ty during North Korea's transition to a new leadership, the U-2 operations are as important or more so than ever. The Korean peninsula's precarious peace was underscored this month, when North Korea, angry over South Korean artillery drills and joint maneuvers with the U.S., warned it was prepared for "total war" and "merciless retaliatory strikes" if necessary. The rhetoric did not mention the U-2s,toms shoes sale, but North Korea has frequently slammed their spy missions as belligerent. Other than complain, however, it can do little to stop the flights. Three of the long-winged, glider-like aircraft are deployed to Osan Air Base in South Korea, just 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the border. The Air Force refuses to comment on where they go, but, in a rare interview and tour of operations, the squadron commander told The Associated Press that U-2 missions are generally flown out of Osan every day. "We are the tripwire, the eyes and ears of Korea," he said on condition he be identified for security reasons only by his rank and first name, Lt,toms the shoes. Col. Deric. "Our extreme high altitude and intelligence capabilities make us extremely sought after." Formerly flown by the CIA, the U-2 became a Cold War icon during the international drama following the Soviet Union's capture of pilot Francis Gary Powers in 1960. The program has since shifted to the Air Force, but it's still hush-hush. The pilots' full names are secret. More than half of North Korea's 1.2 million-man army is believed to be stationed south of Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, and the U-2 flights can provide a detailed picture of troop movements, fortifications and any other signs of potential trouble north of the DMZ. The United States, which signed a truce with North Korea in 1953 to end three years of fighting, keeps more than 28,000 troops in South Korea. North Korea has cited the U.S. military presence on Korean soil as a key reason behind its drive to build nuclear weapons and has said the planes prove the U.S. is plotting another war,toms shoes reviews. Amid high tensions two years ago, it said the use of the U-2 showed how "hell-bent" the U.S. is on spying on its military facilities. Osan squadron pilots fly once every four days on missions of up to 12 hours. The U-2 flies at altitudes of more than 70,000 feet (21,300 meters) double the height of a typical commercial jetliner. That makes it nearly impossible to intercept or track and gives it the ability to peer down on a broader target area than a lower-flying aircraft. But at that height, the pilots are vulnerable to altitude sickness and must wear spacesuits and astronaut-style fishbowl helmets. An hour before taking off, they are put on a regimen of pure oxygen to reduce the amount of nitrogen in their blood. In a worst case scenario, a pilot's blood could actually boil at peak altitude. Pureed, meal-in-a-tube versions of everything from sloppy Joes to apple pie are supplied to the pilots, but must be sucked out of straws. "Our main concerns are hydration and decompression sickness," said the pilot who made the landing during the t Related articles:

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