22 Years Ago Today:
I was in the middle of a body of water east of China/Russia, west of Alaska, when we got the news posted on the Forward Compartment Middle Level saying that the day before, Saddam Hussein had crossed over the border into Kuwait.
The thing to know about boats, especially fast attacks, is that there’s no real means of contact with the outside world, or at least not at that time. Mail followed us from port to port, and any notifications from family were in 50-word “familygrams” that were the Navy equivalent of a postcard, with their words having been read upwards of a half-dozen times before finding their intended recipient. So even though all we got on Iraq invading Kuwait was about two sentences, we all knew it was serious.
The day we got word (August 3rd), US Naval forces were committed to the Gulf region. While I never went to the Gulf for Desert Shield/Storm, there were a few guys on a few of the boats I knew who did (a couple of my buddies from the nuke pipeline were on the USS Chicago) make it there.
Where were you when you got word troops were being committed to the Gulf in 1990?
Category: War Stories
I got a call from my oldest son that he was leaving 29 Palms, for the Gulf. I’d been watching the developments on the news, and figured that he’d be going. He called before the news came out.
I was in Naples on liberty when we got word of the invasion aboard the USS Eisenhower. Just under a week later I knew we were committed when I went to breakfast and saw sand out the hanger bay doors on both sides.
Marine Observation Squadron 2 (VMO-2), Camp Pendleton, CA. Our aircraft (OV-10A & D Broncos) took off for a nearly month-long transatlantic flight. I left for King Abdul Aziz Naval Base, Saudi Arabia with the main body on Sep 3. We stayed for the duration of the air and ground combat and I returned home one in April ’91.
Sitting in the kitchen of Sta 1, with a cup of coffee, watching the news and beginning to worry about my younger cousins and older nephews wondering who was going to go. Eventually 90% of them went.
I was stationed at Ft. McNair, WDC and stuck there as an “in town EOD unit”! Which really sucked because we ran our asses off blowning the shit out of peoples left behind lunches!! Hell most everyone of us requested (numerous times) to deploy and were usually turned down.
My parents had it on the news when I got home from my 2nd grade class. I didn’t make it out there for over a decade though.
2 Aug 1990 was a Thursday. So I was likely at home when I heard the news (the invasion occurred at 2AM in Kuwait, which converts to about 4PM on 1 Aug where I was living at the time).
I also had USAR Annual Training orders in-hand – with a report date of 18 Aug. Obviously I wasn’t exactly sure whether or not I’d be coming back on-schedule.
As it turned out out my organization didn’t end up sending anyone to the Gulf or mobilizing anyone. So I did get to come home as scheduled.
I finally ended up in the Gulf for the first time nearly 17 years later.
Recruiting duty in Connecticut. And kudos to our DEPs, each and every one shipped to basic training as they committed to do when they entered delayed entry.
Interesting story about that time era, sittin on my front porch on July 9th or 10th enjoying a visit from my best friend who was an active duty CW2 Apache driver home on leave with the family. I had ETS’ed about 18 months prior and was doing the IRR and civilian thing.
They were just getting ready to hit the road and he asked if he could call his unit as he had checked in the day prior and was told to keep in touch daily. He came back out on the front porch and says he needs to cut it short he needs to drive straight thru to get back to Bragg, of course I ask whats up, and I get the look from a man I had known for years. Worked as an EMT with, and as a firefighter with, we know each other well, and I know something is up.
About a week later I called his place and spoke with his wife and asked if he was around, sorry he’s not here, when will he be back, then I get the tone from a woman I a have also known for years, “He’s not here here, he’s BUSY, Army stuff”
When the news broke, I knew how busy he was, and what Army stuff was.
We met up in Dharan after the war was over and his unit was getting ready to go home. I had been pulled back from KKMC to work out of Camp Jack and Jill for the ASB to keep the local junk bus transportation staffed and moving to the flow of re-deploying troops though the local out processing and transfer to Khobar Towers.
That all came back, haven’t thought about that in years, it seems like yesterday. Damn I got old quick, Iraq in 05-06 seems like yesterday also.
