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.