30 Years Ago

[jon-nyc]

But yes.

Now the 'where were you' question. (when you found out we were actually at war)

I was walking around Dadeland Mall in Miami with a co-worker/buddy. We were in a Sharper Image store (remember those?) A woman was carrying a 'transistor radio' the size of a walkie talkie, no earphones, just holding it up to her ear, and announced 'we're at war'.

It was a much bigger deal then. Other than quick little actions at Grenada and Panama, we hadn't really done military action since Vietnam and there was a lot of public concern it wouldn't go well.

[jon-nyc]

@loki said in 30 Years Ago:

Who would have remembered off hand that it was 12 years beteeen desert storm and the shock and awe of Baghdad?

I would have. Both years are seared in memory (91, 03)

As for 2003, I was in Shanghai when that bombing started. Saw it on TV.

[Loki]

A memory I had was that Schwarzkopf had three thousand body bags ready for the operation. I think how easy it was might have even exceeded the best case scenario. I also remember seeing Mad Max style photos of the devastation of the oil fields.

[jon-nyc]

Yeah. And those Texas companies that went and put out all those oil fires.

[jon-nyc]

That was also the beginning of the end of civilized air travel.

Prior to the gulf war, anyone could walk through (light) security and go to the gate to accompany a friend or meet someone you were picking up. No ticket, no ID required.

I lived in Chicago but was working in Miami. Every other weekend I'd fly my girlfriend down. I remember the first time I couldn't meet her at the gate. She was like 'WTF' when I saw her at baggage claim. No cell phones then, of course, so she didn't know I couldn't get past security.

[Axtremus]

@jon-nyc said in 30 Years Ago:

Now the 'where were you' question. (when you found out we were actually at war)

At home reading newspapers. (Remember those?)

[Aqua Letifer]

@jon-nyc said in 30 Years Ago:

Thats the 17th

And nobody mentioned it, as far as I'm aware, so yes, I'm 10 hours off and give no fuck.

[Aqua Letifer]

I saw it on the TV. It was a big deal for us because my uncle was already over there for Desert Shield. He stayed for the duration.

[Mik]

Yep I remember it well. We were having dinner at Cactus Pear, heard that on our way out and sat in the bar for quite a while watching it as it started.

[LuFins Dad]

I was in my dorm room and we heard a call to “come check this shit out!” and we walk went to the common room and watched on CNN. At 18 years old and recently registered with Selective Service, we were particularly interested.

I turned to my roommate and asked him to marry me. My guess is that wouldn’t work anymore...

[89th]

I was 8... so to help me with context, was this a complete surprise for most of the public?

I know time/tech/info has changed so "back then" was it not clear a military engagement was imminent? The "where were you" reminds me of surprise events like JFK assassination or 9/11.

[jon-nyc]

By the time it happened it wasn’t really a surprise, the best way I can describe it is it still seemed like a bit of a step into the unknown in a way that no recent military actions have.

We still had “quagmire phobia” after Vietnam.

We then lost it after desert storm, only to catch it again 15-20 years later.

[Copper]

I remember seeing Peter Jennings on ABC on the kitchen TV when I came home from work.

And Wolf Blitzer in the hotel describing the cruise missiles

A friend of mine was the guy shooting those missiles from his B-52.

[Loki]

My memory is that it was auspicious but not so risky. Of course no one thought through all the follow on actions that gave rise to Iran as a regional power. The miscalculations by Saddam as to our responses and our lack of foresight to losing an evenly pitted Iraq and Iran deserves serious study. I’d love to read that history book.

[Copper]

And then the Highway of Death

I took these pictures on the Highway of Death 11 years earlier, it wasn't the Highway of Death back then, just some camels roaming wild.




[taiwan_girl]

@copper Cool pictures!!

[jodi]

Pregnant with my daughter. Horrible morning sickness. Living in Madison. I can picture sitting on the couch watching on T.V.

[Kincaid]

If I recall, Bush gave a deadline and just a few hours after that passed we were in. I don't recall having much concern about the fight but do think I remember thinking we might have a much higher death toll.

I remember the night vision video of all the anti-aircraft tracers and discussion of how devastating the stealth bombers were.

I just finished watching W. two nights ago.