Transcript The Gulf War

The Gulf War
George Bush Sr.
Historical Context
• President George Herbert Walker Bush was
born in Milton, Massachusetts, on June 12,
1924.
• He enlisted in the armed forces on his 18th
birthday.
• He was the youngest pilot in the Navy.
• He flew 58 combat missions during WWII.
• He was shot down by Japanese antiaircraft,
and was rescued by a U. S. submarine.
Historical Context Cont.
• He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for
bravery in action.
• Bush then turned his energies on completing his
education and raising a family.
• In 1945 he married Barbara Pierce.
• They had six children-George, Robin (who died as a
child), John (known as Jeb), Neil, Marvin, and
Dorothy.
• He attended Yale University where he excelled both
in sports and in his studies; he was captain of the
baseball team and a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
• After graduation Bush embarked on a career in the
oil industry of West Texas.
Historical Context Cont.
• He served two terms as a Representative to
Congress from Texas.
• He ran unsuccessfully for the Senate twice.
• Bush was appointed to several high-level
positions: Ambassador to the United
Nations, Chairman of the Republican
National Committee, Chief of the U.S.
Liaison Office in the People’s Republic of
China, and the Director of the Central
Intelligence Agency.
Historical Context Cont.
• In 1980 he campaigned for the
Republican nomination for President.
• He lost, but was chosen as a running
mate for Ronald Reagan.
• He was Vice President for 8 years.
• In 1988 he was elected President of
the United States.
Historical Context Cont.
• During his term of office, the cold war
ended, the Berlin Wall fell, and the Soviet
Union ceased to exist.
• President Bush sent American troops into
Panama to overthrow the corrupt regime of
General Manuel Noriega, who was brought to
the U.S. for trial as a drug trafficker.
• Bush’s greatest test came when Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait,
then threatened to move into Saudi Arabia.
Historical Context Cont.
• On September 11, 1990,Bush sent
425,000 American troops to the
region, they were joined by 118,000
troops from allied nations.
• On January 16,1991 the United States
declared war on Iraq and began a
massive air attack on Iraq.
• On February 23,1991 allied troops
invaded Iraq.
Historical Context Cont.
• Four days later the war was over.
• The ground war lasted only one
hundred hours, the shortest war in
history at the time.
• Hussein was still in power but no
longer occupied Kuwait.
Intended Audience
• The intended audience for this
document was the American People.
• Bush complemented and thanked the
Service men, women, and their
families.
• He was good at describing why the
United States needed to get militarily
involved in this conflict.
Main Points
• WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS IN THIS
ENDEAVOR.
• Our brave servicemen and women stand watch in
that distant desert and on distant seas, side by
side with the forces of more than 20 other
nations.
• We gather tonight, witnesses to the events in the
Persian Gulf as significant as they are tragic.
• A powerful Iraqi army invaded its trusting and
much weaker neighbor, Kuwait
• Within 3 days, 120,000 Iraqi troops with 850
tanks had poured into Kuwait and moved south to
threaten Saudi Arabia.
Main Points Cont.
• If we are strong and unified,
we cannot be defeated and this
will not be another Vietnam.
• If there ever was a time to put country before
self and patriotism before party, the time is now.
• Our ability to function effectively as a great
power abroad depends on how we conduct
ourselves at home.
Main Points Cont.
• In the new world order, this type of aggression will
not stand, and nearly the whole world is with us in
this fight against Saddam Hussein.
• “This is not, as Saddam Hussein would have it, the United
States against Iraq. It is Iraq against the world.”
• The test we face is great, and so are the stakes.
• “This is the first assault on the new world that we seek, the
first test of our mettle.”
• “America and the world must stand up against aggression
and-we will.”
• To help defray costs, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
and the UAE-the United Arab Emirates-have pledged to
provide our deployed troops with all the food and fuel they
need.
Main Points Cont.
• Oil in in the Middle East is important to
our national security and to the world
economy.
• “Iraq itself controls some ten percent of
the world’s proven oil reserves. Iraq plus
Kuwait controls twice that.”
Main Points Cont.
• We should be less dependent on foreign oil.
• We must take advantage of our energy sources
across the board: coal, natural gas, hydro, and
nuclear. Our failure to do this has made us more
dependent on foreign oil than ever before.
• There will be a lasting role for the United
States in assisting the nations of the Persian
Gulf.
To deter future aggression.
Help our friends in their own self-defense.
Curb the proliferation of chemical, biological, ballistic missile and above all,
nuclear technologies.
Main Points Cont.
• Iraq will not be permitted to annex Kuwait.
• “Iraq will not be permitted to annex Kuwait.
That’s not a threat, that’s not a boast, that’s just
the way it’s going to be.”
• Our objectives in the Persian Gulf are clear, our
goals defined and familiar:
• Iraq must withdraw from Kuwait.
• Kuwait’s legitimate government must be restored.
• The security and stability of the Persian Gulf must be
assured.
• American citizens abroad must be protected.
Main Points Cont.
• “To my friends in Congress we need to work
together to get America’s economic house in order.”
• The deficit is larger than it should be. It must be, It will be
reduced.
• To go beyond such levels, where cutting defense would
threaten our vital margin of safety, is something I will never
accept.
Historical Significance
• The impact the document had on the
author’s society was that the American
people supported both the war and the
troops.
• It increased the sense of patriotism
throughout the nation.
• Military enlistments increased by 60
percent.
Historical Significance Cont.
• If later generations would listen to the
article and pay attention to what is
being said about using other forms of
energy then a repeat of this situation
may be able to be avoided.
• I feel that servicemen and women, and
there families were impacted the most
by this document.
Historical Significance Cont.
• The impact was very important.
It let the servicemen and women and
their families know that they were
appreciated.
• It let every one know the objectives of
the conflict.
• It thanked the men and women of the
armed forces and there families for the
sacrifices that were going to be made.
Questions
• Would the U.S. and its allies been so quick to
send military troops to Kuwait if oil was not
involved?
• Do you feel that September 11, 1990 when
troops arrived in the Persian Gulf has any
significance to September 11, 2001?
• Would there be any need for military
involvement now in Iraq if Saddam Hussein
would have been removed from power in
1991?