35th Anniversary of Desert Storm with Jim Blackwell

Army veterans and military analyst Jim Blackwell marks the 35th anniversary of the launch of the ground offensive in Operation Desert Storm. The ground war of Desert Storm was short, violent, and decisive. After weeks of air attacks, coalition ground forces surged into southern Iraq and Kuwait in late February 1991. U.S. Army and Marine units executed a sweeping left-hook maneuver across the desert, shattering Iraqi defensive lines, destroying Republican Guard units, and cutting off retreat routes. In just 100 hours, coalition forces liberated Kuwait, overwhelmed a large enemy army, and brought the campaign to a sudden end. For those who were there, the experience was defined by speed, dust, night movement, overwhelming firepower—and the strange, unfinished feeling that followed such a rapid victory. Jim Blackwell served during this period and has spent decades studying, writing, and thinking critically about modern warfare, the Gulf War, and what Desert Storm revealed—and concealed—about American military power. In this conversation, we’ll talk not only about tactics and outcomes, but about what the ground war felt like to the people who fought it and how its legacy still shapes military thinking today. If you served in Desert Storm—especially in the ground offensive—we invite you to join us. This is a chance to listen, reflect, and add your own voice to the record. Whether you crossed the berm, supported the advance, or watched it unfold from another role, your experience matters.