At dawn as one C-17A Globemaster III launches on a mission another waits on the taxiway for its turn at Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella, Italy. The aircraft are carrying troops and cargo to forward locations in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. In response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 at the New York World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President George W. Bush initiated Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), fighting terrorism abroad.