At 02:39 a.m. on January 17, 1991, the skies over Kuwait lit up with the opening strikes of Operation Desert Storm. Within the first 24 hours, more than a thousand air sorties were launched toward one clear objective: liberate Kuwait and restore its sovereignty. For those who lived through the occupation, that dawn remains engraved in memory. For those of us born after liberation, it is part of the history we inherit and one we must understand.

The road to that moment began months earlier. On August 2, 1990, forces of the former Iraqi regime crossed the border into Kuwait shortly after sunrise. The invasion shocked the region and the international community. The United Nations condemned the act immediately, and after diplomatic efforts failed, the Security Council issued a final deadline, withdraw peacefully by January 15, 1991 or face war. When the deadline passed without compliance, the international coalition prepared to act.

What followed was unprecedented. A U.S. led coalition of 39 nations, commanded by General Norman Schwarzkopf, mobilized to defend a small and peaceful country many abroad had barely heard of before the occupation. More than 670,000 troops were deployed, including 470,000 Americans.

On January 17, the air campaign began, initiating a six-week phase that introduced new military technologies and a new way of witnessing war, stealth aircraft, satellite targeting, precision munitions, and for the first time, live television broadcasts that allowed civilians around the world to watch a conflict unfold in near real time.

The Gulf War also reshaped the role of women in uniform. More than 33,000 American servicewomen served in aviation, logistics, intelligence, communications, and missile defense. Their performance accelerated policy changes that later opened doors for women to fly combat aircraft and serve aboard combat ships, reforms that influenced modern military institutions.

But the legacy of Desert Storm extended far beyond the battlefield. It established a long-term relationship between Kuwait and the United States, one that began in wartime necessity and grew into cooperation in defense, diplomacy, education, and cultural exchange. That relationship remains visible across numerous fields today.

As the years pass, fewer young Kuwaitis have firsthand memories of the occupation or the liberation. Many of us grew up in a Kuwait that is safe and prosperous, but that reality was made possible by sacrifices we did not personally witness. Our generation carries the responsibility of understanding the struggle that shaped our present, honoring the resilience of those who lived through one of the most defining chapters in our national story.

Efforts to preserve this memory continue, in Washington, D.C., the Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial located near the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is now under construction. After more than a decade of planning and advocacy, its official dedication is scheduled for October 24, 2026, thirty-five years after the war.

The memorial is authorized under federal law to commemorate those who served in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and is led by a board of veterans who served during the conflict.

The memorial stands as a reminder that Kuwait’s liberation was not solely a Kuwaiti experience, but an international one built on cooperation, sacrifice, and collective defense. It offers a tangible link to a history both countries have gone through.

Today, we honor those who resisted, those who fought, those who rebuilt, and those who continue to build a better future for Kuwait. May their sacrifices never be forgotten.