FORBES FIELD ANGB, Topeka, Kan. -- Only a couple of months earlier, the 190th had returned from the port city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the Red Sea to a welcome from over an estimated 10,000 people at Forbes Field. The men, women and jets from the 190th had played a key role during the buildup to the Gulf War and had been assigned key missions during the course of the war. The successful mission was the result of hard work, preparedness and a little good luck. Thousands turned out at Forbes Field in what was one of the most remarkable days in the base's history.
Now it was the city of Topeka's turn. They invited several military units and organizations to come and join the parade. And what a parade it was! Thousands of people from Topeka and northeast Kansas turned out to enjoy the good weather and to honor the military men and women of the area. The 190th's contingent was one of the largest, and they enjoyed the appreciation of the large crowd. Only twenty-five or so years earlier, returning veterans had no such luck as America was still healing from the wounds of Vietnam.