Over the years, many films have been shot here in the Morongo Basin, including a featured “ABC Movie of the Week” called “The Heroes of Desert Storm” that highlighted events from the first Iraq war.
About eight months after the real Desert Storm concluded in Iraq, “The Heroes of Desert Storm,” a 92-minute made-for-TV movie was created to honor the event, and much of the principal filming took place at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) in Twentynine Palms. (Other bases in California, Arizona and Texas were also used.)
Airing in October 1991, the well-funded film ($3.2 million) was directed by Don Ohlmeyer, written by Lionel Chetwynd, and starred Richard Assad, Lance August, Daniel Baldwin, and Angela Bassett. The main cast included 84 actors and some 800 Marines, sailors and locals who happily played bit parts and background extras. In recruiting base personnel for extras, they even found one Marine who could speak the Iraqi dialect depicted in the film.
The film was not plot-driven but instead wove military stock footage and news footage in with filmed re-enactments. “Heroes” was the first film on the Gulf War that was approved by the Department of Defense (DOD), though with some conditions.
First, there would be no cost to the military—all vehicle and aircraft fuel would be covered by the production company. (Tracer shells were counted and added to the bill and DOD even got $50,000 upfront for anticipated expenses.) Otherwise, the film crew had full access to all base facilities and hardware.
Second, no classified equipment or information would be provided and filming could not interfere with normal base operations. Finally, DOD insisted on checking the script for accuracy. Retired Lt. General Thomas E. Kelly, who handled press briefings during the War, was also a technical advisor on the film.
Historical Highlight courtesy of Hi Desert Magazine:
https://www.z1077fm.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ReadyWhenYouAreCB.pdf
