[gleeaikin]

The question of when to stop Gulf War 1 was seriously debated inside the Administration. We had completed the mandate of driving Iraq troops out of Kuwait. We probably did not want to weaken Iraq too much relative to Iran which we considered the primary enemy. A third factor which I have not heard mentioned is that Gorbachev in Russia was facing an attempte coup from the hard liners at home and a long invasion of Iraq would have further weakened his position. Still, I think another 24 hours would have been a good thing.

[ops33]

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.

[ElkGroveDan]

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 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.

[elhombrelibre]

"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." This is a proven fact. And another one is that more soldiers who have served in Afghanistan have come home and died on motorcycles than have all soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

[dakine]

Gulf War ? More like a skirmish...

[proudmilitarymrs]

My many thanks to all Gulf War Vets. It wasn't easy coming home with the job half baked!

[AdvisorB]

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.

[MikefromOhio]

I was just short of my 10th birthday :)

I didn't give a crap (yet)

:)

[goldstategop]

Had we overthrown Saddam then, we might not have been in this mess today. This was before Al Qaeda appeared on the scene.

(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em Down Hezbullies.)

[diverteach]

Almost hard to believe that was 1 years ago now. Wow how time fly's when your having fun.

[ChadGore]

If sKerry had his way in 1991, Kuwait would not exist today.

[Skooz]

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.

[RightWhale]

Slant drilling. Same thing Cuba is doing to Florida's oil reservoirs.