There was great reluctance on the part of the U.S. to send its troops into Kuwait — memories from Vietnam, some three decades earlier, still loomed large, as did more recent ones from the “Black Hawk Down” incident in Somalia. Air power alone was accomplishing much in laying waste to the Iraqi military infrastructure and forces — after an initial campaign to neutralize air defense capabilities, the United States and its allies controlled the skies unopposed. Still, President George H.W. Bush was not about to take it on faith that punishing air strikes, however many of them would be flown, would persuade Saddam Hussein to turn back. So he issued Hussein an ultimatum.

On this day, February 22, in 1991, with nearly 100,000 U.S. soldiers and support personnel at the ready in Saudi Arabia, Bush gave Iraq until 12 noon EST of the following day to begin large-scale withdrawals. He promised the United States will not attack if Iraq will withdraw from Kuwait City within 48 hours, and from the entire country within a week.

When the deadline came and went, with Iraq only announcing “we will never surrender” and vowing that “many Americans will die” if they attack, President Bush gave the go-ahead for the ground invasion phase of the war, and “Desert Shield” turned into “Desert Storm.” By 2pm EST Bush announced his decision to the press, saying “The liberation of Kuwait has entered a final phase.”