When I worked in sports, folks always asked what the press box was like. They hear stories of free food (that's true), cigar smoking and liquor guzzling (not as true) and a good view of the game (depends where you'd be sitting otherwise).

So I decided to snap a few shots from the Qwest Field press box. It's a pretty good one, and there are some that are far worse. But here's the view of the field:

And here's what it looks like after a game. Notice the long row of reporters nervously snapping away at their keyboards. (It is work for us.) I was seated in almost the exact center of it, so basically it's twice as long as this photo shows:

Buzzing Qwest Field before the game in a helicopter was cool enough. But getting to stand on the sideline during the third quarter of the game? That was more than just a cool experience.

“It was an amazing experience,” said John Culley, a medical technician.

About 10 Coast Guard members received deafening cheers when they stood near the southwest end zone. They waved 12th Man flags and motioned for the fans to get louder – which they did.

They performed a flyover of the stadium in an HH-60 Jayhawk and two HH-65 Charlies before the game. They then landed at Boeing Field and received a VIP treatment at the game.

After the quick stop on the field, a Seahawks staffer escorted them to the club level. As they walked through the restaurant, several customers cheered and shook their hands.

It was the first time on the field for many of the service members, including Lt. Keith Trepanier.

“I’m not sure how exactly this got set up,” he said, “but it was just awesome. Just, just pretty cool.”

Culley, who is stationed in Port Angeles, said it was tough to comprehend how large the stadium is until he stood on it.

“It definitely makes you feel small,” he said.

The freebie giveaway today was electric green caps. As my coworker Jeff Hendrickson says, "It's a color that was never in style, not even in the '70s."

That's true, but they really stand out against the dark blue of the other Hawks gear.

Renee Vinje was standing in line for a mocha when the Redskins scored their first touchdown of the game, and she said it might have been the best place for her to be.

Groans from the crowd echoed throughout Qwest Field's club level, where the bank manager from Kent was standing.

Still, there are few places she'd rather be than at a Seahawks game, win or loss.

"Oh yeah, I'm a 12-year ticket holder," she said. "I just love coming here. I love seeing all the fans and hearing how loud it gets. It's great."

Marcus Trufant (insert reference to his alma mater, Wilson High School, here) just scored on an interception return. The press box is shaking.

The place is going nuts.

Three security guards were just escorting out a Hawks fan who was wearing a Shaun Alexander jersey. I couldn't get all the details, but I think he was throwing things onto other fans.

His plea to the guards? "You can't arrest me! I'm not even from this country! I'm Canadian!"

Near the bottom of the globe, an American crew took off from a New Zealand runway to help a stranded British ship.

In one of the most treacherous reaches of the earth, a crew comprised of units based at McChord Air Force Base were the heroes Friday.

The Argos Georgia, a British fishing trawler, was stuck since Christmas Eve amidst floes near the Ross Ice Shelf deep below the Antarctic Circle. A broken engine piston left the ship without main power for six days. Dangerous icebergs weren’t far off. Two low-pressure systems were approaching the area, and Lt. Col. Jim McGann, the commander of Operation Deep Freeze, didn’t need Doppler radar to know that the trawler’s 25-person crew was in trouble.

“You could see two big sets of dark clouds coming in,” he said. “And once that gets rocking, those icebergs look even more dangerous. Those guys were going to be in a lot of trouble if they didn’t get any help.”

Other options to save the stranded crew would take at least 10 days, so on Friday night, a C-17 Globemaster III with an Air Force crew comprised of units from McChord Air Force Base took off from Christchurch, New Zealand, and airdropped the engine part to the trawler.

McGann received a call Friday from New Zealand Rescue Coordination Center asking for help. The request from the owner of the ship’s company went through several layers of bureaucracy – submitted through the British Embassy, and then approved by Pacific Command, Transportation Command and the Air Mobility Command – before the situation was designated an emergency and approved.

This time, the machine worked quickly.

“They approved it in 18 hours,” he said. “That’s pretty spectacular.”

The airmen purchased the engine parts from a local marine store and picked up parachutes from McMurdo Station. Crews palletized the equipment and attached buoys on them. The C-17 flew at about 135 mph and as low as 300 feet above at the surface as it approached the ship, and it dropped the 15-by-7½-foot pallet at just after 10 p.m. New Zealand time. The crew recovered the shipment in about five minutes.

