2953 x 2099 px | 25 x 17,8 cm | 9,8 x 7 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
19. Oktober 2003
Ort:
South of Umm Qasr, southern Iraq.
Weitere Informationen:
US Marine Corps Boeing Vertol CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters of HMM-163 (Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron) "Evil Eyes" attached to the 13th MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) flying across the desert, just south of Umm Qasr in southern Iraq. They are seen through the open doorway of another Sea Knight helicopter, its .50 calibre machine-gun filling the frame. The US Marines refer to the Sea Knight as "Phrog". "Evil Eyes" deployed from August 22, 2003 to March 8, 2004. During this deployment HMM-163 participated in security operations codenamed "Operation Sweeney" in the southern Iraqi city of Basra and the Al Faw Peninsula in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Operation Sweeny was a counter-smuggling sweep of the Al Faw Peninsula and nearby waters conducted after the 15th October 2003. Elements of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, operating from the USS Peleliu, used small boats and land-based units to capture a number of people, boats and trucks smuggling fuel out of Iraq. Following the US-led invasion in March 2003, the Americans went on to occupy Iraq for eight years as part of a multi-national force, their troops finally departing in 2011.
