Petty Officers 3rd Class Chord Deckert and Adam Fitzgerald clear the launching area as an F/A-18C Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 97 prepares to launch off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 1, 2012. The John C. Stennis is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations and support missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.