Where were you when ...
 

... the gulf war started?


I remember heading off to kindergarten watching the TV like an innocent child watching the action unfold.

I was on a ferry half-way between the North & South islands.....I was about 6 years old.

Re: Where were you when ...
 

You know what, I don't remeber. I remeber watching it on TV but don't remeber what I was doing when it started.

I do remember being in bieng in 1st grade when my teacher Mrs. Jeffers annouced the President Kennedy had been shot.

I do remember watching live on TV when Siran Siran shot Robert Kennedy,

I do remember my father telling my that Martin Luther King was killed and how are country had lost a great man.

I do remember the Viet Nam war ending. And the reilef I felt know I would not be drafted to fight in a war I thought was wrong, (i became eligble for the draft the year after)

I do remember bieng in Chicago with my church group listening to BTO"'s Taking care of business, when the song was interrupted to annouce the Richard Nixon had resigned. (we all cheerd)

I do remember be at work at grandmother's resturant when the Reagan was shot and also being at work there when the Challenger blew up.

dont remember

Heh I was only 4 or 5 years old when the Gulf War started freak:

I remember when I was on September 11, my Theatre Arts teacher told us about it, and we turned on the TV.

I don't know, I was 4 years old.

I didn't even know it was going on

probably playing street hockey.

holy cow you guys are young! i was 11 when desert storm happened i remember watching cnn with my family, and watching in awe as a war unfolded live on television.

bosnia

I was probly like 4 or 5

Re: Where were you when ...
 

omg youngin'. i was in 12th grade american histroy class. we wacthed the coverage on tv ed:

i actually have several packs of unopened, gulf war trading cards, believe it or not, ill scan and post em later.

Re: Where were you when ...
 

Sitting in my 6th grade class with Mr. Law (yes LAW!), wondering if he was gonna turn that shit off so we could watch the rest of BACK TO THE FUTURE 2 - fuck we earned it.

On holidays at the Gold Coast here in Australia. I remember that all I wanted to do was watch cartoons...then I started actually watching the news, I can still remember those scenes during the air campaign. Night vision camera's footage of anti aircraft weapons firing into the sky. Very surreal, it was like a fireworks display, except people were dying.

umm, i had a problem in first grade about sticking my hand down my pants

[quote="Cool Fool":44f32]umm, i had a problem in first grade about sticking my hand down my pants[/quote:44f32]

i still have that problem hake:

probably stoned laying in bed next to 2 naked college girls who were roommates and both from Corning NY. They shared everything...

Playing football. biggrin:

You go kid!

I was in this tiny college apartment, doing shots of tequila and bong rips with a bud. The tv coverage sucked. I think it was wolf blitzer reporting from under a table in his motel room. All you could see was tons of AA thru a night vision lens.

That apartment couldnt have been any bigger than 500 square feet for a 2 bedroom place. You could get a beer out of the fridge while still sitting on the couch watching tv in the "living room".

I was 9, and I think all I remember was watching the night vision in Bahgdad with the flak shooting from the city. Otherwise, I didn't see much of it.

I dont remember the Gulf War cause i was like 4 or 5, but i remember being in Geo. Class when the art teacher came in saying the WTC'ers were blown away and we all thought he was joking cause he's never serious. I came home after school to see if it was true cause i heard ppl talking and it was pretty crazy.

I think I had just gotten home from school ,8th grade.

I was 5 years old, at home, smoking cigarettes and sleeping with hookers.

a friend came over with a 12 pack of beer and said were at war, and we turned on cnn.

I was on a C-141, with the rest of my unit, headed over there.

Thx for serving and going over there!!!! cool:

I was watching cartoons at the time and would you beleive it, they interupted them with breaking news that war had begun. That isnt something an 8 year needs to see.
Anyway regardless, i was hooked on the news from then on. Big planes and ships and tanks, i loved it all. of course i didnt fully understand that people were actually getting killed. I was just fasinated by the technology. i loved the night vision films.

I was at a US military base in Mainz, Germany.

[quote="Cpt. Zapotoski":68e8f]I was at a US military base in Mainz, Germany.[/quote:68e8f]

thx for not giving me a reach around last night... oOo:

Ditto ^^

I had a number of friends that were there for that one. We sent over care packages and such - you know - green vodka in listerine bottles, etc. We also drove 4 hours to meet them when they flew back to the states and took them for a few days of booze and women in panamal city beach. I hope the guys today get the same treatment when they return. It would be a tragedy if it was a repeat of how the vietnam vets were treated.

i only remember when the war ended, i was in a car with my mom and my grandma and they started saying "we won the war, yay!" something to that extent oOo:

Damn, we got alot of little kiddies posting on here! evil:

Thanks for that. I appreciate it.


While I'm here, I'll relate something to you guys that I experienced while in Iraq. Over the past couple days, as this new 'Persian Gulf War' unfolds, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my time there. Certain memories have floated to the surface, things I haven't thought about in a long time. Some are pretty gruesome, others creepy. The following anecdote would fall under the category, for me, of 'very sad'.

