Many studies have been made of Gulf War Syndrome, and it is still not possible to say, with certainty, exactly what causes the conditions associated with it. And some of the problems they’ve faced and the conditions they suffer are related to their honorable service. And as he’s often said about serving at VA, it provides an opportunity to give back to the Soldiers with whom we served and those we went to war with-and that’s a rare privilege not extended to every former service member.įor many Veterans of the Gulf War, the intervening years have not been without trouble and trials. But when Secretary Shinseki provided the opportunity for me to come back into government service, I didn’t hesitate. I never dreamed I’d get to help serve Veterans at VA. Two decades ago, I wasn’t thinking of the day I’d be a Veteran myself, or of the Department of Veterans Affairs. All of them personify the four simple promises of the Soldier’s Creed: What defined them, in my memory, was their willingness to serve, their dedication, and the way they put their hearts and souls into every assigned task-no different than the young men and women serving today, and over the past decade, in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But their differences did not define them. Like American Soldiers of every generation, those with whom I served were a great and diverse mixture of young people-from every part of our great country and from every culture, ethnicity, and economic background. Among them are the character, the personalities, and the faces of the Soldiers it was my privilege to serve with and to lead. As on the eve of every war and battle, there were a lot of unknowns, a lot of questions, and a lot of concerns as we prepared to carry out the mission assigned to us.Īlthough many of the specific memories and details of that day-and of subsequent days after we had advanced into Iraq and Kuwait-have faded, some memories have remained very clear. On that day, I was commanding a field artillery battalion in the 1 st Infantry Division positioned along Saudi Arabia’s border with Iraq. The air war had begun on January 17-as Brandon Friedman recalled in a recent entry-and now our time to begin operations had arrived. It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since the ground assault of Operation Desert Storm began on February 23, 1991.
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