In Remembrance: The 35th Anniversary of Desert Shield
Michelle Carey of Midwest City goes through the final paperwork as her Army National Guard unit prepares to participate in Operation Desert Shield.
10 Things Tuesday
10 Things Tuesday is a weekly feature where I dig into the overlooked corners of history, culture, and memory. Each post highlights 10 details that help us see familiar stories in a new light. It’s a quick serving of nostalgia with a side of history and perspective.
10 Things Tuesday: Desert Shield
On August 7, 1990, Operation Desert Shield began. In the blazing summer heat of the Persian Gulf, the United States and its allies rushed to defend Saudi Arabia after Iraq’s sudden invasion of Kuwait. By the time it shifted into Desert Storm in January 1991, nearly 700,000 American troops had been deployed, most of them Gen Xers, barely out of high school or college.
Last month marked the 35th anniversary of Desert Shield. Unlike Desert Storm, which is remembered for its 100-hour grelow are 10 things you’ve probably forgotten about Desert Shield.
1. Desert Shield was a defensive mission. For six months, troops sat in Saudi Arabia, uncertain if Iraq would push south. The waiting was tense and grueling.
2. By November 1990, more than 400,000 U.S. troops were in the region. Eventually, the number swelled to nearly 700,000, the biggest overseas deployment since Vietnam.
3. The average soldier was 19–26 years old. That meant Desert Shield was largely fought by Generation X.
4. Communication was old-school. Troops waited weeks for letters from home, listened to music on Walkmans, and stood in long lines for scratchy satellite phone calls.
5. Deployed troops shared stories (and some exaggerated photos) of massive camel spiders scuttling under cots, a Desert Shield myth that lives on in military lore.
6. Because Saddam Hussein had used chemical weapons in the Iran-Iraq War, every soldier drilled constantly with their gas mask. For months, they kept them at arm’s reach.
7. President George H. W. Bush visited troops in Saudi Arabia on Thanksgiving 1990. The images of him serving turkey in the desert became iconic.
9. CNN, which was still relatively new, broadcast nightly reports from the desert. Desert Shield was one of the first military operations Americans experienced as 24-hour news.
10. Without the months of build-up, coalition logistics, and international diplomacy during Desert Shield, the 100-hour victory of Desert Storm would never have been possible.
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Michelle Carey of Midwest City goes through the final paperwork as her Army National Guard unit prepares to participate in Operation Desert Shield.
Gen-X Casulties in the Gulf War
Desert Shield rarely makes headlines on anniversaries, but I remember it so well. Although it was overshadowed by the combat phase of Desert Storm, I remember it as a long and anxious prelude carried on the shoulders of young American military personnel who waited in the Arabian Desert, uncertain of what was to come. Their endurance, courage and preparation was the buildup the defensive in Saudi Arabia.
There were 280 Gen-Xers killed during the Gulf War. The following list includes theater deaths through September 1991. About half were killed in air strikes, ground fighting in Kuwait and Iraq, and Scud missile attacks. The other half were killed in vehicle accidents, training mishaps, friendly fire, and illness including heat stroke and respiratory issues.
As always, I use the broadest definition of Gen X, with the birth years established by Strauss and Howe, 1961-1981. Also, the birth year with the highest number of deaths was 1970 at 42, followed by 1968 at 39.
January 18, 1991 | A crowd gathers in front of the Oklahoma State Capitol for an Operation Desert Storm Rally.
1961
Charles John Turner, Minnesota, 1961
