"I am convinced, Our Father, that your fondest feelings are reserved for the least pretentious and most genuine of us. I am sure that Aviation Boatswain's Mates are some of your favorites. Certainly Aviation Boatswain's Mates have yet to find the virtues of humility, or soft-spokenness or gentleness. They do lead with their jaws, and they always seem to be more ready to fight than to switch. They can be singled out by their red eyes, and by a grubbiness which is a mark of their trade, but their wills match their strong backs, and their love of each other is a wondrous thing to behold. They are the salt of the deck, and the saltiness is honest and open, and they are uniquely your sons. We are grateful for them. As you love them specially, we mark them particularly tonight. Bless them every one, and forever keep them from harm and hurt. In Christ's name, Amen."
Description Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003.
United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of monitoring and controlling the airspace south of the 32nd Parallel (extended to the 33rd Parallel in 1996) in southern and south-central Iraq during the period following the end of the 1991 Gulf War until the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Operation Southern Watch began on 27 August 1992 with the stated purpose of ensuring Iraqi compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 688 (UNSCR 688) of 5 April 1991, which demanded that Iraq "immediately end this repression and express the hope in the same context that an open dialogue will take place to ensure that the human and political rights of all Iraqi citizens are respected." Nothing in the resolution spelled out the Iraqi no-fly zones or Operation Southern Watch.
Iraqi bombing and strafing attacks against the Shi’ite Muslims in Southern Iraq during the remainder of 1991 and during 1992 indicated Saddam Hussein chose not to comply with the resolution. Forces from Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France participated in Operation Southern Watch. The commander of JTF-SWA, an aeronautically rated United States Air Force (USAF) Major General, assisted by an aeronautically designated United States Navy (USN) Rear Admiral, reported directly to the Commander, United States Central Command (USCENTCOM).
Military engagements in Southern Watch occurred with regularity, with Coalition aircraft routinely being shot at by Iraqi air defense forces, though they were usually only reported in the Western press occasionally. An intensification was noted prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, though it was said at the time to just be in response to increasing activity by Iraqi air-defense forces. It is now known that this increased activity occurred during an operation known as Operation Southern Focus.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
August / 1992
To Month/Year
March / 2003
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories Very long hours
Watching people pass out on the flight deck from lack of rest
Lots of oil well fires EVERYWHERE
Huge oil slicks in the water EVERYWHERE
We were the "floating hotel" for the media and ended up on "Nova"