I really enjoy history and the telling of it. Even when that history involves a bit of speculation I find it fascinating. It has been said that history is written by the victors and truer words were never put to paper, although it may have been papyrus that was used. Whatever the time and era history has been recorded in that fashion. Only years later, after anomonisty or sheer hatred has subsided will an alternative history be offered. The alternative history involves motives more than facts in most cases. Usually a bit of an apology is involved as well. Justification and explanations abound in the context of time. We are surely seeing this today in America. But that isn't what I am occupied with this morning. I'm thinking of a bit of history from my past. It was inspired by what I wrote yesterday regarding my great grandmother, time, wars and the mementos of those wars. I wrote of a personal memento and how it related to myself. And today I find myself wanting to explain a war memento of my own, an explanation of what it is.
I was stationed aboard the USS Nitro AE-23 homeported at Earle, New Jersey. The Nitro was an ammunition ship. That is, her mission was to carry ammo for the other ships in the fleet, and she also had the capability to refuel other ships. Thanksgiving was just a few weeks away, we were docked at the pier, doing maintenance, relaxing a bit and looking forward to the holidays. That was in 1990 and I had three more years until I reached retirement. I had made several Med cruises, been to the Caribbean, sailed the North Sea, the Bering straits, the Black sea, crossed the equator and the artic circle. Yes I had done a lot over the last seventeen years. And then the word came down, Iraq had invaded Kuwait! We were to make immediate preparations for deployment. All leaves were cancelled, we would leave within the week for the Persian Gulf. No time to go home, no time to brood about any of that. In 1990 there were no cell phones, no e-mails or FaceTime. I went to the phonebooth on the pier to make a phone call. A text message would require postage and about three days to get there. The message, We're deploying before Thanksgiving and expect to return before the fourth of July. And that is exactly what took place. It was called Operation Desert Shield.
We sailed to the Persian gulf with our cargo holds stocked with ammo of all description. The tanks were full of fuel for the ships and helicopters. Basically we were a floating bomb and fuel platform, one without armaments' of our own. Oh a couple of fifty calibers had been hastily mounted on the superstructure as a defense against aerial attack. I wasn't feeling too secure about all of that but laughed it off. We arrived in time for the initial assault on the Iraqi's. The object was to drive them out of Kuwait and back into their own country. On January the 17th, 1991 it began, naval and aerial bombardment of the Iraqi forces. It lasted non-stop for about 100 hours! It was described as shock and awe. I was in the engine room of that ship, Machinist Mate of the Watch was my duty station. In between watches I did get to go on deck and look off in the distance. In the evening hours you could see the flashes of light signaling an explosion of some type. I could hear the boom of the big guns! But we were well back from the action, they was no real danger for us. Following that phase the assault continued but the code name was now Desert Storm. Desert Shield/Desert Storm are forever linked in history as a single action but that isn't the truth of it. Desert Shield was the first half, the softening up if you will, Desert Storm was the ground troops that moved in to expel the Iraqi's. The success was amazing and as with previous actions, we quit at the border. Our orders would not allow us to continue the assault and unseat Saddam Hussein from power. I was retired by then, but in 2003 US forces led the invasion of Iraq that unseated Hussein.
Now the USS Nitro AE-23 has long since been scrapped. I have long since been retired. I have a photograph of her, an old ball cap with her name embroidered on the crown and some memories. In the shadow box that was presented to me upon my retirement are my ribbons and medals earned during my twenty years of service. Not all medals and ribbons are equal however. I didn't earn any medals for heroism or some meritorious action. Nothing like that. I got the generic National Defense Ribbon and medal that is issued to anyone that served a minimum of 90 days of service, while the country is at war. Mine has a star indicating I did that twice. I have the good conduct ribbon with two stars. That indicates I was a good sailor for at least 12 continuous years. I have a couple others that escape me at the moment. But there is one that I most admire. It is " The medal for the liberation of Kuwait " issued by the government of Saudi Arabia. A medal issued to me by a foreign government. That is what makes it a rather special award to have. This particular medal was only issued to those that were there, Desert Shield/Desert Storm between the 17th of January 1991 and February 28, 1991. That makes that medal a rare one to have because of the short time period. There are other medals issued for Desert Shield/Desert Storm that cover a longer time period issued by other governments, and by our own. The Southwest Asia service medal is one and I have that as well.
The medal in that shadow box is the one I was issued. At the time of my retirement you could not purchase a replica of that medal as there were none. Normally the ribbons and medals in a shadow box are purchased by the ones presenting you the box. The " personal " medals are held by the service member. I'm certain replica's are available today for collectors. I expect the number of us actually entitled to wear that medal are fewer in number now. That medal will have been in that box 27 years this October.
I record this in the hope that it will continued to be valued in the future. I suspect my grandson will become the custodian of that one day. I've told him on numerous occasions about that medal and the significance of it. It can't hurt to write it down. I have my Dad's medals but no story to go with them. What I know of them I have read on the internet. Old battles fought, victories achieved. I was awarded a medal, by a foreign government as recognition for my contribution, however small that may have been. And that's pretty cool in my book. Something to take pride in. A small piece of history that I was a part of and witness to. Just one is a sea of faces, but I was there. Victorious I get to write the story!
Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures but the reflection off the glass messed me up. :) Anyway. that's my shadow box and the medal is, The medal for the liberation of Kuwait. ( official name )
I was stationed aboard the USS Nitro AE-23 homeported at Earle, New Jersey. The Nitro was an ammunition ship. That is, her mission was to carry ammo for the other ships in the fleet, and she also had the capability to refuel other ships. Thanksgiving was just a few weeks away, we were docked at the pier, doing maintenance, relaxing a bit and looking forward to the holidays. That was in 1990 and I had three more years until I reached retirement. I had made several Med cruises, been to the Caribbean, sailed the North Sea, the Bering straits, the Black sea, crossed the equator and the artic circle. Yes I had done a lot over the last seventeen years. And then the word came down, Iraq had invaded Kuwait! We were to make immediate preparations for deployment. All leaves were cancelled, we would leave within the week for the Persian Gulf. No time to go home, no time to brood about any of that. In 1990 there were no cell phones, no e-mails or FaceTime. I went to the phonebooth on the pier to make a phone call. A text message would require postage and about three days to get there. The message, We're deploying before Thanksgiving and expect to return before the fourth of July. And that is exactly what took place. It was called Operation Desert Shield.
We sailed to the Persian gulf with our cargo holds stocked with ammo of all description. The tanks were full of fuel for the ships and helicopters. Basically we were a floating bomb and fuel platform, one without armaments' of our own. Oh a couple of fifty calibers had been hastily mounted on the superstructure as a defense against aerial attack. I wasn't feeling too secure about all of that but laughed it off. We arrived in time for the initial assault on the Iraqi's. The object was to drive them out of Kuwait and back into their own country. On January the 17th, 1991 it began, naval and aerial bombardment of the Iraqi forces. It lasted non-stop for about 100 hours! It was described as shock and awe. I was in the engine room of that ship, Machinist Mate of the Watch was my duty station. In between watches I did get to go on deck and look off in the distance. In the evening hours you could see the flashes of light signaling an explosion of some type. I could hear the boom of the big guns! But we were well back from the action, they was no real danger for us. Following that phase the assault continued but the code name was now Desert Storm. Desert Shield/Desert Storm are forever linked in history as a single action but that isn't the truth of it. Desert Shield was the first half, the softening up if you will, Desert Storm was the ground troops that moved in to expel the Iraqi's. The success was amazing and as with previous actions, we quit at the border. Our orders would not allow us to continue the assault and unseat Saddam Hussein from power. I was retired by then, but in 2003 US forces led the invasion of Iraq that unseated Hussein.
Now the USS Nitro AE-23 has long since been scrapped. I have long since been retired. I have a photograph of her, an old ball cap with her name embroidered on the crown and some memories. In the shadow box that was presented to me upon my retirement are my ribbons and medals earned during my twenty years of service. Not all medals and ribbons are equal however. I didn't earn any medals for heroism or some meritorious action. Nothing like that. I got the generic National Defense Ribbon and medal that is issued to anyone that served a minimum of 90 days of service, while the country is at war. Mine has a star indicating I did that twice. I have the good conduct ribbon with two stars. That indicates I was a good sailor for at least 12 continuous years. I have a couple others that escape me at the moment. But there is one that I most admire. It is " The medal for the liberation of Kuwait " issued by the government of Saudi Arabia. A medal issued to me by a foreign government. That is what makes it a rather special award to have. This particular medal was only issued to those that were there, Desert Shield/Desert Storm between the 17th of January 1991 and February 28, 1991. That makes that medal a rare one to have because of the short time period. There are other medals issued for Desert Shield/Desert Storm that cover a longer time period issued by other governments, and by our own. The Southwest Asia service medal is one and I have that as well.
The medal in that shadow box is the one I was issued. At the time of my retirement you could not purchase a replica of that medal as there were none. Normally the ribbons and medals in a shadow box are purchased by the ones presenting you the box. The " personal " medals are held by the service member. I'm certain replica's are available today for collectors. I expect the number of us actually entitled to wear that medal are fewer in number now. That medal will have been in that box 27 years this October.
I record this in the hope that it will continued to be valued in the future. I suspect my grandson will become the custodian of that one day. I've told him on numerous occasions about that medal and the significance of it. It can't hurt to write it down. I have my Dad's medals but no story to go with them. What I know of them I have read on the internet. Old battles fought, victories achieved. I was awarded a medal, by a foreign government as recognition for my contribution, however small that may have been. And that's pretty cool in my book. Something to take pride in. A small piece of history that I was a part of and witness to. Just one is a sea of faces, but I was there. Victorious I get to write the story!
Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures but the reflection off the glass messed me up. :) Anyway. that's my shadow box and the medal is, The medal for the liberation of Kuwait. ( official name )
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