Dixon Lee Jr Walters, South Carolina, 1961
Donald Ray Myers, Kentucky, 1961
James Robert Mccoy, Delaware, 1961
Mark John Schmauss, Louisiana, 1961
Paul Richard Ii Eichenlaub, Arkansas, 1961
Douglas Lloyd Bradt, Texas, 1961
Christopher Andre Martin, California, 1961
Randal Craig Mills, Mississippi, 1961
Roy Junior Summerall, Florida, 1961
Mario Fajardo, New York, 1961
Thomas Stewart Larson, New York, 1961
William David Jr Cronin, Illinois, 1961
Thomas Joseph Moran, Pennsylvania, 1961
Michael Robert Robson, Florida, 1961
1962
Harold Paul Iii Witzke, New York, 1962
Dale William Jock, New York, 1962
Tommie William Bates, Rhode Island, 1962
David Rohrer Jr Herr, Texas, 1962
Steven Mark Hansen, Michigan, 1962
Adrian Jay Hart, New Mexico, 1962
William David Grimm, Kansas, 1962
David Lawrence Heyman, Missouri, 1962
Scott Nolie Vigrass, New York, 1962
Luis A Henry-Garay, New York, 1962
Robert Kevin Hodges, Florida, 1962
Kelly Lynn Matthews, Michigan, 1962
James Newton Iii Wilbourn, Alabama, 1962
John Kendall Morgan, Washington, 1962
Jeffrey Warren Shukers, Iowa, 1962
John Lee Oelschlager, Florida, 1962
Jimmy Dewayne Haws, California, 1962
Damon Valentine Keaw Kanuha, California, 1962
Ricky Lee Bunch, Kentucky, 1962
David Michael Spellacy, Ohio, 1962
Tony Ray Applegate, Ohio, 1962
1963
Marvin Jerome Plummer, Michigan, 1963
Christopher Hoyt Stephens, Texas, 1963
William Allen Strehlow, Wisconsin, 1963
Patbouvier Enrique Ortiz, New York, 1963
J Scott Lindsey, California, 1963
Ismael Cotto, New York, 1963
Kerry Peter Hein, Florida, 1963
Young Min Dillon, Colorado, 1963
Dodge Randell Powell, Florida, 1963
Kenneth Thomas Jr Keller, Illinois, 1963
William Joseph Hurley, Illinois, 1963
Hal Hooper Reichle, Georgia, 1963
John Robert Kilkus, Massachusetts, 1963
Lorraine Kerstin Lawton, Indiana, 1963
John August Jr Boliver, Pennsylvania, 1963
Mark Edward Hutchison, West Virginia, 1963
Anthony Erik Madison, Pennsylvania, 1963
Michael Neal Monroe, Washington, 1963
Bernard Sean Winkley, Maine, 1963
William Thompson Costen, Missouri, 1963
Eric Douglas Hedeen, Washington, 1963
Jeffry Jon Olson, North Dakota, 1963
Mark David Jackson, Maine, 1963
1964
Edwin Brian Kutz, California, 1964
Jorge Isaac Arteaga, Connecticut, 1964
Leonard Allen Russ, New Jersey, 1964
Steven Eric Atherton, Pennsylvania, 1964
Thomas Joseph Haggerty, Massachusetts, 1964
David Ray Jr Crumby, California, 1964
Thomas Clifford Jr Bland, Maryland, 1964
James Robert Brown, Florida, 1964
William Aaron Holt, Oklahoma, 1964
Tracy Hampton, Mississippi, 1964
Phillip Dean Mobley, Missouri, 1964
John Clinton Fowler, Texas, 1964
Michael Leo Chinburg, New Hampshire, 1964
Delwin Delgado, Florida, 1964
Tracey Darlene Brogdon, Florida, 1964
Ernest Rivers, South Carolina, 1964
Raymond Louis Jr Horwath, Illinois, 1964
1965
Jonathan Hall Kamm, Ohio, 1965
Patrick Kelly Connor, Missouri, 1965
Patrick Brian Olson, North Carolina, 1965
Thomas Eugene Walrath, New York, 1965
Dorothy Lee Fails, Arizona, 1965
John Bradley Stephens, Tennessee, 1965
Jeffrey A Settimi, Indiana, 1965
James Wilcher, Mississippi, 1965
Carl Wesley Zabel, Wisconsin, 1965
John Mather Snyder, Connecticut, 1965
Ross Alan Dierking, New York, 1965
Michael Richard Butch, Colorado, 1965
Christopher Jones Chapman, North Carolina, 1965
Craig Eugene Valentine, Michigan, 1965
Edward Michael Codispodo, Pennsylvania, 1965
Michael Anthony Jr Harris, North Carolina, 1965
Michael Sean Smith, Pennsylvania, 1965
Candelario Jr Montalvo, Texas, 1965
Garett Adam Mongrella, New Jersey, 1965
James Eric Waldron, Pennsylvania, 1965
Phillip Jesse Thomas, North Carolina, 1965
Donaldson Preston Iii Tillar, Virginia, 1965
Barry Maxwell Clark, Alabama, 1965
Anthony Javanne Fleming, New York, 1965
Jeffrey John Bnosky, Pennsylvania, 1965
Daniel Eugene Graybeal, Tennessee, 1965
1966
Cheryl Lorraine Obrien, California, 1966
