Posted on 08/02/2006 5:03:05 PM PDT by gleeaikin
It was a warm day, August 2nd in 1990 when I turned on the news and heard the stomach clutching news that Iraq was invading Kuwait. My heart beat accelerated as I realized that my son's Bravo Co. of the 82nd Airborne at Ft. Bragg was "on mission" for the month of August. This meant that his company would be the first to go if the US offered military assistance for the crisis. All day and evening my husband, a Korean combat veteran, and I seesawed between listening to the news and trying to reach our son's barracks phone. (Remember, this was before cell phones.) Two days and dozens of calls later there was finally no busy signal, but no one answered either. They were gone--without even a goodby, take care, and we love you.
By this time it was clear that Saudi Arabia wanted our help to secure their northern border from a possible Iraq invasion. It was also clear that President Bush was going to provide it. Two thousand of our troops would be in Saudi Arabia in just a few days. Our son later told us they flew to Spain and then to SA and were on base somewhere between Aug. 7 and 9. (I think it was King Khalid Military City.) At any rate when we finally established communication weeks later, he said it was huge, and had air conditioning and recreation facilities. Ultimately, not bad, but boring (thank goodness) garrison duty waiting for the action. I once asked him what kind of guys were in the 82nd. He said about 1/3 crazies, 1/3 "getting their ticket punched" for future command promotion, and 1/3 people looking for adventure (his category).
We talked about casualties later, and he said there were probably fewer there, including the fighting, because the biggest killer of "Joe" is alcohol and drunk driving. Since liquor was illegal in SA, no drunken driving for the 100,000 troops that were eventually there. Of course, some found creative uses for raisins, prunes and potatoes, but they weren't driving anywhere.
Meanwhile, I was at home biting my nails and praying that he would not be one of 2,000 US troops facing 100,000 Republican Guard storming across the Saudi border. Gradually, it seemed clear that Iraq was happy with looting Kuwait, US troop numbers were building up and my nails began to grow again.
Back home contention was already arrising. One broadcast featured a mother echoing her son's complaint at being sent over there. He was also with the 82nd. My blood was simmering as I thought of the miserable treatment our Vietnam veterans had received. I contacted a well-known local news commentator from the same TV station. I informed her our opinion was very different from the monther they had interviewed. They interviewed us, and we supported the absolute necessity of stopping such blatant aggression by a despicable excuse for a human--Saddam Hussein. We also arranged that if our son sent photos they would develop 3 sets, give us two and keep one for broadcast use.
We finally received a short long distance phone call when he and his tent mates visited a Saudi family for dinner. His best friend had been sending things he wanted, including film. He enthusiastically entered into the media project I had set up. By December we had received 3 or 4 sets of negatives and given several more interviews. An American corporation also helped the troops make short personal videotapes which we received and shared.
As it became clear our Generals had no interest in the massive attack/sacrifice kind of fighting that was so deadly in Vietnam, we began to relax. Our Air Force was bombing Iraq's troops savagely and it was clear our ground troops would not move until their work was done. In the meantime our son was starting to fret that they were still using ancient Sheridan Tanks, instead of the shiny new ones they had been promised in time for land attack day. Finally, the new Sheridans arrived, but no camoflage paint. We made a mad dash to Home Depot to buy several quarts of paint in beige, brown and gray to mail to him ASAP. In addition to film, paint, and other necesssities, neighbors had contacted us and wanted to send Christmas cookies, which I'm sure were appreciated.
At last, for the new year (1991) Desert Shield became Desert Storm, and Saddam Hussein got the Christmas Gift he so richly deserved. At home, high anxiety again until it became clear that Iraq soldiers were surrendering in droves or running like rabbits. In his last batch of film, there was a picture of him proud and serious in his complete combat gear next to his very serious new tank. Another photo showed him very grim and cold beside a stack of captured weapons. The transformation in one week was startling. I wonder how many marriages and lives will be destroyed by the effect on our troops of the current fighting.
After that it was mopping up and finally home at last in April. Now he is in Afghanistan and I am so thankful they did not send him to Iraq. At least families today have cell phones and email which helps.
I often wonder where we would be today if we had continued Desert Storm another 24 or 48 hours.
Spent the entire Gulf War at Thumrait in Oman. Far from the front lines but booring as hell. But that's where I was sent and I did't have much to say about it. Even deployed with retirement orders in hand. They got pulled in a few days.
I think a lot of us felt this way. It's why support for the Gulf War and GH Bush soon exploded.