I think August 3rd was still a state of confusion…over the weekend (August 5) was when Bush gave the “this will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait” remarks, and that’s when things really got moving.
I actually called my branch NCO to volunteer for a then-nonexistant mission on August 3rd, and she was basically like “there’s nothing to volunteer for yet,” but by the end of next week, the 82nd had been sent to Saudi Arabia, with thousands more to follow.
I wrote some of my recollections here: http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/cgtwa/2012/08/it-was-twenty-two-years-ago-today-when-the-sergeant-taught-the-band-to-playiraq-invades-kuwait-aug-2.html
It took a few months, but I finally made over – leaving for Saudi on Christmas Day (!), and returning on April 3rd. Not even four months – that wouldn’t even count as an NTC rotation!
I’ve been back several times since as an embedded photojournalist, too.
Kinda perched on the side of a volcano on The Big Island.
We were living off grid and I ran the batteries down (figuratively) watching the news during Desert Storm.
Waimea had a parade for those returning… they invited us VN vets to join them. Our first parade!
4 yrs old and watching macgyver with my dad. 16 yrs later i got the opportunity to visit that part of the world myself.
I’d just extended my ROTC tour (free college courses at UVM) and I was driving back to VT from Fort Bragg’s 1st Region Advance Camp when I heard about it on the radio and thought I was missing another shooting war. By October I’d been jerked out of my comfy chair and sent to Garlstedt, Germany, begged the CSM for a platoon, got a band of reprobates whose platoon sergeant had just been relieved, and then we were at Jubal in January. The rest is history. In August, that band of reprobates won USAEUR’s best infantry squad competition.
I remember being a young E-3 on Ardennes Road at Fort Bragg awaiting my turn at a pay phone and then speaking cryptically to my girlfriend.
The entire 82d Airborne’s Division Ready Brigade was isolated in the Corps marshaling area and the perimeter was patrolled by paratroopers with axe handles to keep OPSEC intact. After drawing desert equipment and ammo on Green Ramp I remember arriving in Saudi Arabia August 10th. Intel derived that 6 Iraqi armored divisions were dug in over the border and another 6 were capable of going offensive. We planned to repel those divisions with our incredibly light Airborne Infantry Regiment with air support and Sheridan tanks. We were incredibly relieved when, over a month later, the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division began rolling M1s and M2s off the boats.
We knew that we had just been a speed bump until our armor arrived in theater.
I was off the coast of Panama onboard USS Arkansas doing drug interdiction.
I was at Kunsan Air Base. Some weeks later a friend arrived from Luke AFB, Az and said they were looking for volunteers who had spent time in the desert. Since I had arrived from Phoenix myself only 6 months earlier, I went to MPF and asked to be sent to the desert. They laughed and told me I was at Kunsan now and wasn’t gonna go anywhere. I spent Desert Shield/Storm living in my hooch wondering each night if I was gonna be allowed to go from my hooch to the ville on any given evening. You had to watch AFKN at 6 PM to find out if your area was restricted from dusk to dawn.
Was at Graf shooting gunnery as a tankPL in 2nd Squadron, 2nd ACR. After gunnery I took over a scout platoon and on December 4th was on the ground in Al Jubayl. Great unit with great leaders. Probably the hi-light of my Army career.
Just had a reunion with m fellow PLs and XO as we watched MG McMaster get promoted and take command of FT Benning. Great friends and proud to have served with them.
#16- You were at the Kun? That’s some good living! Ha! Couldn’t go to A-Town? I was the GLO there a decade late. Good times at the Wolfpack. Pantons!
Working as an Operations Officer at FORSCOM, I think word went around before we went home. The next day, (IIRC) we activated the Battle Staff. With-in a couple more days, we started wearing BDUs to work.
Sat that one out.
Hondo, I think we probably have some mutual friends if you are an 11 series guy.
Starting my Junior year in High School. 15 years later I had the “privalege” of visiting that part of the world.
By the way I would also like to thank you guys for making this old, in grunt years, man feel like a pup again.