After the 100 hour Ground War, my unit, Bravo Troop 1/1 Cav, was assigned search and destroy missions. We were to hunt down Iraqi weapons/ammo/equipment and destroy them on site with C-4. About 10 days into this new mission, we ran across a large tomato farm. The CO directed 1st and 3rd platoons to encircle the area. 2nd platoon, my platoon, was ordered to fan out and inspect the field. This took us just over an hour. At the end of our search, we found the home of the farmers. Turns out it's an Egyptian family, that had moved to Iraq 15 yrs prior, to farm tomatoes, and make a good life for themselves. Apparently, there's not much competition for farming in Iraq.

As we walked up on the house, keeping eyes peeled for signs of mines, and maintaining a secure posture, the farmers emerged from their house. An old man, the patriarch, his wife and 3 daughters, one of whom was pregnant. They approached us with some caution. Three guys were ordered to approach and search them. They were clean. The Father of the family spoke some English, difficult to understand at times, but we were able to communicate. We asked him what happened to his house, and why he was still there. After all, we did find the remains of several dug-in T-64 Iragi tanks not far from his farm. He then went on to describe the night that the Iraqi Republican Guard visited his farm. They attempted to conscript his three sons. When they refused, a tank blew a round through his house, destroying most of it. When he screamed and yelled at them, the Iraqi soldiers grabbed his daughters, and held knives at their throats. The sons then gave in and agreed to come along. He told us his daughters had been 'hurt'. When we asked further questions, he would refuse to elaborate. He then went on a 15 min tirade about the evil of Saddam Hussein, the lawlessness of his Army, and the gratitude he felt towards us for coming to help. He then spoke something in Egyptian to his wife and daughters, quite forcefully, and they disappeared into the remains of their home.

Then he turned to us, and invited us into his home, so that we could all sit and speak as people, share a pot of tea, and a tray of food.

My Lt got on the radio, related the converstaion to our CO, and asked permission to accept the Egyptian's invitation. After about 20 minutes of discussion, the posting of 4 soldiers in tactical OPs, and a detailed search of the home and immediate vicinity, we were allowed to accept the invitation.

His home at one time had been a modest 4 bedroom, two bather, with a large open kitchen and spacious living room. This from his description, pointing at rubble here and there. There was only one room left with four standing walls and a roof, and it had been one of the bedrooms. Dirt, dust, and soot was everywhere. There were two couches piled one on top of the other at one end of the room, opposite of the new doorway. A beautiful woven rug, largely intact, covered the floor. A small 'loveseat' was along one wall. That was it. No blankets. No piles of salvaged clothing. Nothing. Except the dented teapot and several small cups the daughters produced, after we all found our seats. They had scavanged those items from other farms, some from miles away. After 20 minutes or so, the wife and daughters appeared with a huge platter, apparently silver, that they had salvaged from their rubble. These innocent people, with practically nothing left of their former lives, and very uncertain future, had prepared for us a huge meal of rice and vegetables, piled high on this platter.

The tea was sweet and mild, homegrown. The meal was delicious. It broke my heart.

During the meal, the Father asked each of us in turn, with complete sincerity, if we would marry his pregnant daughter. He wanted to see her have her child in a safe environment, with no threat of war. Without the constant fear of living under a regime such as Hussein's. When he looked into my eyes, and asked me, I had no idea what to say. I was tongue tied. A simple 'NO' seemed too damn cold for my tastes. And a long, protracted explanation about how it was impossible was out of the question. It would take 2+ hours to get the idea across, considering the language barrier.

So I acted on my first impulse. With my left hand, I grabbed her hand, and with my right, I grasped his. I pulled them together and placed their hand hands together. I put my right hand over my heart, and said, "Family". The Father began to cry.

He quickly composed himself, and the topic of conversation turned to more mundane things. He asked us about our daily lives. Did we go without food and water for long? How did we sleep? Had we killed anybody. After 20 mins or so of this Q & A, the Lt called it quits. Time to move on. We filed out to the front of his home, and called our Bradleys up to pick us up. As we were waiting, the Father went into another tirade, this time about the 'glory of America' and hsi hope for peace.

Our vehicles arrived and the ramps lowered. Our Lt ordered the TC's (Track Commanders) to throw down one case of MRE's each, and a 2 gallon jug of water each. Six vehicles worth. Manyn guys dug into their packs to give up certain items: gloves, hats, scarves. I gave my Army issue wool blanket and Army issue sleeping bag to the pregnant Daughter. She was going to need them a lot more than I would. Especially since I could claim 'Combat Damaged' and request a new ones, or at worst buy new ones.

At times I think about that now 11 yr old. Is he angry? Is he destitute? Is he alive?

I hope so.


A completely true story, as experienced and related by myself.

crap, sorry bout the fucked up quote Pest.

that is a sad story. to bad we lied to them and said we would take hussain out then, and lots of people did a uprise and were killed because they thought we would help. and we never showed. till now

nice story but i dont get the family part, did the dad think you were going to marry the girl or what?

No. Rather he was hoping that one of us would. With his background and experience, he didn't realize how impossible it would be for any of us to accept his offer. The offer being his daughter as a bride.

Nice story......

[quote=Judas]i still have that problem hake:[/quote:40942]

Problem?? Are you kidding me? It's a personal trait! biggrin:

[quote=wintersforge]thx for not giving me a reach around last night... oOo:[/quote:3d94e]

[img]http://www.alliedassault.com/phpBB2/images/avatars/42bc3fd53e7406d2938a3.gif[/img]

19 at the time. I was at home watching it on TV.