U.S. DECLARES WAR

In August of 1990 President George Bush sent the first troops to Saudi Arabia in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. "The mission of our troops is wholly defensive. They will not inflate hostilities'." Over the next few months the U.S. increased its number of troops while trying to reach an agreement on the withdrawal of Iraq from Kuwait. In January of 1991 U.S. planes begin their bombing runs in Iraq. Daily news conferences are held showing the accuracy and technological strength of the Armed Forces. On the homefront a massive campaign of "Support Our Troops" is launched. Questions of whether or not the U.S. should be involved arise. By the 27th of February the hostilities cease and America declares itself the unanimous victor of the most successful military campaign ever launched.

Despite George Bush's assurance that the war in the Persian Gulf would not be another Vietnam, it had many similarities. For our generation this was our first war. I was sixteen and unsure of how long this war would last. It was the first time we considered having to do something for our country. My father and his father fought in previous wars, was it my turn now? Questions about a draft circulated and all of a sudden we found ourselves questioning the war. What was really going on? It seemed like another example of economics influencing our foreign policy. We were no longer the "watchdog" we read about in the history books, but more of a tyrant. The "Support the Troops" campaign helped our men avoid the problems that most Vietnam veterans faced when they returned home, but it also took the focus away from the U.S. Government's role and allowed it to continue the war without questions. Since the war, we have learned that it wasn't as big of a success as we were first led to believe. And it has come to be another example of the government trying to hide their failures and mistakes from the public eye.

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