The mission took about 10 hours.

“I’ve flown more than 50 missions down here, and yesterday’s mission was one of the most spectacular I’ve ever flown,” McGann said.

The 118-foot vessel, registered in the British overseas territory of St. Helena in the South Atlantic, was on a long-haul fishing expedition.

Operation Deep Freeze is a joint mission with crews from the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings based at McChord Air Force Base assisting the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Antarctic Program. They’re there six months a year to airlift supplies to research stations in Antarctica.

“We have a motto: ‘Global Reach,’ ” McGann said. “And yesterday’s mission demonstrates that we can be anywhere in the world in hours. It demonstrated we can do it, and that we do do it.”

I just got off the phone with Lt. Col. Jim McGann, the mission commander for Operation Deep Freeze. I was talking to him about a mission to drop a crucial engine part to a fishing trawler trapped below the Antarctic Circle.

I mentioned I was at Qwest Field, and he got pumped. The game apparently isn’t on TV in Christchurch, New Zealand.

“What’s the score, man?” he said. I told him the Hawks were up, 7-0, and he let out a little cheer.

The B.C. Lions probably don’t see rowdy crowds like this.

A group of friends from British Columbia – and one guy who calls himself their “token American” were relaxing with red wine (in red plastic cups) and cigars in the Qwest Field parking lot before kickoff.

They were partying outside of a brown RV that has “been coming to games since 198-God knows when,” said Greg Taylor of Edmonds. “It was here at the Kingdome. But it’s definitely not new.”

Frank Robertson and Jeff Greenberg left their homes in Vancouver, B.C., before 5 a.m. to make it to the game. They arrived in Seattle at 7:30 a.m. and have been partying since.

They feasted on prime rib, kebabs, vegetable plates, Caesar salad, baked potatoes and sandwiches.

Like other fans, they didn’t hesitate to brag about the noise level at Qwest Field – or their participation in making it that way.

“With the crazy Canucks here, it’s going to be a party,” Greenberg said.

Chris Satterwhite is a Redskins fan. His wife, Christina, is a 49ers fan. And his son, Alec?

“Well, he’s a whoever-is-playing fan,” Chris said.

Four-year-old Alec corrected his dad.

“Go Redskins!” he yelled.

That gave Chris one of those proud-to-be-a-father smiles.

Chris’ father is fron Landover, Mich., raised him to be a Skins fan. They flew up from Reno, Nev., for the game and have tickets in Section 105 – right behind the Washington bench.
He knows Redskins fans will be outnumbered and outyelled. Still, he said, he’s been looking forward to this game for weeks.

“This should be a great, great experience.”

It started with a thousand bucks and a set of Mariners tickets. It’s turned into a weekly tradition.

Bothell’s Dustin Trioux drives his decommissioned short bus to each Seahawks home game. On Saturday morning, he and 10 friends were partying in the Qwest Field parking lot. There were plenty of drinks and grub – and some pregame trash-talking.

“It’s going to get so loud out there,” he said, “the Skins won’t know what to do. It will probably be as loud as it ever haws been.”

Trioux purchased the bus a few years ago in Lynnwood. The previous owner’s car broke down, and she was using the bus on a road trip. Trioux offered her $1,000 and some Mariners tickets for it, and she took it.

They repainted the stop sign black and added a decal of a Hawks helmet. And the bus’ number? Twelve, of course.

“It’s a fun, safe way to travel to the game with some friends,” he said.

Don’t worry – they’re still on speaking terms.

Kerry Beamish fell in love with the Washington Redskins three decades ago while watching quarterback Joe Theismann play. He arrived at Saturday’s game at Qwest Field dressed to root for his team – he wore a Redskins jersey, wrapped himself in a maroon-and-yellow blanket pinned together with a giant “Go Skins!” button. And – in case there was any doubt who he supports – his face was painted in Washington’s colors.

His son, Tristen, isn’t exactly siding with dad. Underneath a camoflauge jacket, he wore a Ben Obomanu jersey.

Kerry’s not holding it against him.

“His allegiances are Seahawks first, and then the Skins,” he said. “But he won’t switch for this game.”

I'm at Qwest Field for today's Seahawks-Redskins playoff game. I'm going to be posting vignettes about fans throughout today's action.

There's also a McChord AFB story in the pipeline.