56
56
0
Desert Storm began 24 years ago on the evening of January 16 (US)/ the early morning January 17 (Middle East), where were you at?
January 16, 1991 began as a normal day, the operation in the Middle East was still called "Desert Shield", but turned out to be very hectic at the end of the day.
I was stationed with the 10th Mountain Division up at Ft. Drum, NY. Any military history buff knows that, save for one support battalion, no other units left for Saudi Arabia. There were, however, "onesies and twosies" picked from different units to fill the gaps of the of the units already over there.
As an Avionics Radar Repairer (35R), I didn't even think that I would go over there, until my squad leader called me during lunchtime. I was at the CQ desk, when he called asking for three 35R volunteers to deploy with a Reserve unit to the Middle East. Without hesitation, I told my squad leader that I would be the first volunteer. The other two "Romeos" volunteered later on.
After lunch, it was a mad dash to get the three of us through the whole deployment readiness process. This was completed later in the afternoon.
I was calling up different family members, letting them know that I'll be leaving for Ft. Rucker and, a few weeks later, to Saudi Arabia. I remember that I had the TV on in my barracks room, watching ABC News with Peter Jennings, and being on the phone with my oldest brother. I was probably about five minutes into our conversation when breaking news came on from Baghdad- Operation Desert Storm had begun.
I was a bit shocked, but after I got over the initial shock, I knew that I had a job to do- serving my country.
So where were you when Desert Storm began? I'd like to hear your stories.
January 16, 1991 began as a normal day, the operation in the Middle East was still called "Desert Shield", but turned out to be very hectic at the end of the day.
I was stationed with the 10th Mountain Division up at Ft. Drum, NY. Any military history buff knows that, save for one support battalion, no other units left for Saudi Arabia. There were, however, "onesies and twosies" picked from different units to fill the gaps of the of the units already over there.
As an Avionics Radar Repairer (35R), I didn't even think that I would go over there, until my squad leader called me during lunchtime. I was at the CQ desk, when he called asking for three 35R volunteers to deploy with a Reserve unit to the Middle East. Without hesitation, I told my squad leader that I would be the first volunteer. The other two "Romeos" volunteered later on.
After lunch, it was a mad dash to get the three of us through the whole deployment readiness process. This was completed later in the afternoon.
I was calling up different family members, letting them know that I'll be leaving for Ft. Rucker and, a few weeks later, to Saudi Arabia. I remember that I had the TV on in my barracks room, watching ABC News with Peter Jennings, and being on the phone with my oldest brother. I was probably about five minutes into our conversation when breaking news came on from Baghdad- Operation Desert Storm had begun.
I was a bit shocked, but after I got over the initial shock, I knew that I had a job to do- serving my country.
So where were you when Desert Storm began? I'd like to hear your stories.
Posted in these groups: 
Operation Desert Shield/Storm
Operation Desert Shield/Storm
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 371
1
1
0
I was a mere toddler back then (sorry if I make anyone feel old) however, my cousin was an Army Medic at the time and I have fond memories of her telling me about her service. She was over there for that campaign and, while I was too young at the time to understand its meening, I knew she was fighting for our freedoms. Coincidentally, as I went through my training, I ended up following her footsteps in the Army. We went to the same basic and AIT locations and were stationed in the same companies. That made me feel vindicated in some strange way.
(1)
(0)
1
1
0
SPC Charles Griffith
Who were you with at that time SFC Merino? I was 9/227 ASB in Hanau Supporting 4/7 cav in I think it was Gelnhausen??? we were all over in the sand when the storm started.
(1)
(0)
SFC Mark Merino
Too bizarre! The last units we pushed through gunnery were 1/7 CAV and 4/7 CAV. I was an 11M stationed in Schweinfurt C Co 2/15 INF. I never knew where those units were located. I was FREEZING my butt off on the ammo pad linking and delinking 25mm TPT rounds.
(1)
(0)
SSG(P) Samuel Hargrove, CPSS-V (NC)
Fort Gordon, Ga., on orders for Germany, waiting for the stop loss to be lifted. Once lifted, proceeded to Germersheim, GE en route to Saudi Arabia and the push north...!
(0)
(0)
1
1
0
I was in a history class in college. Second floor of the Liberal Arts building at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. We'd just been released from class, and were all headed down to the professor's office to discuss writing assignments.
(1)
(0)
1
1
0
I was sitting in Al Kobar, in Kobar Towers waiting for our Tanks to show up and in MOPP 2!
(1)
(0)
SPC Charles Griffith
OMG I hated that place I got stuck in the damn elevator for like 2 freaking hours one day LOL but at least you weren't in a GP med. like I was at that time :) We were there like 2 weeks before it got blown up. I was totally floored when I heard about the bombing.
(2)
(0)
SGT Steven Eugene Kuhn MBA
SPC Charles Griffith - I hear you, I remember a bunch of us getting stuck in the elevator and then they were put off limits!
Yes that was horrible when it got hit, we were aready out in the sandbox by then,
Yes that was horrible when it got hit, we were aready out in the sandbox by then,
(1)
(0)
SGT (Join to see)
I remember staying at Khobar Towers for a few months before I left the sandbox. My heart sank when I heard about the terrorist attack on Khobar Towers years later.
(1)
(0)
1
1
0
I was in theater. First deployed with 20th Engineers Combat Airborne from Fort Bragg. We were at Dragon City when it launched watching fighter jets fly overhead..
(1)
(0)
SGT (Join to see)
Seeing American and Allied fighter jets flying overhead is always an awesome sight. I used to enjoy seeing the F-15s take of and go vertical.
(0)
(0)
Freshman year in high school. study hall period when they started passing out newspapers with the title of "WAR" on the top front page
(1)
(0)
SGT (Join to see)
The conflict that occurred when I was a freshman in high school was "Operation Urgent Fury"- the invasion of Grenada. My first squad leader was veteran of that operation.
(1)
(0)
MSG (Join to see)
I remember that period. My sister had a boyfriend at that time period and he was all kinds of paranoid about US possibly executing the draft since he had JUST got done registering for the Selective Service.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
Sitting Out In The Gulf On Board The USNS Antares , Cooking For The Crew And Waiting To Dock In Bahrain.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
I was at King Fahd Air Base in Saudi Arabia maintaining the A-10A Thunderbolt II, Warthog tank buster aircraft as a structural maintenance specialist . I was 19 years old. I remember the night the air war began. The sky lit up with afterburners from a steady stream of F-16's leaving the base, one after another.
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google