Medals of Desert Storm
It has been almost 30 years since the start of the first major foreign crisis of the United States since the Cold War. On August 2, 1990 Saddam Hussein led a well-equipped Iraqi Army into Kuwait, igniting a coalition response that would come be known as Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
Prior to the invasion, Iraq’s economy had been unstable following the Iraq-Iran War of 1980-1988. It was dependent on oil prices, and Iraq needed higher oil prices to sustain it economy.
When Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates flooded the market with cheap oil, Iraq could not sell at previous higher prices. Hussein made claims against Kuwait, accusing it of pumping oil from Iraqi oil fields.
When Hussein’s troops poured into Kuwait, immediate international commendation resulted in an array of nations forming the largest military alliance since WWII. The Coalition forces came from over 35 nations including several Arab nations. The major contributors in terms of military personnel were the United
