DUBAI - Crown jewel of the Gulf - Last year when landing in Bahrain and heading to the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis to follow up on the training for Carrier Air Wing 9, I described the sand-colored buildings and skyscrapers as another Las Vegas. If Bahrain glittered at night, Dubai sparkles from its perch on a peninsula jutting into the Persian Gulf.After departing Reno early Friday, I have traveled through 12 time zones and will travel to another one upon arrival in Afghanistan.Preparing to travel to a war zone is no small task; fortunately, it is less work …