Since Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm!
v6, boNes
Last edited by bones; 01/17/2007:07 PM.
"Also, I would prefer a back seater over the extra gas any day. I would have 80 pounds of flesh to eat and a pair of glasses to start a fire." --F/A-18 Hornet pilot
Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 121,483PanzerMeyer
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PanzerMeyer
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Saddam's invasion of Kuwait happened the summer after my junior year in high school and Desert Storm happened during my senior year in high school.
I still remember very vividly waking up from a nap one early evening and turning on the tv and seeing the now famous night-vision CNN footage of the Iraqi anti-aircraft fire over Baghdad as Desert Shield began.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
Yeah, I noticed that this morning and it was a jolt. Time does indeed "fly".
"In the vast library of socialist books, there’s not a single volume on how to create wealth, only how to take and “redistribute” it.” - David Horowitz
Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 121,483PanzerMeyer
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PanzerMeyer
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Originally Posted by NoFlyBoy
My girlfriend of the time was with me and she started crying.
She kept asking me what will happen now.
She thought the world was going to end in a nuclear war.
It seems like your girlfriend at the time could have used a course on contemporary Middle Eastern politics and weapon capabilities.
Having said that, I look back with some amusement at the severe over-reaction the Western media had over the capabilities of the Iraqi SCUD missiles.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
I did not worry much, although it all unraveled at the end , we were lucky in that we had a steady hand in the US and the UK.
Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Having said that, I look back with some amusement at the severe over-reaction the Western media had over the capabilities of the Iraqi SCUD missiles.
Israel took it so seriously that they were just about ready to strike Iraqi targets (when SCUD missiles started to hit Israel (*) ) and only the direct intervention and assurance by the US prevented it, the great SCUD hunt followed and they managed to sort of contain it.
The impact of the SCUD can be seen today in the extensive layered defenses Israel set up, the Hezbollah threat against Israel derives from the out of proportion impact those SCUD had on Israel at the time.
(*) as a side note: all US deployed Patriot SAM in Israel that fired at SCUD missiles missed, not one hit according to Israelis and at best they hit some of the debris when the SCUD came crashing down.
Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 121,483PanzerMeyer
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PanzerMeyer
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Originally Posted by Tom_Weiss
(*) as a side note: all US deployed Patriot SAM in Israel that fired at SCUD missiles missed, not one hit according to Israelis and at best they hit some of the debris when the SCUD came crashing down.
Thanks for this info. I did not know this.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
I remember doing an inventory after hours at work. We'd been waiting for it, knew it was coming but when the manager came out and said "We're at war" it was a bit surreal. We stopped the inventory and went home.
"In the vast library of socialist books, there’s not a single volume on how to create wealth, only how to take and “redistribute” it.” - David Horowitz
(*) as a side note: all US deployed Patriot SAM in Israel that fired at SCUD missiles missed, not one hit according to Israelis and at best they hit some of the debris when the SCUD came crashing down.
Thanks for this info. I did not know this.
you should then watch this
at the end you realize that the (conventional) battle was won by the Coalition but the winner in the end was Saddam Hussein : his only goal was (for him and) his regime to survive - and he did just that.
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PanzerMeyer
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Originally Posted by Tom_Weiss
his only goal was (for him and) his regime to survive - and he did just that.
Compared to what happened to Germany in both WWI and WWII, Saddam did indeed make out like a bandit after he was kicked out of Kuwait. Sure, the majority of his military was destroyed and there were the "No Fly" zones but Iraq was never occupied and he stayed in power.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
Saddam was a serial blunderer - every decision he took misfired.
He saved the bulk of the Republican Guard for a battle that did not take place when the Coalition declined to pursue the war to its logical conclusion.
It was not so much that he managed to ensure his ( win ) survival , it was that the Coalition ( i.e. the US ) did a full stop once the primary and main objective of the war was achieved : securing the Oil fields of Kuwait.
Oil fields saved, Mission Accomplished .
Saddam remains in power and turns on those that rose against him and starts the slaughter.
The No Fly zone was a belated reaction when the size and scope of the humanitarian catastrophe ( due to Saddam's actions against the opposition ) was realized by the Coalition - and that it would be a PR disaster that would soil the afterglow of the Nintendo-style War.
Well, it was Jan 17 local time/date really. . The ground campaign didn't start until Feb 24 though.
v6, boNes
"Also, I would prefer a back seater over the extra gas any day. I would have 80 pounds of flesh to eat and a pair of glasses to start a fire." --F/A-18 Hornet pilot
Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 121,483PanzerMeyer
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PanzerMeyer
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Originally Posted by Meatsheild
... i totally missed the entire thing .. only being 2 at the time
So Maggie was still PM when you were born. That's good to know!
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
I was managing a software store at the time, and we had a TV with a VCR to play promotional videos, but I put it out and was able to get a news channel over the air and kept it on for the first few days.
After the conflict was over, combat simulators were booming (no pun intended), and Discovery Wings went into high gear.
Ken Cartwright
No single drop of rain feels it is responsible for the flood.
Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 121,483PanzerMeyer
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PanzerMeyer
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Originally Posted by Arthonon
I was managing a software store at the time,
Ok, so I have to ask the burning question. Was it Egghead, Electronics Boutique or Babbages?
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
(*) as a side note: all US deployed Patriot SAM in Israel that fired at SCUD missiles missed, not one hit according to Israelis and at best they hit some of the debris when the SCUD came crashing down.
This BBC documentary say "42x41" Patriot success ratio over Israel.
(*) as a side note: all US deployed Patriot SAM in Israel that fired at SCUD missiles missed, not one hit according to Israelis and at best they hit some of the debris when the SCUD came crashing down.
This BBC documentary say "42x41" Patriot success ratio over Israel.
Actually, it says that then President Bush claimed it, but shortly after that, the video says that Israel claimed they all missed. I'm not sure anyone really knows the success rate.
Ken Cartwright
No single drop of rain feels it is responsible for the flood.
Actually, it says that then President Bush claimed it, but shortly after that, the video says that Israel claimed they all missed. I'm not sure anyone really knows the success rate.
o i'm sure there's a record of it somewhere, now whether it 'officially' exists or not ..?
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