Mar 20, 2003/ FW/ -- When Operation Southern Watch ended and Operation Iraqi Freedom began, my mind went back twelve years ago during the time when Dessert Shield became Dessert Storm.

I remembered myself as a young military bride worried about my husband and our friends who were deployed at the Gulf.

As I watched the war unfold at CNN, but this time with my husband by my side who had since retired from the U.S. Navy, my thoughts went out to the military families who are probably doing the same thing I did a dozen years ago - worried about loved ones and glued on CNN, hoping that this will be a short war.

Things have changed since Operation Dessert Storm. The U.S. Military at the Gulf is much smaller than the one during the 1990s. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces was no longer a WWII veteran, but was a former member of the National Guard. Collin Powell was no longer a General, but now the Secretary of State.

Even I have changed. From the young bride who was so unsure of herself, I have grown up to be a fashion editor. I was no longer a 'military family member' but a civilian, same as my husband who put his military uniform in storage several years ago.

As an optimist, I like to think that things are better today than 12 years ago. The U.S. Military might be smaller, but they have better and smarter weapons, thanks to advances in technology.

Technological advancements also make it possible for the troops to communicate to those 'at home'. During Operation Dessert Storm, the internet was just gaining its foothold in American society. Today, 75% of U.S. households are online. Thanks to email, military members can write home everyday and their message received instantenously.

About 200 soldiers on the field share one computer with email access. The ratio might be big, but if you think that before it takes weeks for a letter to arrive home, being able to send email is a lifeline for those who 'anxiously wait at home.'

Fashion has even touched the military's dessert uniform with the introduction of the Protective Combat Uniform which is made of high tech EPIC lightweight fabric meant for cold weather warfare.

This fabric is available commercially and was actually used on the runway in one of the Paris shows. The military uniform is not as fashionable as the one on the runway, but the idea is the same - protecting the wearer from the elements.

When the clock struck midnight, and there was a change in the CNN anchor, I found myself saying a little prayer for our troops that they will come home safely. Because there was no sweeter sight in this world for me that time when I saw my husband get off a ship and see for my own eyes that he was safe at home with me.