Flight deck crewmen assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 86 prepare an F/A-18C Hornet for launch on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) as the ship steams in the Persian Gulf on Feb. 21, 1998. The Washington and its embarked Carrier Air Wing 1 is operating in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch which is the U.S. and coalition enforcement of the no-fly-zone over Southern Iraq. The Hornet is from Strike Fighter Squadron 86, Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Fla.