Duane Writner Jr Hollen, Pennsylvania, 1966
Roger Paul Jr Brilinski, Michigan, 1966
Stephen Julius Siko, Pennsylvania, 1966
Fred Russell Jr Parker, North Carolina, 1966
George Richard Swartzendruber, California, 1966
Ronald Milton Randazzo, Maryland, 1966
David Quentin Douthit, Alaska, 1966
James Dale Hawthorne, Texas, 1966
Richard Vincent Wolverton, Pennsylvania, 1966
Terry Lawrence Plunk, Virginia, 1966
Jason Charles Carr, Virginia, 1966
Michael Louis Belliveau, Colorado, 1966
James Paul Heyden, Illinois, 1966
William Carl Brace, Pennsylvania, 1966
Paul Lawrence Burt, Massachusetts, 1966
Jeffrey Edward Mullin, Massachusetts, 1966
1967
Steven Glen Mason, Arkansas, 1967
Kenneth James Perry, North Carolina, 1967
David Gordon Plasch, New Hampshire, 1967
Jonathon Mathew Williams, Virginia, 1967
Daniel Dean Joel, Minnesota, 1967
Timothy Eugene Hill, Michigan, 1967
Mark Joseph Gologram, Ohio, 1967
Kathleen Marie Sherry, New York, 1967
Beverly Sue Clark, Pennsylvania, 1967
William Fitzgerald Palmer, Michigan, 1967
Michael Ward Mills, Iowa, 1967
James Henry Jr Sylvia, Connecticut, 1967
Stephen Eric Bentzlin, Minnesota, 1967
Ardon Bradley Cooper, Washington, 1967
Gary Wayne Mahan, Texas, 1967
Shannon Patrick Kelley, Florida, 1967
Jeffrey Allan Rollins, Utah, 1967
Jeffery Thomas Middleton, Kansas, 1967
Michael Nunnally Jr Manns, Virginia, 1967
Brent Allen Mccreight, Kentucky, 1967
1968
Douglas Lance Fielder, Tennessee, 1968
Dion James Stephenson, Utah, 1968
James Bernard Cunningham, Arizona, 1968
Scotty Lynn Whittenburg, Arkansas, 1968
James Henry Lumpkins, Ohio, 1968
James Arthur Jr Smith, Tennessee, 1968
Nels Andrew Moller, Idaho, 1968
Kurt Allen Benz, Michigan, 1968
Steven Douglas Clark, Iowa, 1968
Frank Choai Allen, Hawaii, 1968
Aaron Alan Pack, Arizona, 1968
Manuel Bernardo Jr Sapien, Colorado, 1968
Anthony Troy Patterson, California, 1968
Lee Arthur Belas, Washington, 1968
Brian Paul Weaver, New York, 1968
Victor Theodore Jr Lake, West Virginia, 1968
Manuel Michael Davila, Wyoming, 1968
Timothy Bernard Seay, Georgia, 1968
Kelly D Phillips, Michigan, 1968
Thomas Robert Tormanen, Minnesota, 1968
Monray Corzere Carrington, Pennsylvania, 1968
Gilbert A Fontaine, New York, 1968
Alan Randy Auger, Massachusetts, 1968
Kevin Edward Wright, Kentucky, 1968
Dennis William Betz, Ohio, 1968
Jimmy Wesley James, New Jersey, 1968
Brian Patrick Scott, Wisconsin, 1968
Otha Bennett Jr Squires, Indiana, 1968
Brian Keith Simpson, Indiana, 1968
Daniel Lupatsky, Pennsylvania, 1968
Albert George Jr Haddad, Texas, 1968
Michael Dennis Cooke, Pennsylvania, 1968
Christine Lynn Mayes, Pennsylvania, 1968
James David Tatum, Tennessee, 1968
Kenneth Jerome Jackson, North Carolina, 1968
Wade Elliott Hector, New Hampshire, 1968
Steven Paul Farnen, Missouri, 1968
Timothy William Romei, California, 1968
Robert Allan Noonan, Ohio, 1968
1969
Gary Wayne Crask, Illinois, 1969
Hans Christian Richard Avey, Washington, 1969
Kip Anderson Poremba, Virginia, 1969
Anthony Wayne Kidd, Ohio, 1969
Jorge Luis Guerrero, Illinois, 1969
Phillip John Jones, Georgia, 1969
Glen Dean Jones, Minnesota, 1969
Timothy Alan Shaw, Maryland, 1969
John Doege West, Arkansas, 1969
Leroy Emil Jr Hein, California, 1969
Larry Marcellous Clark, Georgia, 1969
Ronald David Rennison, Iowa, 1969
Archimedes Panabe Sanjuan, Virginia, 1969
Ramono Levias Poole, Alabama, 1969
James Earl Worthy, Georgia, 1969
Frank Scott Keough, Pennsylvania, 1969
Troy Lorenzo Gregory, Virginia, 1969
Ron Randall Holyfield, Louisiana, 1969
Scott Francis Bianco, Missouri, 1969
Troy Michael Wedgwood, Oregon, 1969
Corey Lee Winkle, Texas, 1969
Alan Harden Benningfield, Indiana, 1969
Roy Tydingo Jr Damian, Guam, 1969
Bobby Maurice Ware, North Carolina, 1969
Jeffrey David Reel, Indiana, 1969
David Timothy Snyder, New York, 1969
David Alan Gilliland, Missouri, 1969
