Today is the 22nd anniversary of the beginning of the First Gulf War, also known as Desert Storm. As a veteran of that war, I am surprised at how many years it has been. Like most war veterans, my memories of that time are still vivid and easily recalled. Memories like being in full MOPP 4 (Chemical protection suits worn over battle fatigues.) gear for the first several hours of the conflict, while being stuck inside our tents due to the weather, not knowing if the planes we heard, or the missile sounds from the nearby patriots, or if the gentle vibrations in the ground were from enemy action or our own. Any clue, or snippet, and a whole slew of memories come rushing back, like the smell of the operational area, the heat, the feel of the sand, the eerie dark color of the sky day after day after day and the missions with which we were tasked and on and on. It is the ease with which I remember all of it, while at the same time not being able to remember what I ate yesterday, that causes my surprise at how long its been.
For those of you who do not know, I served with the 344th Military Police Company in the First Platoon. Although we were a reserve unit, we got assigned to the 503rd Airborne Military Police Battalion out of Fort Bragg as part of the XVIII Airborne Corps. I never got to jump out of planes but I remember the Battalion Commander threatening to throw us out of perfectly good planes if the ground war didn't go well. At the beginning of the conflict, our platoon was providing security for one of the fuel depots near the borders of Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Later we moved into Iraq and were responsible for moving prisoners from the forward battle areas to the POW camp near Hafar Al Batin, Saudi Arabia. In all, we moved over 22,000 of them, mostly by bus, over roads which would be considered bad in the back woods of Maine.
This year, the anniversary of the war is marked by the death of one of the influential people during that time. On December 27, 2012, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf passed away quietly in Tampa, FL. When I heard the news I was saddened, not only because I had met the man and knew him to be a gentle giant, but also at the loss of one of those people who rise to the top in our consciousness to be forever remembered throughout history. Stormin Norman, or the Bear, was one of those generals who invoked a sense of confidence, and belief among his troops, he would make the right decisions. No matter what the mission was, we knew he would get us through. I say that not just as an observer, but as one of those same troops who served under him. During the fall of 1991, our unit was rewarded for our service in the Gulf by being allowed to be the security/police force for the West Point football games. At one of those games, General Schwarzkopf, who had just retired, was honored. I was fortunate enough to be picked as one of the soldiers who was to wait on him during the game. I gladly got him his coffee and looked for more ways to make him comfortable. After the game he met with us and talking with him was like talking to each other. All of us had gone through something and the bond between us was palpable. It was right then I knew what it was like to be in the presence of a great leader. Shortly after his death, I was talking to a close family member who lives in the Tampa area. He was explaining all of the good charity work General Schwarzkopf had been involved in since his retirement in 1991. I was amazed at how much he had done but not surprised. He will be missed.
Recently I was speaking with a Korean War Veteran who said something startling to me, "Hey, you Gulf War guys are just like us, they are forgetting about you too." I understood his sentiment but I hope it is never true.******************************************
If you want a great resource for the First Gulf war, check out the book linked here.
