Note: The opening clip is President George H.W. Bush, 1991.
As I report to you, air attacks are underway against military targets in Iraq. We are determined to knock out Saddam Hussein's nuclear bomb.
Kellams: Let's welcome in Randy Dixon with the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History. Hello, Randy.
Dixon: Hi, Kyle. How are you?
Kellams: Fine. What are we here to start this Monday?
Dixon: That was President George H.W. Bush in 1991, and today we're going to talk about another Middle East war. George Bush was president, and Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had invaded their neighbor Kuwait. Kuwait was an ally and an oil supplier to the United States. The United Nations gave Iraq a deadline of Jan. 15, 1991, to withdraw. On Jan. 12, ahead of that deadline, President Bush gained congressional approval to launch Operation Desert Storm. Saddam Hussein let the Jan. 15 deadline pass, and two days after that, the U.S. led a coalition of 40 other U.N. countries to liberate Kuwait. Here's ABC News.
[Peter Jennings, ABC News, 1991:]
I'm Peter Jennings at ABC News headquarters in New York. Our continuing coverage of the war in the Persian Gulf. Six minutes after 10 in the East, six minutes after 7 on the Pacific coast, and six minutes after 6 in Baghdad. What we have coming in now are the very first pictures from Baghdad — 27 hours ago, this is what it sounded like. Remember now that cruise missiles, in part, were the first things launched against the power grid on the edges of Baghdad. Baghdad is also ringed by anti-aircraft facilities. You can see them going off all at once. There are SAM sites in the western side of the city. These are shot with a night scope by ITN, the Independent Television News cameramen with whom we work in Baghdad.
Dixon: That was about 24 hours after the war began. If you think about the technology — he's saying "first pictures" — it took that long because there was not a satellite uplink out of Iraq at the time. They had to get that video to a safe country where they could uplink it. Once the war began, ABC pretty much took over the airwaves. Peter Jennings went wall to wall, as we call it, with coverage. KATV didn't even get a local newscast until the second day, and they weren't really newscasts. We called it a Gulf War update. Here's one of them.
[KATV, 1991:]
The Gulf War and the Arkansas connection from Channel 7 News. This is a Desert Storm update. Good evening. More Arkansas troops have joined Desert Storm. I'm Gina Curry. I'm Andy Pearson. Even though President Bush has not ordered ground troops into Iraq and Kuwait, nearly 800 soldiers with the 1-42nd in northwest Arkansas are on their way to the desert tonight. The troops have been training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. When they pulled out this morning, our newsstar reporter Tracey Winchell was there.
Even though spirits seem to be high, the eyes betray the concerns of these husbands, fathers and sons.
[Soldier:]
These guys — I think a lot of the concern you see today is just that the gravity of the situation is sinking in. But at the same time, we know what we're going there for, and we're ready.
[Winchell:]
Some of these soldiers have told us that as soon as they found out allied forces had begun bombing Baghdad, they felt a lot better. They tell us that while the threat of chemical warfare has not been eliminated, it's certainly been reduced, and therefore their chances of coming home are much better. I'm Tracey Winchell, Channel 7 News, Fort Sill.
Support and opposition to the war by Americans is mounting. In this third day of war in Arkansas, a full slate of rallies across the state. Special assignment reporter Regina Blakely is at the Capitol.
[Blakely:]
Just a couple of hours ago there were a lot of people out here on the Capitol steps expressing their support for the troops overseas, and as you can see around me, they're still here.
[Crowd:]
USA! USA!
[Blakely:]
Central Avenue in Hot Springs divided those opposing and supporting the war, while local police stayed in the middle trying to keep the peace. Those against the war held signs asking others to join in, and there was some support — but also disagreement.
[Hot Springs resident:]
We wish there was peace, but now they're fighting. We have to support them.
[Blakely:]
Meanwhile, in Little Rock, Arkansas teachers braved the morning's rain. They were not divided. The Arkansas Education Association had planned this rally for months. It was originally intended to be a show of support for a pay hike proposal before this session of the General Assembly, but with the outbreak of war, the rally and speeches took on an added theme: support for troops in the Gulf.
[Teacher:]
And everywhere overseas today they live in fear — fear because of what is happening now in the Persian Gulf.
[Blakely:]
While there was unity among teachers, there was again a difference of opinion in Fayetteville. Those expressing opposition to the war marched in front of the federal building. They were greeted by members of a support rally just beginning to disperse from an earlier march. Although the two groups were verbally confrontational, no injuries or arrests were reported.
Kellams: You mentioned there was a coalition of more than three dozen countries. Many of those were from the Middle East.
Dixon: They were Arab countries. And Iraq, in an attempt to fracture this coalition, attacked Israel with Scud missiles Isreal to try to get them involved. But the Israelis showed restraint and withheld from retaliation. That caused great tension with Israelis around the world, including in Arkansas. Here's KATV again.
