March 21, 2003 - Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, briefs reporters on the start of the air campaign in Iraq. As of 1:00pm the next phase of the liberation of Iraq began. The massive air bombardment of Iraq is coming to be known as the ''Shock and Awe'' part of the war. © Mike Lynaugh
March 21, 2003 - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, briefs reporters on the start of the air campaign in Iraq. As of 1:00pm the next phase of the liberation of Iraq began. The massive air bombardment of Iraq is coming to be known as the ''Shock and Awe'' part of the war.  General Myers had a message for the commanders of the Iraqi military, ''First, to the commanders and soldiers of the Iraqi forces, I urge you in the strongest possible terms: Do the honorable thing, stop fighting that you may live to enjoy a free Iraq where you and your children can grow and prosper.'' © Mike Lynaugh
March 21, 2003 - Map of the first day's action within Iraq by coalition forces. General Myers stated, ''I also have a graphic, I think they'll bring it up -- and it's up now; good. Coalition ships boarded three Iraqi tugboats in the Khor Abdullah waterway and found weapons, uniforms and mines. Over 130 mines, including influence mines, were discovered. Our naval vessels are being extra vigilant to ensure the Iraqi Navy has not placed any mines in international waters.'' © Mike Lynaugh
March 21, 2003 - Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, conducts a briefing to reporters about the status of the beginning of the ''Shock and Awe'' part of the campaign to liberate the Iraqi people of the regime of Saddam Hussein. © Mike Lynaugh
March 21, 2003 - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, watches the gun camera footage from a U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat. The explosion on the screen is the result of a missile attack from the F-14 on an Iraqi missile storage facility south of Baghdad. © Mike Lynaugh
March 21, 2003 - Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, (left) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, (right) Listen to a reporter's question about whether or not the Iraqi people will view the United States as liberators, or bullies. The Secretary replied, ''The United States and the coalition forces have taken every conceivable step, diplomatic, economic and ultimatum and a careful, measured beginning. What we are currently doing could not, by any stretch of the imagination, fit what you just said. It would be a -- it would be to misunderstand everything that's taking place.'' © Mike Lynaugh
March 21, 2003 - Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, picks on a reporter during today's briefing about day two of the war to liberate the Iraqi people from the regime of Saddam Hussein. © Mike Lynaugh
March 21, 2003 - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, pauses before replying to a question posed to him about the difficulties that Turkey has posed by delaying overflights of coalition aircraft over their country. The General replied, ''Well, we've said a couple of times from up here that the -- that we have forces in the north now. General Franks intends to put more forces into the north. It would be helpful if Turkey would go along and make the arrangements that the parliament approved, and that is for overflights. So we're still hoping for that, but we're not counting on that, and we have other ways of inserting those forces.'' © Mike Lynaugh
March 21, 2003 - The Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, pauses during his opening remarks at the start of today's briefing on the second day of operations within Iraq. The Secretary stated, ''We did not choose this war. Saddam Hussein was given a choice by the international community: Give up your weapons of mass murder, or lose power. He chose unwisely, and now he will lose both.'' © Mike Lynaugh
March 21, 2003 - The Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, comments on the speed of operations in Iraq during the second day of attacks from coalition forces. The Secretary stated, ''The confusion of Iraqi officials is growing. Their ability to see what is happening on the battlefield, to communicate with their forces and to control their country is slipping away. They're beginning to realize, I suspect that the regime is history. And as that realization sets in, their behavior is likely to begin to tip and to change.'' © Mike Lynaugh
March 21, 2003 - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, briefs reporters on the start of the air campaign in Iraq. As of 1:00pm (38 minutes ago) the next phase of the liberation of Iraq began. The massive air bombardment of Iraq is coming to be known as the ''Shock and Awe'' part of the war. General Myers had a message for the commanders of the Iraqi military, ''First, to the commanders and soldiers of the Iraqi forces, I urge you in the strongest possible terms: Do the honorable thing, stop fighting that you may live to enjoy a free Iraq where you and your children can grow and prosper.'' © Mike Lynaugh
March 21, 2003 - Pentagon press photographers gather to photograph the Secretary of Defense during his briefing on the beginning of the ''Shock and Awe'' part of the campaign to liberate the Iraqi people of the regime of Saddam Hussein, and eliminate Iraq of all its weapons of mass destruction. © Mike Lynaugh