Shining City Audio, a John Meacham and C-13 original studio.

February 3, 1991, George H. W. Bush calls for a day of prayer amid the Gulf War.

I'm John Meacham, and this is Reflections of History.

Since the days of our founding, our nation has been called a prayer.

It's the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God,

to obey His will to be grateful for His benefits and to humbly implore His protection in favor.

It was an old and familiar feature of American life, a call for prayer amid crisis.

On this date in 1991, as the United States led a multi-nation coalition against Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait,

President George H. W. Bush asked for the nation's prayers.

Operation Desert Storm was the first great test of the post-Cold War era,

an hour in which the world had to decide whether the strong could, by choice, dominate and subjugate the weak.

Here is what the President asked of us then.

As one nation under God, we Americans are deeply mindful of both our dependence on the Almighty and our obligations as a people he has richly blessed.

From our very beginnings as a nation, we have relied upon God's strength and guidance in war and peace,

entrusted with the holy gift of freedom and allowed to prosper in its great light.

We have a responsibility to serve as a beacon to the world, to use our strength and resources to help those suffering and the darkness of tyranny and repression.

Today, the United States has engaged in a great struggle to uphold the principles of national sovereignty and international order,

and to defend the lives and liberty of innocent people.

It is an armed struggle we made every possible effort to avoid through extraordinary diplomatic efforts to resolve the matter peacefully, yet given no choice by a ruthless dictator.

It is a struggle we wage with conviction and resolve.

Our cause is moral and just.

However confident of our purpose, however determined to prevail, we Americans continue to yearn for peace and for the safety of our service men and women in the Persian Gulf.

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