[KATV:]
Iraq's bombing of Israel has brought a sharp response from Arkansas's Jewish community today. They both say it's incredible the restraint that Israel is showing, but they say this restraint may not last.
And the 119th Personal Service Company based at Camp Robinson has been alerted for possible Gulf duty.
Rabbi Eugene Levy of Little Rock is extremely concerned about the new dynamics of the Gulf situation and its impact on Israel. That concern was amplified less than 24 hours ago after Iraq used Scud missiles to attack Israel. Rabbi Levy says Iraq's unprovoked aggression towards a Jewish state is despicable, and if Hussein tries again, it could mean the end of Iraq.
[Rabbi Eugene Levy:]
It is now Shabbat eve. It's Friday night — late Friday night, going into the morning hours in Israel. And if they're attacked to a great extent, they may very well come back, and I think if they wanted to, they could easily wipe out the entire country of Iraq.
Which obviously means the Jordanians are totally behind him.
[KATV:]
A rabbi in Hot Springs, Angela Graboys, used to live in Israel and refers to it as her extended family. Graboys says when she heard about the Iraqi attack, she was so horrified her opinion about the war changed from dove to hawk.
[Rabbi Angela Graboys:]
My position has changed dramatically because I see this now in terms of defending human lives, self-defense. And when someone is coming at you with a knife, you have one choice, and that's to defend yourself and your loved ones and your family.
Dixon: You know, reporters were on the roof of buildings and there would be a siren — always fear of nerve gas being in those warheads. Do you remember the Scud Stud?
Dixon: Yeah.
Kellams: What was his name?
Dixon: Arthur Kent. He was from NBC — good-looking guy, perfect hair, always out there with a leather bomber jacket on. He made quite a name for himself. KATV was doing almost daily stories about Arkansas troops being called up for duty. Here's an example.
[KATV:]
Good evening. With Operation Desert Storm well underway, more reserve troops from Arkansas are being activated. I'm Gina Curry. I'm Andy Pearson. As we told you yesterday, two Arkansas Army Reserve units got their orders today. One National Guard unit is also on alert. But for the 444th in East Camden, today is time for duty. Tom Lamont is standing by live in East Camden.
[Lamont:]
With less than 24 hours' notice, 96 percent of the 444th Maintenance Company has already reported for active duty. The 200 members of the Army Reserve unit stationed in East Camden is the largest of its kind in the four-state region. According to the unit commander, the 444th is now ready to serve its country, either in the Persian Gulf or somewhere in the United States. Final orders won't come until next week. The unit repairs and maintains heavy ground equipment. Some of its members are so new they still haven't been issued Army uniforms, while others have been around for quite some time.
[Unit commander:]
We have some soldiers that do the same job — have done the same job in Vietnam — that they're doing here. So the experience level is quite enormous.
[Lamont:]
Andy and Gina, it's pretty quiet right now here at the Army Reserve Center as troops get ready for a busy day tomorrow. I spent most of the day talking to members of the 444th, and they tell me they don't believe they will be deployed to the Middle East right away, at least initially. But if we do get involved in a ground attack, they have a feeling they might be going over there.
Kellams: Obviously this would dominate the news — not just troops, but protests around Arkansas, pro and con, and worries on the periphery, like the economy, airport security, gas prices. Gas prices were big, just as we're hearing now. This is a live interview with a petroleum expert, and in this case, gas prices actually went down.
[KATV:]
Oil was selling at $32 a barrel on Wednesday. Yesterday, during some last-minute trading, oil was going for $18 a barrel — the cheapest price since July. Tom Parker is the executive director of Arkansas Petroleum, and he joins us now live from a gas station in North Little Rock. Mr. Parker, what do you think we're going to see at the pumps this next week?
[Parker:]
Well, Gina, we would expect that the markets may fluctuate wildly depending on the news from the Middle East. We do expect to see prices recede in sync with what the cost of crude is. Whether that will be next week or not, I really don't have that information.
We've heard of booby traps in the Kuwaiti oil fields, and the Saudi fields are under attack, although they haven't been damaged that much. Will we see $2 a gallon if there is an attack on the Saudi oil fields?
We don't think so, Andy, if consumers remain calm.
Dixon: Just to clarify, gas prices had actually spiked in August 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait. They went up, and then once Desert Storm began and some control was taken over the region, prices started to come down and stayed down.
On another topic, KATV also checked in with foreign citizens living in Arkansas with families and friends in the war zone.
[KATV:]
The war in the Persian Gulf has left many families separated — not only Americans, but people from the Middle East also. Many students from Arab countries come here to go to college. Betsy Pilgrim went to ASU in Jonesboro today to see how they're handling the situation.
[Pilgrim:]
Not far from the ASU campus sits a traditional-looking mosque, a reflection of the high concentration of Muslims in Jonesboro. What's drawn them here, in part, is a project that trains customs officers from Saudi Arabia. Since the war broke out, much of their free time is spent together, whether it's watching TV or drinking coffee and talking about the situation in their country.