Thomas Allen Jenkins, California, 1969
Rocky John Nelson, Wisconsin, 1969
Tommy Don Butler, Texas, 1969
Steven A Budzian, Connecticut, 1969
Daniel Clayton Mckinsey, Pennsylvania, 1969
1970
George Scott Finneral, Massachusetts, 1970
Mark Richard Cronquist, Montana, 1970
Roderick Ternail Stewart, Louisiana, 1970
Candace Moriah Daniel, Florida, 1970
Timothy Jerome Jackson, Alabama, 1970
Thomas Ray Jr Adams, Louisiana, 1970
Tyrone Michael Brooks, Michigan, 1970
Joseph Douglas Iii Dougherty, Florida, 1970
Arthur Dwayne Oliver, Georgia, 1970
Dustin Craig Lamoureux, Washington, 1970
Patrick Anthony Wanke, Wisconsin, 1970
Kevin Lee Calloway, Wisconsin, 1970
Charles Leroy Jr Bowman, Maryland, 1970
Thomas James Scholand, New York, 1970
Cindy Deanna Jane Bridges, Alabama, 1970
Thomas Randall Jarrell, Alabama, 1970
Daniel Mooers Jones, Massachusetts, 1970
Jeffrey William Speicher, Pennsylvania, 1970
Jerry Leon King, North Carolina, 1970
Scott Arthur Schroeder, Wisconsin, 1970
Adrian Leonard Stokes, California, 1970
Daniel B Walker, Texas, 1970
Steven Robert Trautman, Missouri, 1970
Michael David Daniels, Kansas, 1970
Arthur Oscar Garza, Texas, 1970
Christian Jay Porter, Illinois, 1970
Brian Lee Lane, Indiana, 1970
Michael A Noline, Arizona, 1970
Todd Christopher Ritch, New Hampshire, 1970
Clarence Allen Cash, Ohio, 1970
Frank James Walls, Pennsylvania, 1970
Andy Alaniz, Texas, 1970
Peter Lawrence Jr Swano, New York, 1970
James Clarence Jr Murray, Texas, 1970
Mark Allen Miller, Indiana, 1970
Thomas Gerald Stone, New York, 1970
Wilton L Huyghue, Virgin Islands, 1970
James Robert Jr Miller, Indiana, 1970
Adrienne Lynette Mitchell, California, 1970
David Mark Wieczorek, Arkansas, 1970
James Michael Lang, Maryland, 1970
Matthew James Schiedler, Oregon, 1970
1971
Eliseo Celestino Felix, Arizona, 1971
Aaron Winship Howard, Michigan, 1971
Adam Todd Hoage, California, 1971
Robert Lawrence Jr Daugherty, Florida, 1971
Joseph Phillip Iii Bongiorni, Pennsylvania, 1971
Marty Revohn Davis, Kansas, 1971
Joshua John Fleming, Washington, 1971
David Clarence Hollenbeck, North Carolina, 1971
Alexander Jones, Missouri, 1971
Anthony Dashawn Stewart, New York, 1971
Charles Scott Walker, Georgia, 1971
Randy Lee Neel, New Mexico, 1971
Michael Craig Jr Dailey, Oregon, 1971
Pamela Yvette Gay, Virginia, 1971
Darrell Kenneth Brown, Illinois, 1971
Cindy Marie Beaudoin, Connecticut, 1971
Kevin John Hills, Illinois, 1971
David Walter Kramer, Utah, 1971
Christopher Bernard Brown, Georgia, 1971
Scott Alan Rush, Minnesota, 1971
Rueben Gideon Iii Kirk, West Virginia, 1971
John Wesley Hutto, Alabama, 1971
Roger Edward Valentine, Texas, 1971
Michael Eugene Jr Linderman, Washington, 1971
1972
Nathaniel Henry Kemp, Florida, 1972
Robert D Talley, New Jersey, 1972
Shawnacee Loren Noble, New York, 1972
Michael Lloyd Fitz, Wisconsin, 1972
1961
Charles John Turner, Minnesota, 1961
Dixon Lee Jr Walters, South Carolina, 1961
Donald Ray Myers, Kentucky, 1961
James Robert Mccoy, Delaware, 1961
Mark John Schmauss, Louisiana, 1961
Paul Richard Ii Eichenlaub, Arkansas, 1961
Douglas Lloyd Bradt, Texas, 1961
Christopher Andre Martin, California, 1961
Randal Craig Mills, Mississippi, 1961
Roy Junior Summerall, Florida, 1961
Mario Fajardo, New York, 1961
Thomas Stewart Larson, New York, 1961
William David Jr Cronin, Illinois, 1961
Thomas Joseph Moran, Pennsylvania, 1961
Michael Robert Robson, Florida, 1961
1962
Harold Paul Iii Witzke, New York, 1962
Dale William Jock, New York, 1962
Tommie William Bates, Rhode Island, 1962
David Rohrer Jr Herr, Texas, 1962
Steven Mark Hansen, Michigan, 1962
Adrian Jay Hart, New Mexico, 1962
William David Grimm, Kansas, 1962
David Lawrence Heyman, Missouri, 1962
Scott Nolie Vigrass, New York, 1962
Luis A Henry-Garay, New York, 1962
Robert Kevin Hodges, Florida, 1962
Kelly Lynn Matthews, Michigan, 1962
