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Show An Air Force newspaper supporting Operation Desert Storm May 1991 U.S. Central Command Air Forces Special Edition rammionc in militarv hicfnrv have been as ambitious or success ful as Operations Desert Shield ana Desert Storm. Sparked by Iraq's Aug. 2 invasion of neighboring Kuwait, U.S. forces joined in an unprecedented international coalition to prevent further Iraqi expansionism and to restore Kuwait's legitimate government The United States Air Force served as the tip of the spear when President George Bush sent U.S. forces to the Persian Gulf f to v .i 1 - f , ; V region. Within 24 hours after their departure from stateside bases, Tactical Air Command fighters were ready to fly combat air patrol missions in Arabian skies, vectored by Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft Strategic Air Command tankers were refueling the fighters in the air, and the Military Airlift Command had begun history's biggest airlift effort. Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units swung into action, and people from virtually every Air Force specialty were called upon to put their training to the 4, 0 J . to S l 3 test An uneasy standoff between Iraqi and coalition forces marked the next several months, as the build-u- p continued and the infrastructure for war took shape in the Arabian-deser- t. When Iraq failed to respond to a United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of its forces from Kuwait, Operation DesertShield became Operation Desert Storm. A multiservice and multinational air campaign sent Iraq's air force into hiding and softened Iraqi ground forces for the land war. Meanwhile, allied ground forces all-ooffenpositioned themselves for an sive that was so successful it lasted only 100 hours. Throughout the crisis, the Desert Defender served deployed Air Force men and women weekly with news from home and the from one another. This special issue is dedicated not final Desert Defender only to the people who deployed and aided in securing the allied victory, but also to those who supported the effort at their home bases and especially to the families and friends who shouldered the homefront burdens. We also dedicate this issue to the memory of those who paid the ultimate price for freedom. SrA. Chris Putnam ut L"3 1 v Z MSgt Bill Thompson " Ralph Uoe |