We signed contracts during Gulf 1, 4 days after the 82nd went (Aug. 6).
In basic, we were told that the 82nd (our contracts were MOS 11x 82nd Abn) was in hand-to-hand with Saddam's elite (an inspiring lie, and I was very happy with myself not to feel any fear upon the announcement).
In reality, the air war started when I was in basic (delayed enlistment from Aug had me at Benning in Dec). The ground war started and ended while I was in jump shool. I arrived at my unit ~1 month after they got home. everyone had a CIB and a patch o their right shoulder. They all had 1000s in the bank, and we newbs (we still said cherry in those days) were not invited. Eventually, I earned the respect I needed and made E4 in ~26 months from dec. I had the choice to go to ranger school or take my ~60k scholarship (GI Bill/College Fund). I had spent ~3 years in the unit peacetime and there was no likely combat anytime soon. I had not joined for training and so I took the college money. I'm finishing my PhD now, ecology, agriculture, rural Kenya (I'm in 'suburbs' at the moment for electricity for computer modeling).
We made the deal after we got to the 82nd and the war was over (despite requests, we were assigned to different brigades, he 325 me 505) and it appeared only small-scale conflicts were likely. It could be my, his or the third brigade on DRF 1-3 during any given event. During blackhawk down, my unit was on DRF1. We unloaded uniforms, etc, at green ramp and loaded only live ammo. The jump was cancelled (rumor is after a pentagon go) and we didn't get on the birds. I wish we had.
18 hours, anywhere in the world, fight on arrival.
I missed combat. I tried. I would have been the first reinforcements to the 82nd in Gulf 1 and I was very close to Somalia. I spent a night talking after some ambush training in Arkansas with a ranger who was in Somalia.
Combat does not necessarily make one a better soldier (experience notwithstanding potential). Only some get a chance to shine. It's just luck. We all train and pray for war.