Gulf War

I worked in the Intelligence Center supporting Army Central Command just north of Riyadh. A sergeant from my battalion detached north and took these pictures in February and March 1991, during the air and ground war, and the week that followed the cease fire on February 28.

Flaming Oil Fields

During the air offensive, the Iraqi Republican Guard set Kuwati oil refineries ablaze. Within days an oily smoke plume obscured vision for many miles. We could smell it nearly 100 miles south.

Kuwait in the early afternoon

This picture, taken at 4PM, shows the effectiveness of the cover provided by the refinery fires. Suspended smoke particles made the desert eerily cold and quiet.

Operation Red Storm

Desert Storm was composed of many smaller offensive attacks. Operation Red Storm showered lead Iraqi elements with HE artillery rounds, providing a distraction while attack helicopters acquired targets.

Taking the Offensive

Februrary 26: the ground offensive begins and Allied APCs move forward.

Road Casualty

The cease fire was called on Febrary 28, 1991, and the highway leading north out of Kuwait littered with the debris of hundreds of Iraqi tanks, APCs, and trucks. Soldiers nicknamed it the Road of Death.

Coming Home

After the cease-fire, Kuwati citizens come back to their homes, returning all that they fled with months before.