Captain Frank H. Carber Jr., JAGC, USN (RET)

Emma presents Mr. Carber, Herndon High World History teacher, with President George H.W. Bush's book All The Best and a Herndon High coffee mug in appreciation for talking to U.S. History students about his experiences on the USS Missouri during the Persian Gulf War. Mr. Carber talked to the students on June 10th, 2016.

Mr. Carber began his presentation with a survey about what students knew about the Navy and the military.

Mr. Carber explained what the symbols on his uniform and medals meant.

Janiece (right)- Was Kuwait worth risking the lives of Americans in our armed forces? ANSWER- Yes. They didn't deserve to be invaded by Iraq. I was willing to risk my life, I was ready.

Giovante (left, glasses) What was a typical day on your ship during the Persian Gulf War? ANSWER- It was training and I was with the Captain most of the day so I was able to learn a lot of information from him.

Shriya (right, third)- What was the first thing that went through your mind when President Bush announced the end of the war?  ANSWER- I thought yes it's time, we already won, we sent in our troops, we need to end it. I was ready.

Dan- If you would rather not talk about this I understand but when the Captain of your ship asked you about attacking a target, did you ever authorize an attack that later turned out to be a non-military target? ANSWER- Well the Captain always had the final authority but if my recommendation was to not attack and he did and it turned out to be a civilian that would have been a big problem for the Captain. But no that never happened. And I never gave my legal opinion which resulted in civilians being attacked.

Mr. Carber showed a brief video about what life was like on the USS Missouri while he was on the ship in the Persian Gulf during war-time.  

Alex-  What did you do for fun when aboard the ship? ANSWER-Today it is mostly video games, but we played cards and board games. We also played dice games and did weight lifting.

Robby- Do you think we should have continued on to Baghdad to take out Saddam Hussein after the Persian Gulf war? ANSWER- We stopped at the right time. There was nationalistic pride in the Middle East and if we had tried to do that we would have lost support. But Saddam was a really evil man, so much cruelty. I'm happy he is gone. I think the second President Bush made the right decision to remove him.

Samantha (left of Robby)- What was your best memory of the war? ANSWER- Teamwork was the best memory. I was glad to be part of 1,300 people working together and having that overall sense of unity.

Seif (in front of Samantha)- Why do you think the first Iraq war went so well and the second Iraq war went so bad? ANSWER- The Saudi's and other Arab nations supported the U.S. and many other nations too. In the second war we did not have the same kind of support. So we had to flex our muscles quite a bit.

Karen- Was there something you did or kept for good luck? ANSWER- A friend from church gave me a stuffed animal lamb, it was size of my finger.

Joseph- Were you aware of the actions Kuwait was doing which caused Saddam Hussein to attack and if so, did you think Kuwait had it coming?  ANSWER- I didn't know that much but I had a little sympathy for Kuwait. I did believe Saddam was a tyrant and he didn't have a legitimate reason to attack Kuwait.

Abele- Prior to the war there were media reports that the Navy was going to land in Kuwait or Iraq but that turned out to be a fake to draw Iraqi troops away from the real action. Were you aware of that or were you faked out too?  ANSWER-

Jessica (right)- Do you have any regrets from the war? ANSWER- No regrets. The war did remind me that it is terrible for both sides. Both families are hurt.

Kiambrae- America always thinks we are the good guys but what would you say to the family members of those killed by America in the second Iraq War? ANSWER- I haven't killed anyone but indeed we killed people. It's hard, heartfelt loss, very sad. But I would blame Saddam even though we are a flawed nation.

Kelsey (left)- What was the food like on your ship? ANSWER- The food was good. There were some times when you had powdered milk and cans of fruit and vegetables.

Lydia- Did you send and receive letters and if so what sorts of things did you write about and receive? ANSWER- Yes. We would get letters from people we didn't know expressing their appreciation. Sending and receiving letters was a big part of life on the ship. I responded to an 8 year-old girl who sent a nice letter.

Haley- How would you compare your feelings going into the war vs. coming out of the war? Answer-I think about excitement then somber from war, pride in the U.S.

Maria- What were your thoughts when Saddam Hussein was executed? ANSWER- Saddam Hussein was a very evil man. He tortured his own people and it seemed like he did it for his own pleasure. Justice had been served once he died. And I was glad the Iraqi's did it.

Sujata- Was there celebrating on your ship when President Bush ended the war? ANSWER- Yes, we had barbeque and beer.

Emma- It sounds like you were an important person on your ship. What advantage did you have over the typical sailor? ANSWER- I was able to sit through a lot of important meetings. I was able to hear the decision-making and the process in which things were done. It was an honor considering the Captain had so much power.

Jen- Knowing what you know now about the Iraq war, if you could go back in time would you advise President Bush not to launch that war? ANSWER- The first one I would, the second  one was a little tougher since the enemy turned on us. But I still think it was the right decision.

Keiry (right)- I know you have a daughter, how would you feel if your daughter told you she wanted to join the armed forces? ANSWER- I'd be proud. But you have to realize you may have to kill someone and there is a chance you would have to go to combat. So I would sit down and talk to her and I'd say "Go ahead Sweetie, any service is honorable." 

Leslie- Starting with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, at what point did you think "I may be headed to the Persian Gulf"? ANSWER- Right away. I thought I would be sent out.

Emily gets a Dessert Storm T-Shirt from Mr. Carber. Her question- What was your view of Colin Powell during the Persian Gulf War and then again during the Iraq war? ANSWER- He was a God. Everyone loved him and still do, he is very respected. When he claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction his reputation took a hit. Originally everyone believed him but once they realize he was wrong people were concerned.

Alice (center) -What were you doing and how did you feel when the war started? ANSWER- I was watching CNN news was fascinated with the beginning of the war. I was at an airport the day after the war started and it was a surreal experience.

Rochelle (right)- What did you fear most while at war? ANSWER- Gas and missile attacks. Even though the gas attack warning was false, the warning scared me the most because I wasn't sure if the mask would really save me.

President Bush (right), Captain Carber's Commander-in-Chief during the Persian Gulf War is very proud of his service.