That first week after the U.S. air attacks began we started to see the filthy vermin protesting on the TV. It was a Tuesday as I recall. They gathered at protest-central, the Federal Building on Wilshire Blvd. in LA. All week those of us with jobs could just watch and fume.
I was involved with the LA County Young Republicans at the time. A bunch of us decided to plan counter-protest for the first weekend. Every night that week after I got off work I drove from the San Fernando Valley down to the South bay where we planned and made signs and put together our counter protest.
That first Saturday we began our protest, just 20 or 30 of us on the narrow strip across Wilshire. By the end of the day there were 250 people on our side. The next week we beat the hippies to the permit office and WE got the permit for the lawn. We started with a couple hundred and by the end of the day there were thousands on our side. By the third week, the hippies started to slink away and yellow ribbons were popping up all over the country.
Man those were the days.
A black woman activist in our neighborhood encouraged everone to put yellow ribbons around all the trees on the block. They stayed until our son came home. At election time she had Jessie Jackson visit our block and us for a photo op. He also came in April 1991 for the welcome home block party and met our son. How things change.
My many thanks to all Gulf War Vets. It wasn't easy coming home with the job half baked!
Yes, and just for the record, who was that illustrious and courageous POTUS at that time? If you said the inane, incompetant Peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia you are a winner. BTW, the leftist liars are always spreading the false canard that Ronald Reagan had coaxed saddam into attacking the senile ayattolah. Anyone with a half a brain knows it was the Carterites that gave the green light.
I was just short of my 10th birthday :)
I didn't give a crap (yet)
:)
(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em Down Hezbullies.)
Almost hard to believe that was 1 years ago now. Wow how time fly's when your having fun.
True... Had we been able to finish Saddam Hussein back then, things would have been much different. Would they have been better? Who knows? But they would have been different...
the infowarrior
Are you saying that Carter was president at the beginning of the Gulf War in August 1990? If you are, then you are wrong as he was president before Ronald Reagan's 8 years in the 1980. The American hostages in Iran were released in conjunction with Reagan's election, and covert support was given to Saddam Hussein by us as he carried out the long and bloody war with Iran during the 1980's.
I'm going to check out the dates for the start of the Iran/Iraq war, but I doubt that either Carter or Reagan had much influence on Saddam's plans. He was plenty war hungry without any help from us.
I just checked out some sites at "US support for Iran-Iraq war".
Saddam began the war on Sept 22, 1980. President Reagan was elected 7 weeks later. In June of 1982, when it appeared that Iran might be winning, the decision was made for us to support Iraq as the lesser of two evils. George Bush, Sr. as the Vice President and former director of the CIA was very active in this behind the scenes.
Subsequently, both countries attacked shipping in the Persian Gulf and by 1987 a number of countries had had enough. Some 500 ships were damaged and over 300 seaman killed in this phase called "the battle of the tankers". There is a lot more interesting stuff, but it is after 3 am and I am going to bed now.
My original point was that the left has repeatedly said that it was Ronald Wilson Reagan that convinced saddam to attack Iran. As you stated in your post the war started seven weeks before the 1980 election, and almost four months before the Reagan Administration was sworn in. I have heard of the infamous so-called October surprise, but this has to be Reagans' "September Surprise" if one is to believe this story concocted by the left.
As an addendum, my point unfortunately had little to do with your post. For that, I am sorry.
If sKerry had his way in 1991, Kuwait would not exist today.
I was waking up getting ready for work, sipping coffee while passively listening to the radio. Paul Harvey broke the news to me, and I was stunned. I couldn't believe Saddam had taken over Kuwait.
The thought that the US might do something about it (other than lodging a protest at the UN, or something) never crossed my mind.
I had no idea it would prove to be a defining moment in US foreign policy.
I haven't paid much attention to what the left has said about that war. I certainly think that Saddam had plenty of reasons to want the war all on his own. We may never know the full truth, but it is entirely possible that both Carter elements and Reagan/Bush elements signaled (not necessarily encouraged) that we would stay out of any action Saddam took against Iran. I think by Sept. 1980 it was pretty clear that Reagan would be elected, and this may have affected Saddam's decision. Starting then would give him more time in the milder weather to achieve a quick victory. Of course, it did not work out that way.
On the other hand when he marched into Kuwait and threatened Saudi Arabia, he was threatening and/or controlling at least half the world's oil supply. We were not about to let that happen.
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