sndhight.com: gulf war gallery

Gulf War Gallery

I spent six years in the U.S. Army, from September 1985 to September 1991, and made the rank of Sergeant (E-5) as a heavy-wheel vehicle mechanic (63S). (Naturally, I've done everything except mechanics since leaving the service. I don't even change my own oil anymore.) I spent the bulk of my career refueling generators in a Patriot missile unit (6/3 ADA in Fort Bliss, Texas, later redesignated 1/7 ADA in Kaiserslautern, West Germany), but near the end, I was fortunate enough to be returned stateside and be reassigned to the 1st Special Forces Group in Fort Lewis, Washington.

A few months later, in August 1990, Saddam Hussein sent his army across the Iraqi border into Kuwait and a few miles into the northern part of Saudi Arabia. He very quickly pulled back from Saudi Arabia, but he retained control of Kuwait despite demands from the United States, several Arab nations, and the United Nations that he withdraw.

A week or so later, I was detached with ten or twelve of my fellows to the 5th Special Forces Group in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, whereupon we began preparations for deployment to Saudi Arabia. When we arrived in Saudi Arabia a few weeks later, it was 125° Fahrenheit in the daytime, and the humidity seemed to hover around zero percent ("But it's a dry heat..."). The temperature did drop, however, over the ensuing weeks and months; by December, in fact, it rained almost daily and temperatures dropped below freezing at night. To live in, we were given abandoned Kuwaiti Army barracks in King Khalid Military City (KKMC or "Emerald City"), which had been built by the U.S. in the 1970s to defend the Northeastern part of Saudi Arabia. We also quickly established a camp closer to the border in the desert north of the town of Hafr Al Batin.

Photography within KKMC was strictly regulated by the Saudi government; additionally, time, my limited film supply, the harshness of the climate, my duties, and the cracked back of my camera (resulting in frequent flares or ruined photos) all conspired to make my Desert Shield / Desert Storm photo album somewhat limited in scope. As well, I took many of the photos while driving, holding the camera with one hand and the steering wheel with the other. The photos below represent some of the better photos. I intend to scan more eventually and add them here as well.

— Steve

Click any photo to enlarge.