James Newton Iii Wilbourn, Alabama, 1962
John Kendall Morgan, Washington, 1962
Jeffrey Warren Shukers, Iowa, 1962
John Lee Oelschlager, Florida, 1962
Jimmy Dewayne Haws, California, 1962
Damon Valentine Keaw Kanuha, California, 1962
Ricky Lee Bunch, Kentucky, 1962
David Michael Spellacy, Ohio, 1962
Tony Ray Applegate, Ohio, 1962
1963
Marvin Jerome Plummer, Michigan, 1963
Christopher Hoyt Stephens, Texas, 1963
William Allen Strehlow, Wisconsin, 1963
Patbouvier Enrique Ortiz, New York, 1963
J Scott Lindsey, California, 1963
Ismael Cotto, New York, 1963
Kerry Peter Hein, Florida, 1963
Young Min Dillon, Colorado, 1963
Dodge Randell Powell, Florida, 1963
Kenneth Thomas Jr Keller, Illinois, 1963
William Joseph Hurley, Illinois, 1963
Hal Hooper Reichle, Georgia, 1963
John Robert Kilkus, Massachusetts, 1963
Lorraine Kerstin Lawton, Indiana, 1963
John August Jr Boliver, Pennsylvania, 1963
Mark Edward Hutchison, West Virginia, 1963
Anthony Erik Madison, Pennsylvania, 1963
Michael Neal Monroe, Washington, 1963
Bernard Sean Winkley, Maine, 1963
William Thompson Costen, Missouri, 1963
Eric Douglas Hedeen, Washington, 1963
Jeffry Jon Olson, North Dakota, 1963
Mark David Jackson, Maine, 1963
1964
Edwin Brian Kutz, California, 1964
Jorge Isaac Arteaga, Connecticut, 1964
Leonard Allen Russ, New Jersey, 1964
Steven Eric Atherton, Pennsylvania, 1964
Thomas Joseph Haggerty, Massachusetts, 1964
David Ray Jr Crumby, California, 1964
Thomas Clifford Jr Bland, Maryland, 1964
James Robert Brown, Florida, 1964
William Aaron Holt, Oklahoma, 1964
Tracy Hampton, Mississippi, 1964
Phillip Dean Mobley, Missouri, 1964
John Clinton Fowler, Texas, 1964
Michael Leo Chinburg, New Hampshire, 1964
Delwin Delgado, Florida, 1964
Tracey Darlene Brogdon, Florida, 1964
Ernest Rivers, South Carolina, 1964
Raymond Louis Jr Horwath, Illinois, 1964
1965
Jonathan Hall Kamm, Ohio, 1965
Patrick Kelly Connor, Missouri, 1965
Patrick Brian Olson, North Carolina, 1965
Thomas Eugene Walrath, New York, 1965
Dorothy Lee Fails, Arizona, 1965
John Bradley Stephens, Tennessee, 1965
Jeffrey A Settimi, Indiana, 1965
James Wilcher, Mississippi, 1965
Carl Wesley Zabel, Wisconsin, 1965
John Mather Snyder, Connecticut, 1965
Ross Alan Dierking, New York, 1965
Michael Richard Butch, Colorado, 1965
Christopher Jones Chapman, North Carolina, 1965
Craig Eugene Valentine, Michigan, 1965
Edward Michael Codispodo, Pennsylvania, 1965
Michael Anthony Jr Harris, North Carolina, 1965
Michael Sean Smith, Pennsylvania, 1965
Candelario Jr Montalvo, Texas, 1965
Garett Adam Mongrella, New Jersey, 1965
James Eric Waldron, Pennsylvania, 1965
Phillip Jesse Thomas, North Carolina, 1965
Donaldson Preston Iii Tillar, Virginia, 1965
Barry Maxwell Clark, Alabama, 1965
Anthony Javanne Fleming, New York, 1965
Jeffrey John Bnosky, Pennsylvania, 1965
Daniel Eugene Graybeal, Tennessee, 1965
1966
Cheryl Lorraine Obrien, California, 1966
Duane Writner Jr Hollen, Pennsylvania, 1966
Roger Paul Jr Brilinski, Michigan, 1966
Stephen Julius Siko, Pennsylvania, 1966
Fred Russell Jr Parker, North Carolina, 1966
George Richard Swartzendruber, California, 1966
Ronald Milton Randazzo, Maryland, 1966
David Quentin Douthit, Alaska, 1966
James Dale Hawthorne, Texas, 1966
Richard Vincent Wolverton, Pennsylvania, 1966
Terry Lawrence Plunk, Virginia, 1966
Jason Charles Carr, Virginia, 1966
Michael Louis Belliveau, Colorado, 1966
James Paul Heyden, Illinois, 1966
William Carl Brace, Pennsylvania, 1966
Paul Lawrence Burt, Massachusetts, 1966
Jeffrey Edward Mullin, Massachusetts, 1966
1967
Steven Glen Mason, Arkansas, 1967
Kenneth James Perry, North Carolina, 1967
David Gordon Plasch, New Hampshire, 1967
Jonathon Mathew Williams, Virginia, 1967
Daniel Dean Joel, Minnesota, 1967
Timothy Eugene Hill, Michigan, 1967
Mark Joseph Gologram, Ohio, 1967
Kathleen Marie Sherry, New York, 1967
Beverly Sue Clark, Pennsylvania, 1967
