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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
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Sitting in the recruiters office begging them to let me in to the active Army. I was over 18, had already graduated high school, wanted to support and defend this nation and was told the only option I had was to be a tanker in a reserve unit.
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I was the Troop Commander as the XO of 19th Combat Engr Bn on a bus traveling from Ft Knox, KY to the Louisville airport to board a plane to deploy into theater when we heard Peter Jennings come across the radio and say the we were bombing Bagdad. Our flight was grounded, we spent that night in the hanger at the airport, the next day in the gym of the reserve center, and were finally able to fly the next evening stopping at McGuire AFB enroute to Frankfurt where our plane was then used to evacuate civilians from Turkey and we spent 6 days in the gym waiting for another plane into theater.
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King Abdul Aziz AB (Daharan) with the 1st TFW, 1st AGS, 2th7 AMU (F-15C) out of Langley AFB. I got in country 12 Aug.
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For Desert Shield, we were alerted at midnight on August 6th, and we were the first combat troops on the ground in Saudi Arabia.
For Desert Storm, I was sitting in a fighting position just south of the Saudi-Iraq border co-located and attached to the French 6th Light Armored Division with the 1/325th AIR, watching B-52s fly over on their way north.
For Desert Storm, I was sitting in a fighting position just south of the Saudi-Iraq border co-located and attached to the French 6th Light Armored Division with the 1/325th AIR, watching B-52s fly over on their way north.
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Sitting 40 Kilometers from the border of Saudi and Kuwait with 2d Armored Division's Tiger Brigade waiting for the 2d Marines that we were attached with for the "green light". Once we got it, it was 4 days of Hell on Earth. Never forget the sounds, the sights, but most assuredly, the smells.
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SGT (Join to see)
I figured that was you on the left. I like the "Chocolate Chip" Desert cammo. I also liked the nighttime desert cammo as well - I wore the nighttime desert cammo pants as pajama bottoms.
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