According to Iraqi sources, during the Iran–Iraq War, it was used as a support airbase for the Iraqi Air Force and housed no more than a few transportation squadrons and a squadron of Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s, as well as retired Hawker Hunters.The IRIAF had received “credible” reports that Iraq – reinforced by the arrival of large amounts of ammunition and spare parts from Egypt, as well as by the delivery of Mirage F1s from France and Tupolev Tu-22 bombers from the Soviet Union – had been preparing for an imminent major ground and air offensive against Homeland.
They don’t understand that the sky is etched into him, a memory more real than the pavement under his feet. He tries to live a normal life. He walks among people, attends meetings, and answers to schedules. Yet every plan is measured against an unspoken benchmark: would this work at 30,000 feet? Decisions that seem trivial to others — timing a commute, choosing a route, even pouring a cup of coffee — are filtered through years of precision honed in the air. Flying trained him to anticipate, to react before danger arrives, to trust instinct over chaos. On the ground, these habits are both a gift and a burden.
