Sammy's Scud Squad and other mischief makers out of the weatern desert and out of range of Israel. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-03-27 14:08:04 |
| #7 Learning this, all U.S. flagged airlines immediately declared bankruptcy and asked for additional government subsidies. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-03-27 13:07:15 |
| #6 The deep thinkers at Atrios' site are having a cow over this one ('F*'in Morons', all the usual BS). I'm sure they'll like my two cents... |
| Posted by: Raj 2003-03-27 12:30:56 |
| #5 Much as I like it, I'll be surprised if that sign last very long. Just like the US flag that the Marines hosted over Um Qasr, it may be misinterpreted by the locals that we're not liberators but occupiers. |
| Posted by: Dar Steckelberg 2003-03-27 12:00:07 |
| #4 "Freedom is not a term that sits well on the Arab Street." I'm beginning to think the "Arab street" is grossly over-rated and can be safely ignored. If not, we'll soon have four divisions in a liberated Iraq we can use to keep order. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-03-27 11:51:04 |
| #3 Freedom is not a term that sits well on the Arab Street. |
| Posted by: Capsu78 2003-03-27 11:43:59 |
| #2 Nah - shoudl call it Freedom airport - with the Bush concousres and the Blair concourse. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2003-03-27 11:39:57 |
| #1 ihope my luggage heading to Houston's Bush International doesn't get misdirected to Northern Iraq. Seriously, I think we need to save this name for the rename of Saddam International. Order the signage right now, and put it up on Terminal 1. When the "maybe still alive" dictator hears about it, he will be so obsessed it will force the mole above ground. |
| Posted by: Capsu78 2003-03-27 11:33:43 |