Milestones

Ten years ago: President Reagan rebuffed congressional calls to limit U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf, and defended the recent U.S. attack on an Iranian mine-laying vessel.

Five years ago: Acting Navy Secretary Sean O’Keefe stripped three admirals of their jobs for failing to investigate aggressively the Tailhook sex abuse scandal. Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton promised to press for a national health-care system for all Americans; the Bush campaign countered that the plan would be too expensive for average Americans.

One year ago: The United States, represented by President Clinton, and the world’s other major nuclear powers signed a treaty to end testing and development of nuclear weapons.