Twenty years

Twenty years ago yesterday, the second Gulf War started.

I was still in the RAF then, and I knew war was coming.

I returned to work after the Christmas and New Year break, and was called into the Flight Sergeant's office, where I was told that Dave Boxhall and I were to be part of the first deployment and to go to stores to collect kit.

All change.

For the first war, the MOD had bought way too much kit, and we used lots that was out of date in drills. So, they were not going to make the same mistake second time around. There was almost no kit. One of the things we needed were non-drill cannisters for our gas masks, as the ones we had were just for drill, like with tear gas. They had enough for one each, which we would have to change if there was gas used, or the one we were using got wet.

We were assured there would be supplies "in theatre".

Hmmm.

Here's the thing about the Air Force: we are a fighting force, but its the officers in their shiny and dangerous planes that do the fighting and warring, we just maintain them, prep weapons and drink team and play Uckers. We know that if came down to the fact we had to defend our airfield than shit had gone badly wrong, and anyway, airfields were hundreds of miles, usually, behing allied lines.

So we then had to go on a crash course on patrolling, cooking 24 hour rations and the such. It was all so suddenly real. The plan was for ground forces to enter the country and take Iraqi airfrields, and we would deploy there and then conduct operations.

Sounded well dangerous.

We were told to pack pour kit and be ready to move at two hours notice. We had to have our mobile with us 24 hours a day, and there would be serious consequences if we did not respond.

I had to go to the Army and Navy shop in Norwich to get the kit I would need to be able to live: head torch, knife, etc, etc.

Then we waited.

And waited.

My friends on base who were in bomb disposal, then went and deployed, and in their armoured carrier were run over by an American tanks and were badly injured.

Back in England, we waited.

And waited.

Planes from our base could only carry one bomb, it was designed as a trainer after all, so when Turkey banned NATO planes from using its bases, pads were in short supply, so the Jags, and us had to wait.

And wait.

In the end, 73 days after standing to, we were stood down. Shock and awe had won out.

Later that year, I was on a training course in preparation for leaving the Mob, and I was talking to an Army NBC NCO who said when they went into Iraq that first night, his troop had 10 rounds on the magazine loaded, with the order to make contact with any American unit to ask for any spare they might have.

Sadly, this was the reality.

That's before we get to the lgality of it all. Don't get me started.

And then there is the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civillians who were killed or wounded so Bush JR could have a war.