1. “To Those Who Fell In Desert Storm”

“…they are marked out not merely by the inscription over a grave in their own country but in other lands also by an unwritten memory, recording their spirit more than their actions, which lives on in the minds of men. Emulate them, in your own lives…” -- from the funeral oration of Pericles, during the Peloponnesian War

January 17, 1991, 3:00 a.m. Baghdad time, the first of 100,000 air strikes began. Can you

Think back and remember what you were doing then. I do, and I know where my father was too. As a jet engine mechanic for the F-15 Eagles, he was knee deep in the sand of Saudi Arabia. With the wealth of information out there, it’s hard to cover everything. Right now I’m going to try and give you some information, on the roll we, the US Air Force, had in the Gulf War. I’m also going to explain a little bit of what our job is in Operation Northern/Southern Watch. First, I would like to start with the Gulf War, the Air Superiority and the people that made it happen.

2. When Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, the Air Force went in to action. Within 5 days, 5 fighter squadrons of F-15C Eagles were

4. Never before have one country done so much so quickly. Operation Desert Shield/Storm helped stress the need for air superiority and validated the Air Force’s Global Reach/Global Power policy. The awesome power of the US Air Force equipment and more importantly, the personnel behind the equipment was shown to the world in those 42 days in the desert. With over 3,000 sorties a day, 482,000 passengers, and 513,000 tons of cargo moved between August 2, 1990 and February 27, 1991. This was the largest strategic airlift since World War II. Viewed in tons and miles, the airlift was the equivalent to repeating the Berlin Airlift, a 56-week operation, every six weeks. As for keeping an eye in the sky over the Middle East, I don’t think anyone will try to test the will and determination of the US Air Force. While my father was over in the desert, I made up my mind that I would follow in his footsteps. Keep this in mind the next time you get deployed over to the “big sandbox” in Saudi Arabia.

on the ground in Saudi Arabia. After having flown nonstop fully armed over 8,000 miles in fifteen hours they were ready to go to war. With over 1500 Air Force aircraft in the area, everything from KC-135’s and KC-10’s to th

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