The Gulf War, also known as the Persian Gulf War, First Gulf War, Gulf War I, or the First Iraq War, was fought from August 2, 1990 to February 28, 1991. This war, code named "Operation Desert Storm" from January 17, 1991 to the end of the war, was waged by a coalition force of 34 nations, led by the U.S. This coalition force was authorized by the U.N after Iraq invaded and annexed Kuwait. This war was fought mainly by the Air Force, but with great support from the Navy as well.
After only five weeks of air and missile combat, ground troops began the campaign in Kuwait. On February 27, the coalition forces entered Kuwait City and forced Iraq into a cease-fire. This war reunited the American people and the military, especially after the Vietnam War. Faith in the military's service was restored.
What is your current age?
Old. Alright, fine, I’m 45!
How old were you when the war started?
I think I was 23, if I remember correctly. I was in the Navy for two years.
When and where were you born?
June 18, 1967, in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Where do you live now?
Carteret, NJ.
What is your relationship status now, and what was it during the time of the war?
During the war I was dating Debbie, your mother, and now we’ve been married for... eighteen years, I believe.
Do you have any children?
Yes, I have a daughter, Cassandra, and two sons, Benjamin and Andrew.
What is your current occupation?
I am a police officer.
What is your work history?
When I graduated high school I worked in a machine shop in Carteret, then when I was 21 I joined the Navy, after I left the Navy I worked in a mold making shop, and then I worked – after that job – I worked in a machine shop, then after that I became a sheriffs officer, then a police officer.
What is your religion?
Presbyterian.
What is your education level?
Up to high school.
About the War and Involvement
Can you explain exactly what was happening at this time?
The Gulf War was when Iraq invaded... Kuwait and then a coalition of nations led by the United States decided to kick Iraq out of Kuwait.
What was your actual involvement?
I was in the Navy on board an amphibious assault ship, the U.S.S Raileigh LPD 1, which carried – I think we had over... 600 Marines and 6 Helicopters. Six Apache- No, they were actually Cobra helicopters. And a LCU – landing craft utility – in the weld deck. And two mike six boats, that’s what they were called. We also did a lot of – sea mines, you know, Iraq planted sea mines, and we took them out of the water. I got to see a couple of them blow up. And when the U.S.S Princeton hit a mine, we were close to them. I was one of the guys who flew over and helped fight those fires.
Were there any scares?
Were we near anything? Well, we were in a mine field, and where we were... the U.S.S Wisconson and Missouri, both battleships were shooting over us. And there was a missile attack that shot over our ship, but a British frigate shot that missile down.
Did you take part in any battles?
Actually, what we did was mostly a, um, how do I word it... We wanted to make Sadam Hussein think that, uh, we were gonna land the Marines we had on the beach so we had a lot of forces protecting the beach and, uh, it was like a fake. We didn’t do any major landings. It took a lot of the soldiers and stuff that we could have used to invade Iraq and he could have used to protect other areas of Iraq away from him.
How long were you involved with this?
From August to April of... I don’t remember!
What was your job on the ship?
I was, actually, a third class petty officer machinery repairman, and then put in parenthesis, (machinist). I, uh, made things that broke. I made things out of metal and stuff that they needed, that broke, if you know what I mean. Like, if something broke and they didn’t have a new part for it, I made that part.
What medals or ribbons did you recieve?
Well, there’s the combat action ribbon, there’s the Navy unit commendation medal, there’s the national defense medal, sea service ribbon, desert shield and desert storm, which is actually the Southwest Asia service medal, because I got the two stars, and the last one is the Kuwaiti liberation medal. The pin on it was given by the Kuwait government. The medal itself actually has an ounce of gold in it! Which I never actually got, though. I have the ribbon for the medal, but not the medal.
What exactly was your ranking? Y said you’re not an officer. On a scale of one to ten, where would you be?
I would be a four. That’s exactly the right way of putting it, too!
Before I finish, is there anything else you would like to talk about?
Nothing, really. We discussed all of the big stuff!
For more information on the Persian Gulf War, see:
1. "Military.com Resources." Military.com Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. http://www.military.com/Resources/HistorySubmittedFileView?file=history_gulfwar.htm.
2. "The Gulf War." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.
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