In 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait and over 1290 members of the Kentucky National Guard – men and women – were called up during the Persian Gulf War. During Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, Kentucky units provided artillery support fire, processed prisoners of war, purified drinking water, moved supplies, cared for the sick and wounded, and even made video documentaries about the short Gulf War.
The Kentucky Air Guard’s 123rd Tactical Airlift Wing made significant contributions toward the United States Air Force’s ability to move people, equipment, and material around the globe during the Gulf War. Back home in Kentucky, Guard personnel continued their tradition of peacetime service to the citizens of the Commonwealth during the 1990s.
Every year Kentucky communities call upon the Guard for help. The Guard’s people, equipment, and expertise were especially valuable during harsh winter storms in 1994 and major floods in 1997. Guard involvement helped insure smooth operations at the Kentucky Derby, the Bluegrass State Games, and the Special Olympics.
On the world stage during the mid-1990s, the Kentucky National Guard began its participation in the “Partnership for Peace” mission to Ecuador. This program of cooperation and humanitarian assistance continues today. The new millennium brought a new era of warfare – a war against terrorists. On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked on its own soil. Terrorists crashed hijacked civilian airliners into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. Another liner crashed in Pennsylvania. Over 3000 Americans – including Kentuckians – died.
In response, about 3,000 Kentucky Guard troops were mobilized. These Kentuckians took part in Operations Enduring Freedom, Noble Eagle, and Iraqi Freedom. Taken together, these operations were the largest deployment of Kentucky Army and Air National Guard men and women since World War Two – eclipsing Korea, Vietnam, and the first Persian Gulf War. The Kentucky troops were deployed across the United States to help protect airports and army installations. They served overseas too – in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Iraq. Kentucky Guard military police units guarded Al Queda detainees at the American base at Guantanamo, Cuba.
Today, the Kentucky National Guard continues its service to the Commonwealth and to the nation – just as it has for over two hundred and fifteen years. Whether to help a neighbor in need down the road or to defend our nation around the world, the citizen-soldiers of the Kentucky National Guard offer their time, their skills, their dedication – and even their lives.