President Bush and the Troops, November 1990
Within days after the invasion by Iraq, the President and his advisers began to mobilize the American military. First, they dispatched warplanes that could be deployed should Saddam's forces grew bolder and move on the oil fields of Saudi Arabia. Then, ground troops began to move into the region. By October, 210,000 U.S. soldiers, part of a force of 275,000, had taken up positions in the Gulf. On Thanksgiving, as the world waited to see what would happen, the President and First Lady visited the First Marine Division, stationed in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

• Going Home from Iraq