By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – It's been quite a year for CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Six months ago, he was covering the war in Iraq. Thursday night, Blitzer was at the University at Buffalo talking about the challenges of the post-war period.
When the war broke out, Wolf Blitzer was in Kuwait, reporting from central command. While he was not near the actual fighting, Blitzer said he was well aware that Kuwait was within range of Iraqi missile strikes. And he admits it was frightening.
"We really didn't know what to expect," Blitzer said. "All of us had been trained in chemical and biological warfare protection. I was very nervous about the possibility of chemical or biological warfare."
When the major fighting ended, Blitzer returned home. But he says he never tires of traveling around the world when news breaks. If a reporter no longer enjoys that, Blitzer says it's time to find something else to do.
"I travel a lot for CNN," Blitzer said. "A few weeks ago, I traveled to Jerusalem. As the White House correspondent during the Clinton administration, I traveled all over the world -- Africa, South America and Europe. So, we got to see the world."
Blitzer was the first UB alumnus invited to take part in the UB Distinguished Speakers series, now in its 17th year. He attended the university during its most tumultuous years -- the late 1960s, a time of anti-war protests and sit-ins. He said UB shaped him to become the reporter he is today.