Mental health professionals have long been concerned about how children react to war. This paper reports a small, naturalistic study of how children reacted to Operation Desert Storm. Although no actual danger threatened these affluent east coast children, television transported the battle zone's gory pictures right into the living room. That experience had a deep impact on many children. Not only did they empathize with the wounded and maimed; they also resented the way injured people's privacy was invaded and were bewildered by news reporters' "bizarre" behavior when danger was imminent.