William Fitzgerald Palmer, Michigan, 1967
Michael Ward Mills, Iowa, 1967
James Henry Jr Sylvia, Connecticut, 1967
Stephen Eric Bentzlin, Minnesota, 1967
Ardon Bradley Cooper, Washington, 1967
Gary Wayne Mahan, Texas, 1967
Shannon Patrick Kelley, Florida, 1967
Jeffrey Allan Rollins, Utah, 1967
Jeffery Thomas Middleton, Kansas, 1967
Michael Nunnally Jr Manns, Virginia, 1967
Brent Allen Mccreight, Kentucky, 1967
1968
Douglas Lance Fielder, Tennessee, 1968
Dion James Stephenson, Utah, 1968
James Bernard Cunningham, Arizona, 1968
Scotty Lynn Whittenburg, Arkansas, 1968
James Henry Lumpkins, Ohio, 1968
James Arthur Jr Smith, Tennessee, 1968
Nels Andrew Moller, Idaho, 1968
Kurt Allen Benz, Michigan, 1968
Steven Douglas Clark, Iowa, 1968
Frank Choai Allen, Hawaii, 1968
Aaron Alan Pack, Arizona, 1968
Manuel Bernardo Jr Sapien, Colorado, 1968
Anthony Troy Patterson, California, 1968
Lee Arthur Belas, Washington, 1968
Brian Paul Weaver, New York, 1968
Victor Theodore Jr Lake, West Virginia, 1968
Manuel Michael Davila, Wyoming, 1968
Timothy Bernard Seay, Georgia, 1968
Kelly D Phillips, Michigan, 1968
Thomas Robert Tormanen, Minnesota, 1968
Monray Corzere Carrington, Pennsylvania, 1968
Gilbert A Fontaine, New York, 1968
Alan Randy Auger, Massachusetts, 1968
Kevin Edward Wright, Kentucky, 1968
Dennis William Betz, Ohio, 1968
Jimmy Wesley James, New Jersey, 1968
Brian Patrick Scott, Wisconsin, 1968
Otha Bennett Jr Squires, Indiana, 1968
Brian Keith Simpson, Indiana, 1968
Daniel Lupatsky, Pennsylvania, 1968
Albert George Jr Haddad, Texas, 1968
Michael Dennis Cooke, Pennsylvania, 1968
Christine Lynn Mayes, Pennsylvania, 1968
James David Tatum, Tennessee, 1968
Kenneth Jerome Jackson, North Carolina, 1968
Wade Elliott Hector, New Hampshire, 1968
Steven Paul Farnen, Missouri, 1968
Timothy William Romei, California, 1968
Robert Allan Noonan, Ohio, 1968
1969
Gary Wayne Crask, Illinois, 1969
Hans Christian Richard Avey, Washington, 1969
Kip Anderson Poremba, Virginia, 1969
Anthony Wayne Kidd, Ohio, 1969
Jorge Luis Guerrero, Illinois, 1969
Phillip John Jones, Georgia, 1969
Glen Dean Jones, Minnesota, 1969
Timothy Alan Shaw, Maryland, 1969
John Doege West, Arkansas, 1969
Leroy Emil Jr Hein, California, 1969
Larry Marcellous Clark, Georgia, 1969
Ronald David Rennison, Iowa, 1969
Archimedes Panabe Sanjuan, Virginia, 1969
Ramono Levias Poole, Alabama, 1969
James Earl Worthy, Georgia, 1969
Frank Scott Keough, Pennsylvania, 1969
Troy Lorenzo Gregory, Virginia, 1969
Ron Randall Holyfield, Louisiana, 1969
Scott Francis Bianco, Missouri, 1969
Troy Michael Wedgwood, Oregon, 1969
Corey Lee Winkle, Texas, 1969
Alan Harden Benningfield, Indiana, 1969
Roy Tydingo Jr Damian, Guam, 1969
Bobby Maurice Ware, North Carolina, 1969
Jeffrey David Reel, Indiana, 1969
David Timothy Snyder, New York, 1969
David Alan Gilliland, Missouri, 1969
Thomas Allen Jenkins, California, 1969
Rocky John Nelson, Wisconsin, 1969
Tommy Don Butler, Texas, 1969
Steven A Budzian, Connecticut, 1969
Daniel Clayton Mckinsey, Pennsylvania, 1969
1970
George Scott Finneral, Massachusetts, 1970
Mark Richard Cronquist, Montana, 1970
Roderick Ternail Stewart, Louisiana, 1970
Candace Moriah Daniel, Florida, 1970
Timothy Jerome Jackson, Alabama, 1970
Thomas Ray Jr Adams, Louisiana, 1970
Tyrone Michael Brooks, Michigan, 1970
Joseph Douglas Iii Dougherty, Florida, 1970
Arthur Dwayne Oliver, Georgia, 1970
Dustin Craig Lamoureux, Washington, 1970
Patrick Anthony Wanke, Wisconsin, 1970
Kevin Lee Calloway, Wisconsin, 1970
Charles Leroy Jr Bowman, Maryland, 1970
Thomas James Scholand, New York, 1970
Cindy Deanna Jane Bridges, Alabama, 1970
Thomas Randall Jarrell, Alabama, 1970
Daniel Mooers Jones, Massachusetts, 1970
Jeffrey William Speicher, Pennsylvania, 1970
Jerry Leon King, North Carolina, 1970
Scott Arthur Schroeder, Wisconsin, 1970
Adrian Leonard Stokes, California, 1970
