North Carolina Air National Guard (NCANG) STAFF Sergeant (SSGT) Tracie Rankin, Base Supply Technician, uses a forklift to lift crated desert supplies that will be distributed to personnel preparing to deploy to the Persian Gulf area in support of either Operation IRAQI FREEDOM or ENDURING FREEDOM

Iraq War aka Operation IRAQI FREEDOM was the 2003 invasion of Iraq, led by U.S. Army General Tommy Franks, under the code-name "Operation Iraqi Freedom". 248,000 soldiers from the United States, 45,000 British soldiers, 2,000 Australian soldiers and 194 Polish soldiers from Special Forces unit GROM sent to Kuwait for the invasion. The invasion force was also supported by Iraqi Kurdish militia troops, estimated to number upwards of 70,000.