Crew Took Minutes to Hit Saddam Hideout

WASHINTGON - &#34;This is the big one&#34; was the message relayed to a B-1 bomber as it prepared for a mission in western Iraq.<br> <br> Crew members didn&#39;t know exactly what that meant. But 12 minutes later, they had diverted from their original plan, sped some 200 miles to Baghdad and dropped four huge bombs on a suspected hiding place of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, his sons and other regime leaders, said bombardier Lt. Col. Fred Swan.<br> <br> &#34;When we got the word that it was a priority leadership target, immediately you get kind of an adrenaline rush,&#34; Swan said Tuesday. &#34;But then you fall back to your original training that says &#39;hey, let&#39;s get the job done&#39;.&#34;<br> <br> That meant cross-checking the target coordinates three times, arming the weapons, turning the jet to fly to Baghdad and, finally, releasing the bombs, including two &#34;bunker-busters.&#34;<br> <br> &#34;There wasn&#39;t a whole lot of time for reflection,&#34; except to worry some that there were still Iraqi forces in Baghdad that could fire on the bomber and to plan the route they would take out of the hostile area afterward, Swan said.<br> <br> He and other airmen talked by telephone from an undisclosed base in the Persian Gulf region to reporters at the Pentagon. They are with the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing.<br> <br> The crew didn&#39;t know Saddam was the target until hours after Monday&#39;s strike.<br> <br> &#34;I didn&#39;t know who was there ... and I really didn&#39;t care,&#34; Swan said. &#34;The job was to go put the bombs on the target and worry about that later.&#34;<br> <br> He used the plane&#39;s automatic system to release two GBU-31 penetration bombs and two others that had a 25-milisecond delay before exploding - a weapons package ordered to penetrate, then deliver an extra hit while protecting as much of the nearby civilian area, he said.<br> <br> It wasn&#39;t until it was over that the crew had time to think more about it. They included Swan, whose title is offensive weapons systems officer; Lt. Joe Runci, defensive weapons officer; pilot Capt. Chris Wachter and co-pilot Capt. Slone Hollis.<br> <br> &#34;Coming off the target, I was personally never prouder to be in the Air Force,&#34; Swan said. &#34;There was a lot of time to reflect on the two-hour drive back to base and ... just everyone was proud to be doing their job and making it happen.&#34;<br> <br> Wachter agreed.<br> <br> &#34;You don&#39;t dwell so much on what the target is or who it might be&#34; beforehand, said Wachter. Once the bombs were released, he said: &#34;That&#39;s a good feeling, and it lasts for, oh, three seconds, then you begin your turn off of the target and egress out of the threatening environment.&#34;<br> <br> It wasn&#39;t until the mission was over that the crew knew for sure the target was Saddam and others from his inner circle.<br> <br> &#34;That&#39;s a feather in the cap,&#34; said Wachter. &#34;But I want you guys to know that ... anyone in my squad has the ability to go in and do it.<br> <br> &#34;It just so happens that we were the lucky ones,&#34; he said.

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