Daniel B Walker, Texas, 1970
Steven Robert Trautman, Missouri, 1970
Michael David Daniels, Kansas, 1970
Arthur Oscar Garza, Texas, 1970
Christian Jay Porter, Illinois, 1970
Brian Lee Lane, Indiana, 1970
Michael A Noline, Arizona, 1970
Todd Christopher Ritch, New Hampshire, 1970
Clarence Allen Cash, Ohio, 1970
Frank James Walls, Pennsylvania, 1970
Andy Alaniz, Texas, 1970
Peter Lawrence Jr Swano, New York, 1970
James Clarence Jr Murray, Texas, 1970
Mark Allen Miller, Indiana, 1970
Thomas Gerald Stone, New York, 1970
Wilton L Huyghue, Virgin Islands, 1970
James Robert Jr Miller, Indiana, 1970
Adrienne Lynette Mitchell, California, 1970
David Mark Wieczorek, Arkansas, 1970
James Michael Lang, Maryland, 1970
Matthew James Schiedler, Oregon, 1970
1971
Eliseo Celestino Felix, Arizona, 1971
Aaron Winship Howard, Michigan, 1971
Adam Todd Hoage, California, 1971
Robert Lawrence Jr Daugherty, Florida, 1971
Joseph Phillip Iii Bongiorni, Pennsylvania, 1971
Marty Revohn Davis, Kansas, 1971
Joshua John Fleming, Washington, 1971
David Clarence Hollenbeck, North Carolina, 1971
Alexander Jones, Missouri, 1971
Anthony Dashawn Stewart, New York, 1971
Charles Scott Walker, Georgia, 1971
Randy Lee Neel, New Mexico, 1971
Michael Craig Jr Dailey, Oregon, 1971
Pamela Yvette Gay, Virginia, 1971
Darrell Kenneth Brown, Illinois, 1971
Cindy Marie Beaudoin, Connecticut, 1971
Kevin John Hills, Illinois, 1971
David Walter Kramer, Utah, 1971
Christopher Bernard Brown, Georgia, 1971
Scott Alan Rush, Minnesota, 1971
Rueben Gideon Iii Kirk, West Virginia, 1971
John Wesley Hutto, Alabama, 1971
Roger Edward Valentine, Texas, 1971
Michael Eugene Jr Linderman, Washington, 1971
1972
Nathaniel Henry Kemp, Florida, 1972
Robert D Talley, New Jersey, 1972
Shawnacee Loren Noble, New York, 1972
Michael Lloyd Fitz, Wisconsin, 1972
National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial
In July 2022, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Washington, D.C. to formally begin the National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial. A construction permit was issued in March 2025, and on-site construction has begun near the Lincoln Memorial. First authorized by Congress in 2014, the project has been a decade-long effort of fundraising, design approvals, and perseverance by veterans and advocates. When it’s dedicated in 2026, it will stand as a lasting tribute to the nearly 700,000 Americans who served in the Gulf War and to those who never came home. I’d really love to be there when it opens.
Jeffery Thomas Middleton, Kansas, 1967-1991
Gulf War Memoirs
The Gulf War is sometimes remembered as a swift and clean conflict, but memoirs by those who served tell a more complicated story, revealing the fear, boredom, and moral weight carried by a generation of young Americans — most of them Generation X.
Two of the best-known accounts come from Marines born in the 1970s, the heart of Gen X. In Jarhead (2003), Anthony Swofford recounts his experience as a Marine sniper during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Born in 1970, Swofford was 20 years old when he deployed. His memoir is less about battlefield heroics than the psychological toll of waiting including endless drills in the desert, the hunger for action, and the alienation of coming home. It struck a nerve because it captured the quiet dislocation of a generation asked to fight a high-tech war that often felt strangely impersonal.
Similarly, David Morris, also born in 1970, brings a soldier’s eye to Storm on the Horizon (2004). His focus is the Battle of Khafji, the first major ground engagement of the Gulf War. Blending memoir and reporting, Morris shows how chaos and confusion defined the battlefield, undermining the myth of a flawless campaign. His writing reminds readers that even a short war leaves long shadows.
