A top secret missile strike over Baghdad -- the first mission of Operation Desert Storm in 1991 -- will be the focus of a symposium Saturday.
The Strategy Alternatives Consortium at LSU Shreveport will bring together more than 40 crew members who were part of the so-called “Secret Squirrel” mission.
Twenty-five years ago this week, seven B-52s took off from Barksdale Air Force Base and traveled halfway around the world launching 35 cruise missiles.
Retired Air Force Col. Warren Ward was 29 year old. He remembers being sequestered for two days at the end of the runway alongside his 56 crew mates. They were roused before dawn on Jan. 16, 1991.
“I was in the No. 3 jet of seven as we climbed out. Personally, I’m a graduate of Louisiana Tech [University]. As we climbed out of Barksdale, I can remember the sun coming up and hitting Wyly Tower, the big, 16-story white building [on campus] and wondering in my heart if I’d ever see that again,” Ward said.
The missiles struck more than 80 percent of their targets, according to Ward. The crew flew a little more than 35 hours in all. Secret Squirrel held the world record for the longest sortie strike until 2003. Ward recalls listening to history unfold during the long journey back to Barksdale.
“I remember exiting back out and being over the Nile River delta. That’s kind of neat seeing a big green strip over all of this desert,” Ward said. “Beginning to dial up on the high-frequency radio some news broadcasts -- we picked up a BBC station and listened play-by-play what was going on with missiles going off around Baghdad and other places. We thought, gee, I wonder if that’s some of our stuff?”
Saturday’s half-day symposium is titled "Operation Secret Squirrel: Honoring the Heroes Who Opened Desert Storm." It will be held at LSU Shreveport’s University Center Theater beginning at 8:30 a.m. Commander of the Eight Air Force, Major Gen. Richard Clark, will be one of the speakers discussing the mission.
It’s free and open to the public, but registration is required.