When CNN ruled the world – NO Fox News & MSNBC to contend with. Ted Turner was still the Master and Commander W/ Bernard Shaw at anchor desk. No laptops and internet? What the hell! Them were the dark ages.
Bittersweet memories for U.S. Military. The 80’s build up produced a large, highly trained, motivated, and disciplined force, but the cold war was over and the Berlin wall was no more. With no threat of hordes of Soviet forces rolling across European plains – our military brass struggled for a sense of purpose. The savvy vets knew huge budget cuts were coming. Desert Storm was one last hurrah before the massive drawdown initiated by Bush Sr Admin.
I was working on really really big bang toys for the gummint at an aerospace defense contractor and waiting for my recall telegram from Uncle Sugar.
I had just got done fighting this kid down the street…11 years old
If you really must know Sparky, I was in Kindergarden in VA Beach, and I recall writing letters on construction paper to Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division and Marines from the 2nd MarDiv. Now, twenty two years later, I have had the pleasure of being one of those Soldiers getting written to twice, and within the last 72 hours, turned 28, and graduated from BNCOC Phase 2. I feel like an old man these days lol
YOU feel like an old man. I had a birthday last week.
Lemme know how old you feel in 20 years–assuming I’m still around then.
I was sitting alone in my car at a traffic light in Baltimore when the news report came over the radio. I recall saying aloud but quietly, “Here we go.” And I shuddered with a chill at what the pronouncement would mean to our fighting men and their families.
Jonn, I too was stationed at Garlstedt, Germany. I remember watching Bush on TV the night he announced that our brigade was going to be deployed. Prior to that there were rumors that we were going or not going. The smart thought was it wasn’t a matter of if, but when we were going to be deployed.
Lol Sparky, one of my fellow classmates at the NCOA was born in 1989, I REMEMBER 1989!!! In Army years I am old (I hit 10 years time in service in June). Then I ran into an Airman that was born in 1994 at McGuire, and I realllllllllly felt it hahaha
I was sick with the flu, sipping chicken broth and trying not to throw up. I was 12 or 13 at the time.
Attending Advanced Digital Techniques class @ Kirtland. A couple of my classmates were CA Air Guard out of Moffett, I remember the discussion on who would get called up. I expressed doubts my reserve unit would go – in December we were activated and went over in January 1991.
I was in kindergarten… Knew that I wanted to join the military right about this time though.
I went home to CT, for a vacation after finishing my second summer semester. I was IRR, and the potential that I was going to be called up was real. I was glued to the TV.
I was in Explosives Handling School, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve Training Center, Yorktown, Virginia.
No one could find Kuwait on the map.
I can remember being a freshman in HS and getting pissed when fellow classmates couldn’t find Mogadishu, Beruit, Baghdad, or even Berlin on a map!!!
But that was ten years ago lol
A brand new Ensign I just reported to my first ship, USS Brewton FF-1086, in the Indian Ocean attached to the USS Independence carrier group. I guess Saddam figured one new butter bar in the carrier group will cause enough confusion that he could risk the invasion.
Just found your site. I’m very impressed.
August 1990- I graduated from OIS in Newport, RI and was enroute to my first duty station at NH Orlando.
I was on USS Charleston going back to Norfolk from GITMO. As a young E-2 Corpsman I was a ready to do something a little more exiting than cutting Gator Squares but our part in things consisted of taking elements of a MEU to the Med as part of a scheduled MARG in Jan 91.
I was a LCPL with WPNS Co BLT 2/4, 22MEU(SOC) onboard the USS Saipan. We were steaming circles (MODLOC), day 85 I think, off the coast of Liberia. Three days later, AUG 5, we landed at the US Embassy in Monrovia to conduct a NEO.
On my way to Intermediate Russian Transcription course at Meade from my first duty station riding DIRSUP in Misawa.
George
Was in the international concourse at the Miami airport returning CONUS from some civilian travel. Was changing planes to continue a week of vacation. It didn’t quite compute entirely and was the middle of the night.
