30th Anniversary of Operation DESERT STORM
Good Morning and Welcome, on Behalf of the Shoreline Veterans Association, the Starr Sutherland Jr. Post#227of the American Legion, The U. S. Volunteers-Joint Services Command, we welcome you to our Brief Ceremony for the 30th Anniversary of Operation Desert Storm.

On August 2, 1990 Saddam Husane ordered the invasion of Kuwait. Hussein’s assumption that his fellow Arab states would stand by him proved to be a miscalculation. Alarmed by these actions, two-thirds of the 21 members of the Arab League condemned Iraq’s act of aggression, and Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd, along with Kuwait’s government-in-exile, turned to the United States and other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for support.
U.S. President George H.W. Bush immediately condemned the invasion, as did the governments of Britain and the Soviet Union. On November 29, 1990, the U.N. Security Council authorized the use of “all necessary means” of force against Iraq if it did not withdraw from Kuwait by the following January 15. Hussein defied the Security Council, and early on the morning of January 17, 1991 the Persian Gulf War began with a massive U.S.-led air offensive known as Operation Desert Storm. The U.S. was accompanied by troops sent by NATO allies as well as Egypt and several other Arab nations. The coalition effort benefited from the latest military technology, including Stealth bombers, Cruise missiles, so-called “Smart” bombs with laser-guidance systems and infrared night-bombing equipment. The Iraqi air force was either destroyed early on or opted out of combat under the relentless attack.

After 42 days of relentless attacks by the allied coalition in the air and on the ground, President Bush declared a cease-fire on February 28; by that time, most Iraqi forces in Kuwait had either surrendered or fled. Though the Persian Gulf War was initially considered an unqualified success for the international coalition, simmering conflict in the troubled region led to a second Gulf War–known as the Iraq War–that began in 2003.
There were approximately 300 Casualties in Operation Desert Storm and we pause today to remember and Honor their Sacrifice and to support their families and Friends. As we lay this Wreath, as a memorial to ALL of Them,
My God protect and care for their surviving families. Bugler Sound “Taps”