An HH-60H Seahawk takes off from the flight deck of USS John C. Stennis
(CVN 74) as an SH-60F Seahawk prepares to land, under smoke-filled
skies from nearby San Diego County firestorms, on October 26, 2003. The
Seahawk helicopters are assigned to the "Black Nights" of Helicopter
Anti-Submarine Squadron Four (HS-4) Stennis and her embarked Carrier
Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14) are at sea conducting Composite Training
Unit Exercise in preparation for an upcoming deployment. Cooler weather
on Wednesday could help exhausted firefighters battling blazes that
have raged across southern California and into Mexico, devouring
swathes of land and homes and killing at least 18 people. REUTERS/U.S.
Navy/Joshua Word

DD/GN