30 Years After Desert Storm: Jan. 21

In commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, Air Force Magazine is posting daily recollections from the six-week war, which expelled Iraq from occupied Kuwait.

Jan. 21:

  • A USAF MH-53J helicopter rescues a Navy F-14 pilot more than 100 miles inside Iraq.
In this photo taken from the door of an MH-53 Pave Low, Navy Lt. Devon Jones runs toward pararescueman Sgt. Ben Pennington during the rescue effort. Photo: USAF
  • Heavy bombing of Republican Guard in southern Iraqi city of Basra occurs.
  • Iraq fires 10 Scud missiles at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Find our complete chronology of the Gulf War, starting with Iraq’s July 1990 invasion of Kuwait and running through Iraq’s April 1991 acceptance of peace terms, here.