Penelope Cox ENGL 1301 - Adams 6th Period 12 Dec.

2013 Research Summary: Operation Desert Storm After learning that my interviewee, Travis Strange, is a Desert Storm veteran, my curiosity was piqued. There was no question as to what the topic of my research component would be, then - the simple reason being at that point, I had little to no knowledge of what Desert Storm was, who was involved, or anything of its importance or impact. Thus I began to forge a knowledge base on Desert Storm, so that having such background knowledge might help me to more thoroughly appreciate what Travis describes of his military service. A roughly organized summary of my notes on this research is as follows. Operation Desert Storm. Overview. Desert Storm was the codename given to the operation led by the U.S. to liberate Kuwait from Iraq (i.e. Saddam Husseins dictatorship). It popularly referred to as the Persian Gulf War First Gulf War, or Kuwait War, and spanned from 2 August 1990 to 28 February 1991. Operation Desert Storm is considered one of the most rapid, decisive, and bloodless battles of modern military history. Of the approximately 700,000 American servicemen and women deployed to the Middle East for Operation Desert Storm, only 148 did not return. (Actually, 24-31% of those casualties most likely resulted from friendly fire.) This minimal casualty rate, and the wars brief duration, are thanks to the U.S.s consistent upper hand in military technology. Chronology. In August 1990, Saddam Hussein (with his Iraqi army, the fourth largest army in the world at the time) invaded Kuwait. In less than 4 hours he had control of Kuwait and thus (between Iraq and Kuwait, both of which are major oil suppliers to the U.S.), 24% of the worlds oil supplies. Feeling imminently threatened, the neighboring Saudi Arabia

reached out to the U.S. for protection. The first deployment for the defense of Saudi Arabia was called Operation Desert Shield. At this point the U.S. was not only backed by the enthusiastic support of its own people but also an alliance with the United Nations Security Council. Despite series caution and apprehension, Congress finally rallied

behind President George Bush as well. With all forces in place, the U.S. then issued Saddam Hussein an ultimatum: leave Kuwait by January 15, 1991, or face a full-on attack. This ultimatum was ignored, and the very next night Desert Shield became Desert Storm. Bombs pummeled Iraq for weeks, and on February 24 the U.S.s ground attack was initiated. Just 100 hours later, Kuwait was declared liberated, and Iraq subsequently agreed to a ceasefire. Technology. This war saw the debut of the first stealth fighter jet, the formerly super-secret Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk. Invisible to radar, this bat-shaped black tactical fighter proved hard to spot with the naked eye as well. F-177s were equipped with highly precise laser targeting systems which directed GBU27s (2,000lb bombs) among other secondary munitions. F177s had a 80% hit rate and were assigned 31% of the strategic Iraqi military targets attacked during the war. Soldiers relied on the newly developed GPS devices - which, after Desert Storm was over, were installed in all armored vehicles. Along with night-vision devices, GPS made it possible for soldiers to traverse the desert in near total darkness. GPS also allowed attackers to make last-minute adjustments to attack plans. Low observability and complex defenses were not a hindrance with Tomahawk missiles - the first cruise missile system tested in actual combat. Tomahawk missiles were

computer-guided, highly accurate, and could perform elaborate maneuvers on par with a fighter jet. Fired from combat vessels, they either carried a 1,000lb warhead or multiple bomblets which could be programmed to be dropped in up to four different locations

along the missiles trajectory. With Tomahawks, heavily defended are as became easily penetrable and civilian collateral damage was kept minimal. Aftermath. For such a brief conflict, Kuwait was left with considerable damage. Occupying troops plundered millions of dollars of valuables. Whilst retreating from Kuwait, Iraqis

detonated explosives at many oil wells, and smoke produced contributed to pollution. Heavy artillery and troop movement abused the landscape, and built-up of solid waste threatened contamination to Kuwaits groundwater. An estimated 11 million barrels of oil were intentionally released into the Arabian Gulf, leaving marine ecology devastated. Developing countries were impacted by the war as well - oil prices increased substantially, causing economic strain. Although nearly all of the U.S.s servicemen and women returned home after the war, for some the war hadnt ended yet. Of course there were PTSD cases, those dealing with the trauma of combat and those who had been held prisoners of war (therefore abused and tortured) by the Iraqis. There were also veterans returning who were describing a broad variety of debilitating health issues. An estimated 5,000 to 80,000 Gulf War veterans were still dealing with these vague symptoms, yet it took some time for them to be taken seriously. Some the symptoms resembled those of chronic fatigue, but overall the variety was still too broad to associate with a single illness or disorder. Some of the nonspecific symptoms included numbness, somatic hallucinations (feeling your skin crawl, etc.), loss of muscle strength, loss of bowel and bladder control, muscle pain, headache, memory loss, sleep disorders, and gastrointestinal issues. To this day, scientists are not positive as to the source of what has come to be known as Gulf War Syndrome. Suggested causes include depleted uranium, sarin gas, smoke from burning oil wells, vaccinations, and combat stress and similar psychological factors. The only conclusive links to Gulf War Syndrome are pyridostigmine (an antoxin for nerve agents) and organophosphate pesticides.

Works Cited Strange, Travis. Re: Military Involvement Interview. Message to interviewer Penelope Cox. 12/11/13. E-mail. Ushistory.org. Operation Desert Storm. U. S. History Online Textbook. Independence Hall Association of Philedelphia, 2008. Web. Accessed 12/11/13. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/60a.asp> Author unmentioned. The Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm Timeline. U.S. Department of Defense. American Forces Press Service, Washington, 08/08/2000. Online news article. Accessed 12/11/13. <http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=45404> OHara, Scott. Desert-Storm.com. N.p., created 2001. Web. Accessed 12/11/13. <http://www.desertstorm.com/> Gariglio, Randy. Neurological Dysfunction in Gulf War Veterans. Desert-Storm.com. N.p., 11/21/97. Electronic document. Accessed 12/11/13. <http://www.desert-storm.com/soldiers/report1.html> Unnamed Chief of Naval Operations. U.S. Navy in Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Naval History and Heritage Command. U.S. Navy, 05/15/91. Web. Accessed 12/11/13. <http://www.history.navy.mil/wars/dstorm/ds5.htm> Krupa, Melissa. Environmental and Economic Repercussions of the Persian Gulf War on Kuwait. Trade and Environmental Database: ICE Case Studies. American University, 05/1997. Web. Accessed 12/11/13. <http://www1.american.edu/ted/ice/kuwait.htm> Manuel, Marcus & Page, Sheila. The Impact of the Gulf Crisis on Developing Countries. Overseas Development Institute. Overseas Development Institute, London 1991. Electronic document. Accessed 12/11/13. <http://www.odi.org.uk/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/6770.pdf> Author unmentioned. The Gulf War - Weapons. PBS Frontline. WGBH Educational Foundation, n.d. Web. Accessed 12/11/13. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gulf/weapons/> Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses. Gulf War Illness and t he Health of Gulf War Veterans. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. U.S. Government Printing Office, 11/2008. Electronic document. Accessed 12/11/13. <http://www.va.gov/gulfwaradvisorycommittee/docs/GWIandHealthofGWVeterans_RACGWVIReport_2008.pdf>