Operation Iraqi Freedom: 20 years later
On what is going to be the 20th Anniversary of the announcement of the start of the war in Iraq, a La Quinta city official recounts the moment the announcement made the airwaves.
On March 19, 2003, then-President George W. Bush addressed the United States through a televised report about American coalition forces being in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq.
This came to be Operation Iraqi Freedom.
La Quinta Mayor Pro Tem Steve Sanchez said he remembered when the announcement was made, as he sat in Kuwait awaiting orders to head into Iraq.
Sanchez said he arrived a month before the announcement as tensions between the United States and Iraq heightened.
He and a few other marines were huddled around a radio listening in.
“It was surreal thinking, alright we have 24 hours to know if we are going to go into combat or not," Sanchez recounted. "It was an interesting feeling.”
When Sanchez took the flight to the middle east he said his biggest concern was for those he was supposed to lead during combat. He was a Sergeant.
Over 1.5 million U.S. servicemembers served during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Over 4,000 of them never made it back home.
Operation Iraqi Freedom came to an end on December 15, 2011.
Sanchez said even though they were home from the war after a nine-month deployment, the battle still continued for some.
“It’s rough right, you know, the aftershocks of war right when you get back," Sanchez explained. "Things aren’t the same. It’s hard on some and harder on others.”
20 years later Sanchez said he still keeps a close relationship with many of the people he served alongside with. He is also expecting to see a few brothers he said he hasn't seen since returning home from the war 20 years ago.
