Watched it unfold on the tele in the Navigator's shack in the mighty ARK steaming full speed through th Med to sit in a box 30 miles south of Cyprus for the duration. Apparently we're entitled to a medal for that!

Watching at Uni, never thinking that I would be in PSAB for the second attempt let alone twice since then:cool:

On the floor of the female schoolies lounge in block 32? :) adjacent to the OM Akronelli, trying to catch a few Z's, accompanied by the rest of 6 Albert crews:(
Part of a 6 crew/2 aircraft reinforcement of Herc Det Riyhad ( for the hauling of bullets, bombs'n bodies???).
Departed Wiltshires finest secret airbase pm on 16th hoping to make it ( augmented crew rules???) in 2 hops with quick refuel on Kebab Island. However!! the noisey bit started whilst we were en-route and by the time we arrived at Akronelli AirOps hoping for a superfast refuel/turnround/int-update/greasy breakfast/DF upload, the first of Saddoes Cruds had impacted Telaviv!!!! As most people thought that our twitchy IAF buddies would react with Buckets of Sunshine (all be it small ones??), the "sitch" was a little uncertain. Anyway the only Int that AkroAirOps had was what they were getting from CNN and, as they couldn't provide us with the latest Modes/ Codes(IFF stuff) to get us past "RedCrown", (USS "Something big withlotsa Firepower" acting as sort of Red Sea bouncer) , further progress was rather limited.
So they said gotabed/getsome sleep/we'll call you.
So we said, OK where sleep??
They said, err, standby one!!
While they sorted that out, we debussed at the OM en masse,commandeered the BBC2 room and watched the early bits of the war on CNN whilst eating whats left of our rather stale AH boxes (provided by our secret home base!!)
Eventually they announced that the only accom they could provide at short notice (there is a war on you know!!) was on the floor in the Lady Schoolies block??? WAY-HEY!! there is a god!!
However, a couple of hours after getting our heads down (in the sleeping sense,honest), duty gremlin from AirOps woke us gently and said "Orl Sorted".
They had managed to come up with some numbers for us to blagg our way past the Spams riding herd on the Red Sea, and more importantly, the I's had been talked out of using Instant Sunshine.
So off we set for the delights of downtown Riyhad. We arrived at the half finished International Airport in early darkness to be greeted by wailing tannoy noise (call to prayer for locals??).Nope! Crud Alert!!!
Rapid deplane from Alberts, goonsuit/mask clad, rushed for cover through lots of dangly bits of plastic curtain and powdery Fullers Earth trays, and hid under nearest table; bravely.
The rest is another story, (or several actually!!)
XFT
:cool:

Sitting on a night shift in civvy ATC in the UK, watching the initial kick off on CNN. We then put the radar out to max and could see the trails heading out of the US/UK bases in the early morning, very sobering realising that this was not an 'exercise'

Wave 2 of the opening gambit - in a pair of Victor K2s leading 4 Tornados towards their ingress runs. Only 3 Tornados come back. The other one? Peters and Nicholls, already scurrying around like scorpions in the sand.

Remember feeling a lot pi$$ed off a little bit earlier when the Lossie Staish flew down to St M to breif the Bucc guys and then left again less than an hour later (IIRC) without coming to brief us. Our boss had the unenviable task of giving us the brief. Buccs back immediately for pink paint jobs. We to remain for a couple of days. The JMC is cancelled. Oh, and it has been decided that the U.S. will provide the airbourne early warning coverage. So sorry guys. All those years of training and effort, and unique skills are appreciated but...

The Buccs started departing North within the hour. Base told us that our hangar was now a spray shop. Everything going in green and coming out pink. Aircraft, bowsers, GPU's ladders etc. Oh, and we wern't required to deploy. Damn, damn, damn. Maybe 'they' might change their minds.

Night of the wife's birthday, we're still South when the balloon goes up. Everybody glued to any telly they can find. Cheering our boys on while wishing them all the best of British and hoping for safe returns.

Finally back North. Still not required. Like everyone else who wasn't 'there' we did all we could to try and do our bit. 8 Sqn apron became a huge VASS for more Fat Alberts than I realised we had. We all became equipment movers and loaders, getting the turn around times down as fast as possible knowing there were a bunch of our friends/mates/fellow RAF types needing all this stuff now. Bowsers into a Heavylift Belslow, Bucc GE into Hercs. All a bit of a blur now. Those Herc crews never got the official recognition they deserved. Still going with major unservicabilities including the worst flowing fuel leak I have ever seen in a wing. Salute them all.

Selfish feelings of dissapointment rapidly changed to immense pride for our boys and girls in light blue doing their stuff, and sadness for those who didn't return and their families.

Sixteen years ago? Naw, It really was only yesterday. And 'they' never did change their minds. And the inside of the hangar had a pink tinge to it for a long time afterwards.

camlobe

Duty barman - Sgts Mess RAF Upavon - stunned silence when I announced to the gathered drinkers - a toast for those far away from home - closed the bar much to the disgust of the civies present - blue jobs had work to go to at 0200 in the morning - seem to recall the duty clerk was `socially confused`

Sounds like we were there together, I was on Saudi F2's, you ? Feel free to PM

GW1
 

I am really absolutley delighted at the number of replies from people who were, in general, in different areas/continents/commands etc but, as involved in the war as we were.

However, despite that, the adulation/press attention at the time suggested that we were considered to be the best etc. Not correct, if it wasn't for the support/eng, ops, nbc and admin personnel, et al, who ensured that we, and our aircraft, were on the line on time and that our safety was guanteed, we could not have contributed what we did:ok: .

The jet is only servicable if the "ginger's" say it is!

Ex 31 sqn nav (threeputts)

At school nearing my GCSE's thinking........blimey, this is a real war on telly! What the f00k is going on!! All a bit odd as the last major televised skirmish was the Falklands and I couldn't really remember much of that.

Nearing the end of pilot training and watching the war on the tele in the snake pit of the O'mess in Moose Jaw.

CFS groundschool. It was hell!

On Olive Trail.

On Duty
 

In a boat yard in Lymington, Hants, working on an Admirals' Cup boat. The RAF had cheerfully released me and about 10 colleagues to race for a year in spite of Op Granby. Like other posters, I felt a bit left out. Made up for it since - the Balkans, Saudi, (post 9/11) and off to the Stan shortly. Plus ca change, as others have said.

I worked for Flight International then. When the Buccs deployed I received a Telex from 24Sqn, South African Air Force, the Bucc mates at Waterkloof. They asked me to forward it to the RAF Bucc force, which I did,sending it on to 12 at Lossie. I can't remember the exact words but it said something like: "God speed and Good Luck, wish we could be with you".

Maybe in 12's Line Book?

Polishing Sea Kings at Finningley, oooops Robin Hood Intl.

Working as an augmentee in the SF Cell at PWHQ at High Wycombe. We'd just got a couple of further augmentees from R Sqn as watchkeepers, so the SO1 decides to take his regular SO2s (two brown, two or three light blue) out for a meal as it's the first time we could all escape together.

Check in by 'phone when we get back from the fleshpots of High Wycombe, "to see if all is quiet".

"Very quiet in the office ...." says very laid-back watchkeeper, "....but we appear to be bombing Baghdad!"

Instant sobriety, back down the hole and a long time 'til the next evening off .......

Flying a Gazelle around on goggles trying to avoid dead camels and sand dunes.:eek: