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Pink: Key, Intro, Conclusion, Bibliography

Orange: Body #1 Desert Shield Photography

Red: Body #2 Desert Storm Photography

Blue: Body #3 Desert Sabre Photography

Purple: Ripples of the Gulf War

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War is always measured in terms of something: the quantity of weapons, barrels of oil, and the number of soldiers willing to give their lives to defend their nation. I think that war will always be a component of our social system for a variety of reasons. And because the general public has a tendency to think that peace and conflict are mutually exclusive. With the constant development of new technologies and weapons, battles and conflicts have grown more complex throughout modern history.
I'm not here to argue that war is a good or a bad thing, or whether it is this or that; rather, I'm here to highlight the numerous realities of conflict. I intended to draw attention to the Persian Gulf War, which took place between 1990 and 1991. Understanding this conflict is crucial for comprehending the impacts that conflict can have, including how it affects America's ongoing involvement in the Middle East.
While there have been conflicts in the middle east throughout history, the bloodiest wars have taken place in the last 50 years. The Gulf War started on August 2, 1990, almost 33 years ago, when Saddam Hussein, Iraq's fifth president (who more closely resembled a dictator), ordered 100,000 Iraqi troops to invade Kuwait.

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Unknown photographer, a photo of Saddam Husain talking to Iraqi soldiers who are preparing to be sent to invade Kuwait, August 1990. 

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Iraq's fifth president, Saddam Hussein, addresses a group of Iraqi soldiers upstairs, perhaps on the day or days before the invasion of Kuwait. While this photo will be seen as the ominous beginning of the Middle East wars for years to come, it is interesting that the original photographer is unknown and is considered a 'found' photo. Due to the nature of the situation at hand, this is an important documentary photo as well. The Mercades-Benz carriers are casually placed in the background of the wide open desert landscape, while Husain stands above the sea of green uniforms. Husain's goal of ridding the country of its debt with Kuwait, gaining the oil reserves and Iraq's government control over Kuwait was going to be a fairly easy task unfortunately. While Kuwait was richer in various reserves, it did not have as strong a military presence as Iraq did, leaving them with not much of a defense against Iraq's sudden invasion of Kuwait City on August 2nd, 1990.

Here is a helpful page that further dives into the legacy of Saddam Husain- The Imperial War Museums

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Photographer, Peter Turnley, captures the hundreds of civilian refugees begging for food at the barricades by the Iraq and Jordan border

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This photo by Peter Turnley shows desperate Kuwaiti civilians reaching up for food and water in the 100+ degree desert summer heat. What I find haunting about this photo is the number of people that seems to go on into the deep expanse of the background of this photo. The white-hot glow of the sun almost swallows up the details of people standing farther away from where the volunteers stand above the crowd, but as they get closer hands to appear distressingly outreached towards the two people on each side of the frame.

Treatment of Civilians:
After the invasion of Iraq, the military began moving quickly into Kuwait. Millions of people began to flee the country into surrounding areas. Some made it out, but some stayed and were tortured-raped-stolen from-and murdered by Iraqi soldiers. Making it out of the country was no easy task, it is the desert after all, and many walked for hours in sweltering temperatures just to make it somewhere where they felt safe and had access to water.

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Air Force Photographer, Gerard Fouet, photo of American Air Force troops loading missiles onto trucks during Op. Des. Shield, 1990.

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As the war was expanding, nudging on the border of Saudi Arabia, the United States jumped into action when they were called upon by the King of Saudi Arabia in a plea to Western forces. If Hussain were to have captured Saudi Arabia he would have had..."more than 40 percent of the world’s oil reserves as well as two of the holiest sites in the Islamic world, Mecca and Medina" (According to Brittanica.com, Link).
For the US, this war was dominated mostly by the air. I chose this photo for that reason, showing three troops loading missiles that will be put into fighter planes. The number of missiles loaded on the backs of trucks behind them adds to the intimidating task these people were all put into.

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Photographer, Patrick de Noirmont, captures the sky ablaze with Anti-Aircraft fire during the beginning moments of Operation Desert Storm. January 1991

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New Year, New Operations, New Technology: Op. Desert Storm 

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New Year, New Operations, New Technology: Op. Desert Storm 

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CNN video of reporters in Iraq ( Anti- Aircraft fire footage begins around 20 min)
As the new year of 1991 began, the only fireworks some saw were the lit sky full of anti-aircraft fire. This photo taken by Patrick de Noirmont shows the orange atmospheric rain of ammunition fire. Though I saw this photo, I felt as if I could hear it, echoing with every burst of light streaked across the image.
America shifted into new operations during the beginning of 1991, they implemented GPS systems to navigate- which at the time was a very new technology. These systems could be used on the ground and in the air, which helped aircrafts to navigate over Iraq.

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Ramstein Air Base, Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany

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The STARS and STRIPES newspaper, Aug. 30 1990, vol.49, no.138

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INTERVIEW: My Father, RET Maj. Melrose - Operation Desert Storm 

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INTERVIEW: My Father, RET Maj. Melrose - Operation Desert Storm 

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My father, Retired Major Darrell Melrose served during the Gulf War, so when I thought about doing this project I instantly thought of him. The photo above is the front page of The Stars and Stripes newspaper, this copy my dad owns and has saved in a scrapbook full of his personal military pictures and memorabilia. When he showed me this page he explained to me how he helped clean this plane crash up, and how the plane was carrying loads of supplies to carry to a nearby base that would be taken to the troops stationed in Saudi Arabia. Within those supplies also came loads of injection pens used to offset the effects of being exposed to chemical warfare. The problem was that there were two pens you were to take at the same time, one pen was used to offset the effects of nerve agents and the other pen was used to remedy the effects of the first pen. So when the plane crashed and troops went out to clean up the wreck, they had to be extremely careful not to step on these spring-loaded injectors, otherwise (without the immediate injection of the second pen) there is a high possibility of medical injury or death.
Knowing all of this I wanted to ask my dad a few questions and be able to provide what his experience was like during this time in history.

When and how did you find out that you were being deployed?

MELROSE:
" Late 1990, we were ordered to assemble at the base theatre at Ramsiten, my unit 377th civil engineering squadron. We were instructed that we had been identified as a unit to be deployed in order to support desert shield/storm. "

What role did photography mean to you then?

MELROSE:
" It was something I had grown an appreciation for, through my uncle, Don, he was an avid amateur photographer. Then for me, as soon as I had the money, I bought the Cannon Eos 35 mm 2nd generation at the base exchange at Ramstein.  It was important to me because I felt like I wanted to capture the moment so that I had them, people where I was from never would have believed me unless I had the proof. "

What was the biggest event that you were involved in while you were stationed at Ramstein?

MELROSE:
" During that time period, the cold war ended, the berlin wall came down, the war in Bostina began, we had desert shield/storm, so all of those things happened. Those entire two years were filled with the most exciting and most substantive experiences I've had up to that point in my life. The biggest thing I was involved in was supporting the dessert shield. "

What were you most afraid of during that time?

MELROSE:
" Besides jumping out of airplanes, it was that day they told us we were being deployed to go to war. We never thought that would have ever happened to us, at that moment I was scared, my heart rate went up, and I remember feeling like 'Woah.' I was 21 going on 22. Yeah. My wartime duty was to stand in a "skip", with a 38 revolver, and if anyone became infected with chemical or biological warfare, and tried to get into the skip I would have to incapacitate them in order to not infect the people inside. "

How do you remember this time in your life?

MELROSE:
"  Very fondly, as I said, I was the happiest I had ever been, I felt fulfilled, I felt strong and young, I had all the food I could possibly want, and I was thrilled.  It was like being in college but getting paid to go. I had never dreamed of doing those things, like driving a ten-ton dump truck around Germany, especially coming from a small town in northern Illinois. "

Last question, In your opinion... what impact do you think this war had on future wars and conflicts?

MELROSE:
" It established the Powell doctrine, and it was the genesis of our current posture of the establishment of our very extensive military presence that the US has throughout the middle east currently. "

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Photographer, Kenneth Jarecke, captures the charred state of the body of an Iraqi soldier after the airstrikes on withdrawing Iraqi soldiers.  

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Video: Airstrikes on the Highway of Death

American forces had quickly taken out most of Iraq's air defense by the end of February during Operation Desert Storm. Months earlier Iraq had used one stretch of road to invade Kuwait, Highway 80, in February they planned to retreat down the same stretch back into Iraq. On the 28th, of the same month, US forces trapped thousands of Iraqi vehicles by bombing them from behind and ahead. Once the vehicles had been trapped, missiles began to drop onto the long stretch of road.

Kenneth Jarecke, the photographer who shot this photo, once said, "If I don't photograph this, people like my mom will think war is what they see on TV".
This photo is gruesome and horrific. But it is all too real. This is important to what Jarecke said, the body shown in the photo is not a prop on a movie set, that was a human man made into a charred holo shell by the flames of missiles. The burnt, orange, and brown surroundings spell a solemn tale, a trace of the hell that was inflicted. The state of the man's body, being able to see the remnants of what once was muscle, and skin, right down to his bones. The pose he is in, gripping the side of the bus, as if they were in the process of trying to escape it.

Some may argue this to be a War Crime that the US inflicted on withdrawing Iraqi Forces. But the US defended that they thought that forces were retreating which made them targets.

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Photographer, Eric Bouvet, shows the US Army soilders searching an abandonded Iraqi tank, Feb 1991

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The missiles that rained down on Highway 80 were all apart of the final operation the US had for the Gulf War. After the bombing, soldiers were sent out to gather casualties and search all vehicles.
I chose this photo because it gave me an other worldly feeling. Like it was taken out of Star Wars or some other space movie. The combination of the sandy desert expanse, with suited up troops bring an cinematic like atmosphere.

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Persian Gulf (also known as the Arabian Gulf)

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Photographer, Steve Mccury, captures the raging oil mill fires set by the Iraqi government while camels search the fiery landscape.

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Burning money- the aftermath of the peace treaty 

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Burning money- the aftermath of the peace treaty 

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Oil Well Fires Video
After Iraq had signed the peace treaty, putting the final nail at the end of the war, the last Iraqi forces fleeting Kuwait set fire to thousands of oil mills. Hussain decided, if he couldn't have Kuwait's oil (and all the money that comes with it) then no one could have it.
This photo by Steve Mccury shows the billions of barrels of oil ablaze in the air. The wall of flames, and the three poor camels destined for death show quite a theatrical end to the war.

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 Photographer, Christophe Simon, captures American soldiers being embraced by Kuwait civilians after the liberation of the capital of Kuwait.

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From a strategic point of view, this war was efficiently successful, the war being fought in about 43 days, but the total conflict lasted 7 months. Kuwait citizens rejoiced with the liberation of the capital and praised the Americans for their efforts.
Christophe Simon shot this photo during the liberation. What I like most about this image is the feeling of hope I can see radiating off of all of their faces. After going through all of that, something that they could look forward to, without the fear of dictatorship.

Though the end of this war was just the beginning of the conflict that continues today in the middle east. Husain was hung for all of his crimes in 2006, but he was deposed from the presidential seat in 2003 after almost 24 years of being "president". I have never lived in a world without war in the Middle East, and so have at least 3 generations of people. And it is unclear when we will ever see the day when there isn't conflict, but one day hopefully we will radiate the same faces of hope as the people shown above.

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To conclude, I would like to end with this photo of American soldiers, Sgt. Ken Kozakiewicz (right), and Michael Tsantarakis (left), learning that the bodybag next to them contained Kozakiewicz's friend Pvt. Andy Alaniz. Shot by the photographer, David Turnley.
The reason I wanted to include this image is to emphasize the toll of war. War doesn't give, it takes away, and it takes and takes until there is nothing left but a pen and paper that says it's enough.
I'm grateful and so blessed to have my father, and to be able to learn about this point in time makes me incredibly thankful for those who have served.
Special thanks to my father who allowed me to ask him a few questions about his experience being a part of the US military during that time.

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Works Cited

“36 Years and Five Presidents: The Work of J. Scott Applewhite.” AP Photos, apimagesblog.com/blog/2017/6/13/36-years-and-five-presidents-the-work-of-j-scott-applewhite. Accessed 18 Mar. 2023.

Arrington Doke, DeeDee. “Ramstein Crash Kills 13: 4 Others Injured as Desert Shield C-5 Plunges after Takeoff.” The STARS and STRIPES, vol. 49, no. 138, Aug. 1990, p. 1.

Campbell, Ian. “YIELD No10 — Kenneth Jarecke — Interview.” YIELD N o 10, July 2020, 010.yieldmagazine.org/24/.

“Gulf War - 20 Years On.” The Guardian, 16 Jan. 2011, www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2011/jan/12/gulf-war-in-pictures.

Midberry, Jennifer. “Compassionate Horror or Compassion Fatigue? Responses to Human-Cost-of-War Photographs.” International Journal of Communication, vol. 14, 2020, pp. 4406–27.

Myer, Greg. “Why Are U.S. Presidents Calling on the Military so Often?” NPR, 3 Sept. 2013, www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2013/08/31/217220184/why-are-presidents-calling-on-the-military-so-often.

@NatGeoUK. “The Story of ‘Fright Night’ – the World’s Fiercest Tank Battle.” National Geographic, 25 Feb. 2021, www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2021/02/the-untold-story-of-the-worlds-fiercest-tank-battle.

"Operation Desert Storm.", directed by Don Horan. , produced by Sammy Jackson, Mort Zimmerman, and Inc Lou Reda Productions. , A&E Television Networks, 1996. Alexander Street, https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/operation-desert-storm.

“Photojournalism of Gulf War 1 by David Lee Longstreath.” Black and White Photojournalism by Award-Winning Photographer David Lee Longstreath, https://www.davidleelongstreath.com/gulf-war.html.

Turnley, Peter. “The Unseen Gulf War by Peter Turnley - the Digital Journalist.” Digitaljournalist.org, digitaljournalist.org/issue0212/pt_intro.html. Accessed 18 Mar. 2023.

Wire reports. “WAR ERUPTS: Air Armada Hammers Iraq.” The STARS and STRIPES, vol. 49, no. 277, Jan. 1991, p. 1.