When Desert Shield Became Desert Storm:
President Herbert Walker Bush (41) gave Saddam Hussain until January 15, 1991 to get out of Kuwait. We had 500K troops on hand. I was on a compound @ 40 minutes north of Kobar. Every night 2 fighter jets would fly over head going north then fly back south 30 minutes later. This occured every night around 2230 to 2300, (10:30pm to 11pm) It wouldn't have concerned me if they were far to the east or far to the west. They flew over my right shoulder. So, I asked an NCO what were they doing. I was told they are taking surveillance photos of troop movement, radar sites, and aircraft artillery. I figured that works for me. So every night I watched the flights.
On January 15th Saddam Hussain didn't leave Kuwait. On January 16th we were told war is gonna happen, but we didn't know what time. So on January 16th we were told to be in MOPP Level 2. The MOPP Suit consists of a jacket, pants, boots, mask, and gloves to wear over your uniform to protect you from NBC, -Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological warfare. MOPP level 1 is the suit. MOPP Level 2 is the suit and boots. MOPP Level 2 is the suit and boots. MOPP Level 3 is the suit, boots, and mask. MOPP Level 4 is the suit, boot, masks, and gloves.
So on January 16, 1991 we were in MOPP Level 2. I was outside as always and my roommate, a fellow Lieutenant from Maine was on his cot inside. We had Armed Forces radio on the wall.
I heard this sound. It sounded like a train was coming. We didn't have train tracks close by, but I looked anyway. Then the sounded became a roar. I looked up and saw 30 to 40 planes of different sizes and configurations. And I thought "That’s not the normal patrol". So, the mind thinks stupid crap when you know you are in deep s***. So, I thought, go inside and rest because tomorrow will be a long day.
We had the radio on Armed Forces Radio. When I walked inside the radio went silent. I thought, "Did they bomb the radio station?" I didn't know where AFR broadcasted from. 5 to 6 seconds later a voice comes on and says "We have hostilities in the Persian Gulf."
The next morning a fellow Lieutenant was standing there and talking to her fiancee. He was an E6/Staff Seargent Special Forces. He was wearing the regular green BDU's, not the Desert Class uniforms we were wearing. He had his shoulder holster on with his sidearm. He had already done his job. He had destroyed the facilities in Iraq so those planes could go into Iraq and do damage unimpeded.
Those fighter jets were collecting information to pass to the SF to take out what would prevent those planes from succeeding.
That was when Desert Shield became Desert Storm.
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