[Trainee:]
The only thing that's different would be a high degree of concern for the welfare of their family, which is very natural. If you are here and your family is in Riyadh, where Scud missiles are coming, you will be worried.
[Pilgrim:]
Omar Al-Omar is from Riyadh. His parents, wife and kids are still there. One of the missiles hit just a mile from their house.
[Al-Omar:]
Whenever they had some Scud missiles going on there, I just picked up the phone and said, "What's going on?"
[Pilgrim:]
Omar and other Muslims say because of their religion, they have faith they'll see their families again. Omar also says only one thing will end the war.
[Al-Omar:]
Saddam's death.
Betsy Pilgrim, Channel 7 News, Jonesboro.
Kellams: So you had the deadline, the buildup, and the air war lasted about five weeks. But there was a ground war.
Dixon: Yes. The ground war started Feb. 24. So we're talking mid-January for Desert Storm to start. Here's some local coverage from KATV shortly after the ground war began.
[KATV:]
Families in Arkansas are reacting with mixed emotions to the latest events in the Persian Gulf. Forty-eight hours into the ground attack, tension remains high for at least two families with husbands and sons taking part in Operation Desert Storm.
The only thing she knows for sure is that her 20-year-old son, John, is somewhere in the Middle East — a Marine and part of the ground infantry. The Matuszek family believes John is now probably on the front line fighting to retake Kuwait. Thinking about their son 24 hours a day, the Matuszeks say they have been living in fear ever since the ground war started, but are relieved things appear to be going well for allied troops.
[Mrs. Matuszek:]
Terrified. Glad it's going on. Glad they're starting it. The sooner they get it over with, the sooner our kids come home.
[Cheryl Bright:]
I still don't know what's going to happen from day to day, but at least it's started.
[KATV:]
Separated since November, Cheryl Bright keeps a picture of her husband, Daryl, close at all times. Daryl is a helicopter pilot in charge of a medical evacuation unit stationed in Saudi Arabia. Bright says her husband has already flown several missions, and like her spouse, she was ready for the ground war to begin.
[Bright:]
Very much so. I am just very pleased at the way it's going. I am so relieved that we don't have that many casualties, and that number is low for the kind of confrontation that we're having.
Kellams: Were there conversations in your newsroom about whether to call it a war or not?
Dixon: No.
Kellams: You just call it a war. It was armed conflict.
Dixon: And the ground war lasted only four days. The goal was to liberate Kuwait. That's why we went in there. Hussein had invaded them, our mission was to free Kuwait, we went in with our coalition, did it in four days, and then eventually were out of there.
KATV over that period of time did an uncountable number of stories. And this was pre-internet, so we even created these trifold brochures that you could request with a self-addressed stamped envelope. We sent out thousands of Gulf War brochures with maps and a glossary of terms — what is a Scud, different things like that. And here's something interesting. Ned Perme even added a Middle East forecast to his evening weather.
[Perme:]
Take a look at the latest satellite photograph from the Middle East, and we will show you an area of low pressure, pretty well defined, and a frontal system starting to move through the northern sections of Saudi Arabia, and cloud cover over all of Iraq. Not only are we dealing with the cloud cover, but there have also been periods of intermittent showers throughout northern sections of Saudi Arabia and throughout Iraq. What effect it's having on the military operations there is still not known.
Kellams: This was 35 years ago. Media was far different back then.
Dixon: I think next week we should look at the next Bush — George W. — and his Gulf War. He went back in 2003. This was called Operation Iraqi Freedom.
It was a little different situation. We're going to talk about the local connections and the local coverage for that.
Kellams: I also want to point out that the Pryor Center is in the middle of a project to record stories of Arkansans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Dixon: Cate Schlessinger, formerly of the Democrat-Gazette, who was a war-embedded reporter during those conflicts. She is working with us and is going to interview the soldiers she was with.
Kellams: We have a conversation with her on Ozarks at Large in the next few days.
Dixon: And you'll be hearing more about her project and how you can find it on the Pryor Center website.
Kellams: So we're going to have a special this week. As you've probably heard, Coach Lou Holtz died last week at the age of 89. This week we'll have a special edition of the Pryor Center Profile with a look at Holtz's seven years as a Razorback and his remarkable job as a coach. Can we end with a little preview?
Dixon: Yes. This is a clip from the KATV news collection of Lou Holtz in 1978.
[Holtz, 1978:]
A young man comes to the University of Arkansas and we can do everything for him but he can do nothing for us — then he is going to be unhappy. If he comes here and we can do everything for him and he can do nothing for us, then we're going to be a little bit unhappy in the long run. So it's a marriage, trying to find the young man who can enjoy success academically and athletically, conduct himself the manner we want, achieve success in the classroom, and at the same time help us continue the tradition of Arkansas. Then you have a good marriage.
Kellams: More with the late Lou Holtz on a special edition of Profiles coming up later this week. Thank you, Randy.
Dixon: Thank you. See you in a couple of days.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