A friend serving in a sister unit was picking me up at my vacation destination. Since he knew my CO, some time after daylight he called to find out if I needed to return immediately to home station. Instead, I had clearance to spend the next week at the beach (how ironic!) because it would be the last “vacation” for a while.
Ended up spending the next few weeks working full-time at my regular job and also full-time at the base. Finally had to tell all of them that this only child needed a few days to go spend some time with my elderly parents.
Very, very busy time. It was actually a relief to get to the sandbox and be able to finally relax! Well, at least only have one job to do.
Jonn, don’t tell me you were a “Rotten Old Tin Can” wiener? I’m stunned!?
Watched it all go down on CNN in the 3/75 Barracks. Thought for sure we’d deploy right away. Ended up going via a different route a few months later…..
Was PMing amtracs on the ramp at Camp Del Mar on Camp Pendleton. By August 10th, our battalion had moved to 29 Stumps to climatize and caught a Delta L1011 on August 17th from March AFB to Dhahran, arriving on August 18th. From there took Saudi buses (with signs for women to sit in the back)to the Port of Al Jubayl to meet up with vehicles offloaded from MPS ships.
It was at least better than when recalled from retirement in 2005. Damn Gunny from Camp Lejeune called the home in California at 0430 waking us up from a sound sleep. Had to report to Lejeune to mobilise and spent 5 weeks trying to catch a ride to Iraq. Couldn’t mobilise me from Camp Pendleton or 29 Palms with both about 70 miles from home and the wife.
Gotta love the Corps; Semper Gumby!
I was at Airborne school A/1/507th, I believe it was Class 40-90. I had just graduated from ROTC Advance Camp at FT Bragg. We were in the cycle that was supported by the 505th PIR. Jonn, I guess that you and I were there at Bragg at the same time. We actually had a couple of 505th soldiers who had supported our cycle and knew many of us come down and crash in our barracks over the weekend, they were Privates Hogg and Martin. I have no idea why they wanted to take a pass to FT Benning from Bragg. I imagine they had to hustle to get back to home station. I remember that they were so short of aircraft that we had to jump our entire company from one ANG C-130.
Was working dayshift on the collections floor of MRSOC in San Antonio, with a PCS date for mid-august to Osan AB ROK. Got to Osan and volunteered to go but like Bill (#16), got told that remote tour folks aren’t going anywhere. Got to spend the war watching CNN and comparing their reports to intel reports coming in over the wire.
RobertM:
Our Platoon Commander thought Liberia was the main issue for Marines on August 3rd. Several of us, Sergeants toldhim that Kuwait was the big deal since it was all over CNN. Then again he thought amtracks were obsolete and would never be used in combat.
Without a doubt the Marine Corps has had quite a history with both Liberia and Iraq since 1990.
I was on the back steps of my apartment in Chicago. I had the radio on, reading a book. Someone interrupted the music to announce that Kuwait had been invaded by Saddam Hussein’s tanks and armored vehicles. I jumped up and went into my living room and turned on the TV, got CNN and stayed glued to the set for hours. All the live broadcasts held my undivided attention for weeks. Turned me into a news junkie.
Funny,
I remember it like it was yesterday..and for about a decade that was my frame of reference. I was driving up I-95 outside Wash DC. It was probably Sunday the 5th because my friend and I were coming back from camping at Prince William Forest Park next to Quantico and I turned to him and said….”That’s it, we’re going to war..”. I was ready to go and full of piss and vinegar. Retired in 2007, not ever deploying in-theater even through my unit was activated in 2003 and after that we fulfilled deployments in Uzbec, Ballad, Kandahar, Kirkuk etc.
I have to console myself that for 23 years I had my bag packed and was ready to go…even if my co-workers went and I stayed at home supporting them…even now….my commander and my best friend a Chief are in the “Stan” and home soon..Their first in theater after a 26 year career so I don’t feel so bad.
I remember it was Thursday because the weekly dumb-assery called “SGT’s Time” was happening. I looked around my platoon and company. The Platoon Leaders were solid and two Platoon SGTs were squared away.
3rd Platoon’s PSG was a total waste of oxygen but he was fired and replaced by our beloved senior editor Jonn Lilyea.