desert storm

The purpose of this Essay is to gain a better perspective on Operation Desert Storm and gain a better understanding on what brought upon this war why did Saddam want to control kuwait's oil, and what input did the United States have into starting and ending this War?

On August 2, 1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait. While Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had been making threats against Kuwait for quite some time.the actual invasion caught most of the world by surprise. everyone expected just a limited attack to seize Kuwaiti oil fields but Instead, within a couple of hours, Iraqi forces had seized downtown Kuwait City.Iraqi forces began to assemble at the Saudi border . King Fahd of Saudi Arabia asked for American assistance. The minute the meeting ended, orders were issued that began the largest buildup of American forces since Vietnam. Within a short period, forces of the 82nd Airborne division were heading for Saudi Arabia, as well as 300 combat aircraft.By the end of September, there were nearly 200,000 American forces in Saudi Arabia.The question was,how to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait. The initial plan called for a "direct offensive aimed at Kuwait City"but Commanders thought it was too risky against the heavily armed Iraqis. Instead, they called for additional troops to prepare for an offensive. President Bush, with Saudi's approval, ordered 140,000 additional troops, including the 3rd Armored Division with its Abrams M1A tanks. During this period, troops from many other nations arrived, including British, French, Egyptian and even Syrian forces.The first air attack was On the morning of January 16, Allied forces began the first phase "the attack on Iraq." American forces destroyed the Iraqi border radar stations, then the Iraqi anti-aircraft network and finally began bombing key targets in downtown Iraq, including the Presidential palace, communication centers and power stations. after two weeks of air attacks, the Iraqis started they're one attack capturing the Saudi town of Al Khafji, which is 8 miles of Kuwaiti border. The next day, however, the Saudis recaptured the town, forcing the remaining Iraqis to flee back to the Kuwaiti border.On February 24, approximately at 4 am the Marines, crossed the borders into Kuwait.the war was 4 days long. The American troops kept advancing further on all fronts. The Marines approached Kuwait City. American casualties were extremely low. The third day of the war was the largest tank battle in history. "The American armored forces engaged the tank forces of the Republican guard."The tanks completely destroyed the Iraqi heavy armor without losing a single tank. Iraqis were told to leave their vehicles and retreat by foot. Their vehicles were destroyed from the air. That night, Allied troops liberated Kuwait City.The fourth and last full day of the war saw the American forces continuing the destruction of much of the Iraqi Army. A decision had already been taken in Washington to end the war at 100 hours. website to visit http://www.ushistory.org/us/60a.asp.
Dictator Saddam Hussein wanted to be in control of the oil fields in Kuwait along with Iraq. He already was in control of Iraq's oil fields but felt he was entitled to control Kuwait's as well. what I've gained from this is no matter how short or long a war may be. it will still have a great impact in the world. I've gained much respect for the soldiers who fought and redeemed Kuwait's dictatorship towards Iraq. it has opened my eyes and made me view life in a whole different perspective. and now here I am 23 years later in the same demographic area in which this war began and feel privileged and honored to be serving in the armed forces with such an elite group of men and women. contributing my skills and attributes to build a better tomorrow,I'm proud to be an American and feel quite nostalgic and proud to be in this region of the world, while serving my country.