Stan Atkinson has had an impressive career and was present at many of the defining moments of American and California history in the latter half of the twentieth century. We have gathered a handful of those stories on this page to celebrate Mr. Atkinson's years in journalism. Please join us as "Stan Remembers" the great stories of his career.

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Stan Remembers: Undercover, under fire in Afghanistan

It is hard to forget how Stan Atkninson was disguised while in Afghanistan.

Imagine going into battle against a superpower with little more than your faith in God, and whatever weapons you can confiscate from the enemy. That was the situation for the Afghan people when the Soviet Union invaded in 1979. Stan Atkinson covered the freedom fighters' struggle twice while working for KCRA in 1982 and 1985. Of all of Stan's foreign assignments, the reports from Afghanistan are the ones people seem to remember best, and the two they ask most about. Even Stan admits it is hard to forget how he looked.



Stan Remembers: Saddam out of control, Kuwait in flames

Stan quickly learned that the common man's devotion to Saddam Hussein was nothing short of cult worship.

It's hard to believe that it's almost been ten years since the gulf war crisis. It was August 2, 1990, when Iraqi troops took over neighboring Kuwait. As usual, Stan Atkinson wanted to be where the action was. And he got his wish. For about a week in the fall of 1990, a newscrew and Stan flew into Baghdad from Amman, Jordan. If you want to find out what a country is like, bypass its leaders and talk to its people. Stan and his crew talked to shopkeepers, soldiers, and students and quickly learned that the common man's devotion to Saddam Hussein was nothing short of cult worship.

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