The U.S.-led mission to expel Iraqi invaders from Kuwait began on Jan. 17, 1991, with a massive aerial and naval bombardment that lasted five weeks. It was followed by a massive ground assault into Iraq and Kuwait that lasted 100 hours until Iraq capitulated.
Now more than 30 years later, groundbreaking for the National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial is scheduled for Thursday at a site about 300 yards from the Lincoln Memorial.
“We are exceedingly grateful to the National Park Service for allowing us to ceremoniously break ground prior to final design approval, which we aim to obtain in less than a year,” retired Army Lt. Col. Kyle B. Leggs of the National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial Association said in a statement.
The association called the Gulf War “a powerful message of international unity and cooperation” when a coalition of forces from almost 40 countries joined together to oppose Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s illegal invasion of Kuwait.
President Barack Obama signed legislation for the Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial in December 2014. Three years later, President Donald Trump signed off on setting the memorial on the National Mall.
“The Memorial’s design will commemorate the historical significance of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm while honoring the sacrifice of the United States of America and Coalition military personnel who liberated Kuwait from Iraq and defended Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula from further invasion,” memorial association officials said in a statement.