A Look Back At The Persian Gulf War

HHS Security Assistant Reggie Barnes described his experiences when he was Sergeant Reginald Barnes, U.S. Army 1987-2000 and veteran of the Persian Gulf War.

Alejandra- "We want to thank you, not just for speaking to us today but also for helping to keep our country safe.  Please accept A World Transformed by President George H.W. Bush as a token of our appreciation."  Mr. Barnes spoke to Honor American History class on June 12th, 2014.

Andy- Why did you join the Army?  ANSWER- I was offered a basketball scholarship to Howard University.  But my father was a Green Beret during the Vietnam War and he was my hero. So I joined the Army instead.

Mr. Benny Barnes- SPC, Vietnam Veteran 1963-1966 United States Army Green Beret

Jason-  What did you think of your Commander-in-Chief, the first President Bush and were you sad when he lost the 1992 election to Bill Clinton? ANSWER- Poppa Bush was a decisive decision maker and great leader!  I think the American people as a whole just wanted a change after the war. I can't say that I was sad when he lost to Clinton, just another commander in chief replacing another.

Allie (in picture with Jason, front of Jason)-  After the war was over how long did you stay in the region and what did you do? ANSWER- Cleaned all the vehicles which meant 7 months of grime and sand, lots of busywork and prepared to go home.

Ken (in picture with Jason, back left)- We read about religious restrictions Saudi Arabia put on American soldiers, including yourself, while you were protecting their nation.  Did any of those bother you? ANSWER- I am a Christian. I usually would not wear my cross when I was in uniform. I was in a frontline combat unit and they did not enforce those restriction. I did have Scriptures inside my Kevlar. And I always carried a picture of my mom and dad.

Grace- Did you feel you were adequately trained for combat in the desert? ANSWER- Yes, we trained every day. But the  heat was tough.

Iraqi's used civilian vehicles to move their military. We used  artillery to attack the vehicles.

Some of you knew Mr. Coles.  He came to a game I was coaching.  He ran into my dad.  Turns out they knew each other in Vietnam.

I chose not to be part of the post-war parades because that stuff is really not my thing. But as it turned out I returned to Bangor, Maine and there was a parade waiting for us.  And my mother arranged for one just for me when I flew to Ft. Lauderdale.  There were all these people at the airport, news crews all that just for me.  My mom got me.

Saddam Hussein hurt his people a lot more than we did.

We were mad during the Super Bowl because right after Whitney Houston sang the National Anthem the Iraqi's jammed the signal.  No game for us to watch.

Julia- In Colin Powell's book we read about the restrictions Saudi Arabia placed on members of our armed forces. Were you guys able to sneak alcohol in Saudi Arabia? ANSWER- Some guys tried to make their own alcohol, many people thought they were chemists but then they got sick from alcohol poisoning.

Leena- President Obama removed American troops from Iraq and now that country is once again chaos. Do you support his Iraq policy? ANSWER- I do not support it but at the same time we are not the world's police and unfortunately that area of the world will always be in chaos.

Devon- What did you do in between the start of the air war and the start of the ground war?  ANSWER- A lot of training, cards, sports, dominoes, etc.

Andre- Did you think Kuwait was worth fighting for?  ANSWER- It was the right thing to do. If someone is being bullied and threatened you have to step in and fight.

Alex (at right)- Please comment on this statement- Colin Powell was a hero after the Persian Gulf War and then his reputation was damaged after the Iraq war. ANSWER- I don't think Powell was a hero. The guys in the field were the heroes.

Amasyah- What made you decide to leave the Army and did you consider rejoining during the 2^nd Iraq war? ANSWER- I did not want to go back to war though I did go to the region when President Clinton bombed Iraq in 1998.  Also I had a basketball injury so I would not have gone to the second Iraq war anyway.

Olivia (2nd left)- When you consider your service in the Persian Gulf War, what does your service mean to you?  ANSWER- At the time I didn't see the big picture. I feel lucky to be part of history.  I'm happy I came back with my sanity.

Adam (2nd row right)- What do you want us to know about war? ANSWER- Both sides lose in the end. Someone's mother ends up without a child. General Patton said "No one prays more for peace then a soldier."

Henderson- What was your highest rank and how did you achieve it?  ANSWER- I was a Sergeant E5. I achieved it by time-served, good behavior and promotions.

Mr. Barnes describes his uniform.

My chemical suit was the equivalent of two sweatpants, corduroys, two sweatshirts and a winter jacket. Between 9am and 3pm it could go from 100-130 degrees.

Isra- Are you comfortable talking about your combat experiences and if so, what was it like? ANSWER- If you've seen the movies Saving Private Ryan and Platoon, they come close to what combat was like. You may have heard of The Highway of Death.  That was difficult. The only Iraqi's I saw were in a number of pieces.

Mr. Barnes passed around pictures of his experiences in the Persian Gulf.

Leland (r)- What would you say to a HHS student who is considering joining the armed forces? ANSWER- Go into the armed forces with a plan. You will have a good experience with teamwork and leadership and it will give you great skills for a post-war job.

Ryan (back middle)- Do you still keep in touch with the men you served with and did any of them serve in the 2^nd Iraq war?  ANSWER- I have two cousins that are First Sergeants that served. I use Facebook (the way it's supposed to be used!) to keep in touch with the men I served with.

Mr. Barnes described his locations during the war.

Aubrey- What was the biggest lesson you took away from war? ANSWER- A bad day is the one you don't see the end of.

Nay- Did you agree with President Bush’s decision to end the war when he did? ANSWER- Yes, their forces were spread out and it was getting chaotic.

The Highway of Death

Sam- How did going to war impact your family? ANSWER- It was very hard on my mother.  I was the oldest of three children.  She didn't know if I was coming home or not. She became confused, it was a rough time for her.

Chris (left)- Did you meet any Iraqi soldiers and if so what was that like? ANSWER- I didn't meet any. When I did see them they were dead.

Edwing- Were you able to play sports in the Army and if so what did you play?  ANSWER- I was talented in basketball and played most of the time on an Army team. We would play Division 2 and 3 schools. We made our own court in the desert in Saudi Arabia and played there.

Natalie- What is your view of the 2^nd President Bush and how he handled the Iraq war? ANSWER- In my opinion, he wanted to have something that would be a recognized moment in his tenure as President. He wanted to leave his thumbprint. I felt as though he was using that to be his memorable moment.

Alejandra (r)- At any time when you were in the Persian Gulf, were you afraid? ANSWER- HELL YEAH!!! But I saw that fear can either cripple you or motivate you.

Jessica- Do you remember hearing President Bush say “This aggression will not stand” and if so did you think “I’m going to war”?  ANSWER- I do. I knew we were going to war at that moment.

Kyle- What were the best and worst things about being in the army? ANSWER- The best was acquiring more discipline, the travel and my friends in the Army. The worse was seeing the highway of death.

Sargeant Barnes on left