Gulf War

Gulf War — Desert Shield & Desert Storm, 1990–1991

When Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, the United States assembled the largest military coalition since World War II. African American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines deployed in record numbers — comprising approximately 24% of U.S. forces in the Gulf, the highest proportion of Black military participation in any American war to that point.

Key Units & Contributions

  • 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) — led the famous "left hook" ground assault deep into Iraq, with significant Black troop participation
  • 1st Armored Division — armored warfare operations across the Iraqi desert
  • 82nd Airborne Division — among the first units deployed during Desert Shield to defend Saudi Arabia
  • Tuskegee Airmen legacy units — Black aviators flying combat missions over Iraq and Kuwait
  • General Colin Powell — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking Black military officer in U.S. history at the time, who helped architect the coalition strategy

Breaking Barriers

The Gulf War saw African American officers commanding at the highest levels in U.S. military history. It was a war that demonstrated — definitively — that the integrated, all-volunteer force was the most capable military America had ever fielded.

The 100-hour ground war ended on February 28, 1991. 148 Americans died in combat. Their sacrifice, and the service of all 697,000 who deployed, deserves to be remembered.

Our Gulf War collection honors every soldier who served in the desert.

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