2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 245
Commending the veterans of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2026
WHEREAS, 2026 marks the 35th anniversary of the Persian Gulf War, when a coalition of nations spearheaded by hundreds of thousands of United States Armed Forces personnel liberated Kuwait from Ba'athist Iraq; and
WHEREAS, in August 1990, Ba'athist Iraq, then led by Saddam Hussein, invaded its neighbor Kuwait, drawing immediate condemnation from around the world; the United States responded by quickly deploying troops to Saudi Arabia to prevent further incursions and working to form a multinational military coalition; and
WHEREAS, as the military buildup in the region, known as Operation Desert Shield, continued, the United Nations Security Council issued a resolution demanding that Iraq withdraw from Kuwait by January 1991; and
WHEREAS, on January 17, 1991, a coalition of at least 35 nations launched Operation Desert Storm, beginning with an aerial and naval bombardment of Iraq and Kuwait that continued for five weeks; and
WHEREAS, on February 24, 1991, the coalition launched an overwhelming ground assault, which liberated Kuwait and advanced into Iraqi territory; the coalition halted its ground advance after one hundred hours and declared a ceasefire; and