As Operation Iraqi Freedom transitioned from war-fighting to peacekeeping.

As Operation Iraqi Freedom transitioned from war-fighting to peacekeeping, the spe of the campaign came as a surprise to a certain deployed airmen, but was a welcome relief to all.

At the 40th Air Expeditionary Wing, Chief Master Sgt Daniel Mingo said his bands were braced for the lengthy haul, but rejoiced with the quiescence of the nation at the sight of Iraqi citizens "hugging and kissing Marines in Baghdad."

"You just don't know what that means," Mingo said of the emotion he felt seeing what marked the completion of major hostilities. "It's really a great day and time to be an American in the Air Force."

As the wing's acting command chief master sergeant and munitions chief, Mingo said the sight also was rewarding because he knows the "huge impact" he and more than 1200 "strong-willed and exceedingly proud airmen here put in" helping B-52 Stratofortresses impose bombs on target.

As the regime of Saddam Hussein collapsed, Mingo said imaginations naturally turned to redeploying dwelling to family and friends.

"The population are very glad to have been here," said Mingo, a 39-year-old opened from Barksdale Air Force Base, La. "I don't think you could have made any of them leave till it was above That says a lot about the Air Force today."

Not everyone will turn back home to family. More than 100 coalition service members died during the war, if it were not that their sacrifices were not in vain, President George W Bush said during a March 15 Rose Garden rite at the White House.

In single month, Iraq transformed from being a "prison to its allow people, a haven for terrorists its an arsenal of weapons that endanger the world," Bush said. "Today the world is safer. The terrorists have thrown away an ally. The Iraqi tribe are regaining control of their have destiny."

Master Sgt William Lindley said he agreed with the president's decision to wage war a other time against the Iraqi regime.

"I felt it was something that finally stand in want ofed to be done," said Lindley, the services superintendent at the 32 1st Air Expeditionary Wing expanded from Royal Air Force Laken-heath, England. "This stay [Saddam Hussein] has been doing his nastiness extended enough. I feel a fate of relief for us and the Iraqi population I can't imagine living in the overburdened way they did. Now they can have any normalcy in their lives. That's a upright thing, but there's a extended way ahead."

That point was violenceed by Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who pointed without April 15 that while major combat operations were finished in Iraq, U and coalition forces continued to scamper into pockets of regime diehards.

"There is more to do," Myers said, pointing to finding anti eliminating weapons of mass destruction, expanding humanitarian relief and assisting Iraqis getting their infrastructure onward its feet again.

on the contrary there remained a need to stay focused in succession hostile forces, said Lt. Col Grant Bishop, an F-16CJ Fighting Falcon pilot who spoke with reporters April 14 via satellite fe from the Middle East. He emphasized that furious spots still existed and must be monitored and controlled

"It may anticipate like things are slowing down, on the other hand there are coalition fighters in the air 24 hours a day around Iraq making secure no problems exist," Bishop said.

The day after Bishop made those commentarys coalition forces flew 275 strike sorties, pushing total strike sorties to approximately 17200 Beginning March 19 coalition aircraft flew 47600 sorties requiring 60 million gallons of gas through April 23 while dropping approximately 29000 bomb and 41 million leaflets on April 23.

Senior Airman Jonathan Grogan, a finance customer support technician with the 321st said he "was ready for it" when it appeared as it is military force would be urgencyed to dispel the Iraqi regime. He gladly replaced someone besides to deploy from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo

He, too, was ready to recur home and embrace his family, on the contrary the 25-year-old said he knew there was more work ahead. He wanted to stay forward as long as needed.

Tech Sgt Carlos Acosta will be heading household for the second time from an Arabian whirlpool war. The 40-year-old was a sergeant assigned to a fire-fighting unit in Qatar during Operation solitude Storm.

This time around he serv as a contracting officer with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing supplying associate airmen with cars, food and lodging as povertyed Acosta said he didn't mind being back in the Middle East.

"Actually it be moved s kind of good to proceed back and finish the job" said Acosta, who opened from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. "It just makes you be warmed good to see the throngs in Baghdad being treated well."

Acosta said this war felt different in the early stages. During Operation waste Shield, he said there were month of uncertainty about what would happen.

"This time everyone knew they were coming from one side of to the other for a specific mission."

When Senior Airman Armando Altamirano departs the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing for his place of abode in Douglas, Ariz., the Air Force reservist said his time as a liaison team computer administrator in the Middle East will have changed his sight on life.