• #DesertStorm30: Gulf War illness

    Nearly 700,000 men and women served in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s. Now, three decades later, as many as a third of that population are affected by a cluster of medically unexplained chronic symptoms that have plagued them following their return from deployment. The symptoms can include fatigue, headaches, joint pain, indigestion, bowel discomfort, insomnia, dizziness, respiratory disorders, skin problems, and memory impairment. VA clinicians and researchers often call this condition "Gulf War illness” in the medical literature.

  • #DesertStorm30: Veterans using VA services

    During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, over 695,000 service members deployed, while 2.2 million were in service during the war. As of 2019, there were nearly 5 million living Veterans, of whom 2.7 million served exclusively during the Pre-9/11 time period. Here's how the access VA.

  • #DesertStorm30: Visions of Redemption

    While deployed during Operation Desert Storm, a horrific accident changed Marine Corps Veteran Kevin Jackson's life. In a short period, he went from normal sight to permanent vision loss. A normally sighted person has 180 degrees of vision in both eyes. Jackson's vision is down to one degree in his right eye, with a small amount of his optic nerve attached to the eye. That gives him an extremely narrow window to view the world.

  • #DesertStorm30: Chocolate chip cookie uniforms

    Though it was first designed in 1962, finalized in 1976, and then standardized in 1990, the Desert Battle Dress Uniform (DBDU)—affectionately known for its “chocolate chip” or “cookie dough” camouflage patterns—defined the U.S. military era known for a single event: Operation Desert Storm.

  • #DesertStorm30: Protecting the seas

    Dan Zedan chokes up as he remembers saying goodbye to […]

  • #DesertStorm30: Happy Trails

    On the evening of Jan. 16, 1991, Jacky Frawner was in a weight room when he heard his skipper come across the shipboard public address circuits, also known as the 1MC. The alert let the sailors aboard USS Paul F. Foster they were about to transition from Operation Desert Shield to Operation Desert Storm. USS Wisconsin was supposed to fire the first Tomahawk missile. However, the mission shifted to the USS Paul F. Foster. Within hours, Frawner and his shipmates would be part of the opening shots of Desert Storm.

  • #DesertStorm30: From Marine to school leader

    Marine Veteran and Desert Storm Veteran Matt Malone went from self-described troubled youth to superintendent of Fall River Public Schools in Massachusetts.

  • #DesertStorm30: Reporting war, 24/7

    In U.S. wars prior to Desert Storm, military spokespeople would answer questions, then wait for the next day’s newspaper clippings or the nightly news to see developments. Desert Storm changed that, when reporters broadcast the war as it happened.

  • #DesertStorm30: Shield turns into Storm

    The U.S did not take long to respond to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein occupying neighboring Kuwait Aug. 2, 1990. Five days later, President George H.W. Bush ordered Americans to the region to start Operation Desert Shield. Air Force Veteran Howard “Pip” Pope, commander for the 71st Tactical Fighter Squadron, was among the first American forces to arrive. Leading a squadron known as the “Ironmen” flying F-15s, they deployed with little notice in a matter of days. After a 14-hour flight from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, they arrived at Dhahran Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Pope kept a diary of the events, excerpts of which follow.

  • Series highlights Desert Storm Veterans for 30th anniversary

    In January 1991, members from all five military branches joined a coalition to push back Saddam Hussein’s force out of Kuwait for Operation Desert Storm. During January 2021, VA will profile Veterans through stories for Desert Storm’s 30th anniversary.