On August 2, 1990, Iraq's president, Saddam Hussein, sent invasion forces into Kuwait. The United States demanded that Saddam Hussein withdraw his forces, but the Iraqi troops remained. President George Bush, with the assistance of 25 nations around the world, assembled a huge military coalition he called "Operation Desert Shield." The United Nations then authorized military action to restore Kuwait's independence. After Operation Desert Storm, massive air strikes and ground assaults, the Iraqi Army had been crushed and the Kuwaiti people had been freed.

We Remember Them... 364 Who Died

Details of the Conflict

On the morning of August 2, 1990, the mechanized infantry, armor, and tank units of the Iraqi Republican Guard invaded Kuwait and seized control of that country. The invasion triggered a United States response, Operation Desert Shield, to deter any invasion of Kuwait's oil rich neighbor, Saudi Arabia. On August 7, deployment of U.S. forces began. United Nations Security Council Resolutions 660 and 662 condemned Iraq's invasion and annexation and called for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Iraqi forces. On August 20 President Bush signed National Security Directive 45, "U.S. Policy in Response to the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait," outlining U.S. objectives - which included the "immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of all Iraqi forces from Kuwait," and the "restoration of Kuwait's legitimate government to replace the puppet regime installed by Iraq."

A U.N. ultimatum, Security Council Resolution 678, followed on November 29, 1990. It stipulated that if Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein did not remove his troops from Kuwait by January 15, 1991 a U.S.-led coalition was authorized to drive them out. Early in the morning of January 17, Baghdad time, the U.S.-led coalition launched air attacks against Iraqi targets. On February 24, coalition ground forces began their attack. On February 27, Kuwait City was declared liberated, and with allied forces having driven well into Iraq, President Bush and his advisers decided to halt the war. A cease-fire took effect at 8:00 the following morning.

Source: The National Security Archive
George Washington University

"They say, we leave you our deaths. Give them their meaning. Give them an end to the war and a true peace. Give them a victory that ends the war and peace afterwards. Give them their meaning. We were young, they say. We have died. Remember us."

—Unknown

A Message from the People of Kuwait

The people of the State of Kuwait send a message of heartfelt appreciation and of peace and friendship to you. Your profound belief in the principles of freedom and human dignity returned Kuwait to its rightful place among the family of nations.

Our prayers go to you, the families of those who have fallen to liberate our country. We will never forget the ultimate sacrifices your loved ones made for our freedom.

Operation Provide Comfort
March 1991 - To Present

Following the Persian Gulf War, many thousands of Kurds who lived in northern Iraq fled their homes and villages into the mountains of northern Iraq and southern Turkey. Almost 500,000 Kurds faced disease, starvation, and death in the cold spring of 1991. Operation Provide Comfort was implemented in March, 1991, to provide humanitarian aid to these refugees and saved thousands of lives. Operation Provide Comfort continues today to provide protection for the Kurds and prevent further exodus into the mountains.

Click photos to enlarge.

Date: Circa August 1990-March 1991
Title:U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter conducted many resupply missions to troops in forward-based areas.
Source: Department of Defense Visual Information Center

Date: Circa August 1990-March 1991
Title: M1 Abrams Tank rolls through the powdery desert sand.
Source: Department of Defense Visual Information Center

Date: ca. August 1990-March 1991
Title: Navy S-3 Viking aircraft prepares for launch from aircraft carrier.
Source: Department of Defense Visual Information Center

Date: ca. August 1990-March 1991
Title: U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook used for troop movement and supply operations.
Source: Department of Defense Visual Information Center

Date: ca. August 1990-March 1991
Title: Armored convoy traveled over designated lanes which had been swept for mines.
Source: Department of Defense Visual Information Center

Date: Circa August 1990-March1991
Title: Some of the nearly half million American servicemen and servicewomen returning home to families.
Source: Department of Defense Visual Information Center