10 Things I Was Doing During Desert Shield / Storm (FWIW)
1. After graduating college in May 1990, I became one of the last few living Gen-Xers in Oklahoma City, having not yet succumb to the infamous Sooner State Brain Drain. There were no jobs here, but I believed there were no jobs anywhere, so I stayed. This was easy because I had no car and no money to go anywhere. My existence was bleak.
2. I was still dating my college boyfriend and we were about to get engaged. Therefore, I spent a lot of time at Hancock Fabrics pouring over wedding patterns. I would have something like 8 bridesmaids. It was ridiculous. Especially since I was underemployed and broke.
3. I was burning through a variety of miserable jobs including Hertz Data Center (dreadful), a cancer ward at a hospital (devastating), substitute teaching (not bad), driving a school bus (how could anyone certify me for this?), and going to graduate school because this is what Gen-Xers did to avoid student loan (8 percent interest) payments. I was studying things like world literature and geography because my degree in political science hadn’t rendered me quite unemployable enough.
4. I was answering ads in newspapers for things like environmental activist. It was a lofty title for a job that involved canvassing neighborhoods in the dark of night near Picher, Oklahoma. We knocked on doors, asked for donations and we got to keep half of whatever. It was devastating and scary and I never made a dime.
5. I was trying to get jobs at newspapers and TV stations because I had also majored in communications/journalism. Toward the end of the Desert Storm, I was offered a position as a writer in the public affairs office at a large military installation. One of my first stories was a timeline of the Gulf War. My salary was $17,200 a year, but my career in public relations had officially begun. For the next five years I would learn what it meant to be a Gen-Xer working for Baby Boomers including many men who fought in Vietnam.
6. Against all odds I got a loan from Don Silverman (nice man) at OKC’s Central Bank and I bought a 1984 Honda Accord. I loved that car so much. I wrecked it one time and when I took it in for repairs, the body shop told me the car had been wrecked before and was shimmied together with paint sticks. When I paid it off ($4,000), I wrote the bank a letter telling them how wonderful Mr. Silverman was to give me that loan. I ran into him years later and he told me that letter earned him a promotion.
7. I was living in Rockwell Plaza Apartments (Rent: $210 a month – $1 for every square foot) and I had a dog, Zofie who chewed the hunter green carpet completely away from the wall. When I moved out they wanted $1,500 for the carpet, which I didn’t have. This would stay on my credit report for at least a decade. During my time at Rockwell Plaza, I had two roommates: Jennifer and Cindy. Jennifer worked at Pioneer Pies and wore a long calico dress and bonnet to work every day. She brought home lots of coins, which she used to pay her share of the rent. It was awesome! I wished I’d had lots of coins but nobody there was no way I was wearing a pioneer dress to work.
8. I was working out a lot at a placed called All-American Fitness, which was right by a TCBY yogurt shop. My boyfriend and I went to that yogurt shop many times in 1990-1991, the same timeframe as the yogurt shop murders in Austin. I can’t think about Desert Shield or Desert Storm without thinking about the yogurt shop murders.
9. During the Gulf War, I braced for a Vietnam-level bloodbath. The news warned of massive casualties and a long and costly war. Yellow ribbons were everywhere and everyone was praying for the nearly 700,000 troops (most Gen X) deployed. There was so much uncertainty during this time — chemical weapons drills, televised airstrikes, and scary casualty predictions. There was a lot of fear and patriotism. But, then the ground campaign began and thanks to airpower it was all over in 100 hours. We lost 148 troops in combat and another 145 in non-combat, far fewer than the thousands feared. I was relieved, but puzzled that it was over before it began. But, now I see it never really ended. War never ends. It’s always unfolding somewhere, one conflict giving way to another. It’s been battles galore my whole life.
10. From the U.S. perspective, the point of the Gulf War was to force Iraq out of Kuwait, which it had invaded and annexed in August 1990. Also, to protect Saudi Arabia and the Gulf oil supply, which was seen seen as the lifeline of the global economy. At that time, the U.S. was heavily dependent on imported oil. By the fall of 1995, I was working as the inaugural coordinator of a Department of Energy program called Clean Cities, which was partly created to reduce dependency on foreign oil. Yet ahead, however, was the U.S. shale revolution, which turned the U.S. into the world’s largest oil and gas producer by the 2010s. This was completely unimaginable during the Gulf War era.
Yellow Ribbons I Remember From This Era
I can’t speak for the rest of the country, but during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, yellow ribbons could be seen everywhere around Oklahoma City. They were tied to trees, painted on water towers and pinned to jackets. One even made its way on to the infamous Graffiti Bridge, which is no more. This was pretty much the first and last time in my life that I witnessed this kind of patriotism. What poured out in the aftermath of the Oklahoma Bombing in 1995 and 9/11 in 2001, was, in my mind, more associated with grief.
Hoke, Doug. [Photograph 2012.201.B1349.0875], photograph, February 8, 1991; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc643361/: accessed September 21, 2025), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.
We were around so many of the same places in that time period.