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I was an enlisted man in the US Airforce for 15 years. I worked on electronic warfare systems. During most of that time war was just something that we practised for. On August 2, 1990 that all changed. That is the date that Iraq invaded Kuwaite. I was recalled to the base with minutes of seeing the news report. There I met up with fellow airmen to see what was in store for us. The team going, for my specialty, was selected and I was in charge of that team. One of the men going outranked me (we will call hin Tsgt X) but, he had little deployment experience. As we were being told to make sure our affairs were in order, Tsgt X decided he could not go. I can not see into another mans mind. I did not know why he backed out. Maybe he did not like serving under someone of lower rank. Whatever the reason, he could have been made to go anyway or be arrested for refusal to deploy. Lucky for him SSgt John Campisi stood up and said he would go in his place.

The group of us that were going strted to make our preperations. Making sure the parts, tools, and manuals were all pack for deployment. We went through lines to make sure our shots, wills, power of attorney, and dogtags were up to date. Then we waited.

When it was finaly time for us to go, a C-5 brought in and parked on the tarmac. Our supplies were loaded and off we went. I sat near John and others from my shop. We chatted on the flight about our simular careers. We were both SSgts, we had been in service about the same amount of time, and both of our careers had started out working fighter planes. John said he volunteered because 'this is what all the years of practise had been about". I agreed.

Our plane refuiled in Germany and were back on our way again. At this point, we still did not know where we were going. We knew the area, but not what country. After we werea couple of hours out of germany, the officer in charge told us we were going to Saudi. Sure enough soon we were able to look out the windows of the plane and see the desert. You could clearly see round patched of green were they had been irragating crops. Our plane started descending and we started our approach to Riyad Saudi Arabia.

After arriving at the base, we had to unload the aircraft and set up a shop to work out of. We had to fill sand bags to place around the door to the building. After every thing was ready, we were divided into two teams, Dayshift and nightshift. I went to days and John to nights.

Our days were pretty much filled up. We were put in a hotel downtown because the base wasn't yet prepaired. We worked 12 hour shifts with a 30 min overlap to pass-on info to your oncomeing relief. Then there was a 30min. bus ride to the hotel. That left just enough time to eat shower and get some sleep. After about a week of this, my roommate and I heard an early morning knock on our door. I opened the door to find the top men in charge of our deployment. They told us John had been killed in an accident. It seem during a slow time of night, he had leaned back against his chemical warfare gear and fell asleep. The flight line was dark and one of the driver didn't see him. The truck ran over him about halfway up his body. We didn't have medical facillity at the base yet. They had to bring an abulance from across town. By the time they got him to the hospital, he was dead. John Campisi was the first US casualty of the gulf war.

I left Saudi a few weeks later. I had been given an assignment in the U.K. I lay in my room thinking about John. He had been Married with three children. I knew others would die also. It is the families on both sides that I feel bad for. These wars are started by the leaders. The men and women fighting these wars are just doing what there told.

That happened Aug, 1990 and I still have dreams of loading a wooden coffin onto a C-140 aircraft.