Less than a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, the world watched on live television as another international war erupted in the Middle East.
The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990, prompted sweeping global backlash. The U.S. led a coalition force in an operation titled "Desert Shield," the largest military alliance established since the outbreak of WWII. On Jan. 17, 1991, an extensive bombing campaign commenced "Operation Desert Storm" and the Persian Gulf War, a 42-day conflict that resulted in the liberation of Kuwait and the decimation of the Iraqi military.
Twenty-five years later, more than 170 Desert Storm veterans reunited Saturday to swap stories at the Marriott Residence Inn in East Brainerd.
The reunion was held for the 196th Field Artillery Brigade, a Tennessee Army National Guard unit that was based in Chattanooga until it disbanded in 2008. The event brought in service members from across the nation who have since scattered to different states.
Veterans packed into the event hall and worked their way through a buffet while speakers talked about the state of veteran homelessness and their experiences in a combat zone.
The event was hosted, in part, by the Honoring the Sacrifice Foundation, formed by Chattanooga veteran Army Sgt. Andrew Smith after he lost both legs in 2012 after stepping on an improvised explosive device on his first patrol in Afghanistan.
Since its inception, the foundation has raised more than $200,000 for direct assistance to severely wounded veterans. The money is used for home modifications and other accommodations that have helped service members adjust to their new post-war lives.
The foundation has identified five veterans in the Chattanooga area who had suffered severe injuries and required direct assistance.
Smith's mother, Catherine, sits on the foundation's board and considers it a personal mission to care for the area's veterans in any way she and the organization can. She called the reunion attendees "heroes."
"Less than 1 percent of people in our country raise their hands to serve," she said. "And when they return wounded, we have a duty and an obligation to serve them."
For the members of the foundation, helping with a 25-year reunion is just one small way they can show their gratitude.
When it comes to service of veterans, Smith said, "It's not a choice."
And others feel the same way Smith does, given the stark reality some veterans face when they come home. According to statistics presented at the reunion, one-third of the homeless people in America are veterans and 23 commit suicide every day.
But that wasn't the focus of the event for several men and women who showed up with old war buddies they've known since Desert Storm.
Retired Sgt. 1st Class Charles Bailey sat at a table with two friends, Tom Jarnagin and Frank Brown, drinking beer and laughing for a large portion of the reunion. They all stayed in the region and have maintained contact, sometimes seeing each other once a week.
Bailey said when he got into the service they told them all, "'Get yourself a buddy and watch his back,' and that's exactly what we did.
"Now we've been through thick and thin for years."
Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731.