Updated

Updated · Fox News · Nov 11

Desert Shield/Storm Memorial Opens on National Mall After 16-Year, Privately Funded Push

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Nov 11

Desert Shield/Storm Memorial Opens on National Mall After 16-Year, Privately Funded Push

Q: What hidden battlefield tactics are permanently carved into the dune-like walls of Washington’s newest monument to the Gulf War?

The tactic carved into the memorial’s dune-like walls is the Gulf War’s famous “left hook” maneuver. The Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial was deliberately designed so its curved path and “Storm Wall” embody the sweeping flank attack used by Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf’s forces during the ground war. According to National Park Service and project design descriptions, visitors move clockwise along the wall as figures and vehicles in the bas-relief travel from left to right, symbolizing that surprise offensive against Iraqi forces. That means the battlefield tactic is not hidden in text alone; it is built into the monument’s form. The circular, curving layout and the wall’s visual motion physically represent the maneuver that helped coalition troops outflank Iraqi defenses and accelerate Kuwait’s liberation. The Storm Wall also carries a chronological bas-relief showing the buildup, combat and liberation phases of the campaign, reinforcing how the “left hook” became one of the war’s defining battlefield strategies.

Q: How did a foreign nation end up being the largest donor for a newly unveiled American war memorial on the National Mall?

Kuwait became the largest donor because the memorial commemorates the U.S.-led war that liberated Kuwait from Iraq in 1991, and Kuwaiti officials treated their contribution as an expression of national gratitude. The Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial was built entirely with private money, not taxpayer funds. Fundraising came from veterans, VFW posts, individuals, companies and organizations, but multiple reports and memorial backers said Kuwait provided the biggest single contribution. Supporters of the project said the Kuwaiti government was approached during the fundraising effort and quickly agreed to help. That arrangement is unusual for an American war memorial, but the war itself was unusual: Operation Desert Storm was fought by a broad international coalition to reverse Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. The memorial’s design reflects that history, including references to coalition unity and the liberation of Kuwait. National Park Service material says the site honors Americans who served while also commemorating the international coalition that liberated the Kuwaiti state. Scott Stump, the Marine veteran who led the 16-year campaign, insisted the memorial be privately funded. That created a need for major donors. Kuwait, as the country whose sovereignty was restored by the war, had both a symbolic reason and the means to make a large gift. As one supporter wrote after the opening, the donation was a gesture of thanks to the Americans who fought and died to free Kuwait.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 11

Oct. 24 marked the opening of the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial on the National Mall, capping a 16-year campaign to honor veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War.
Scott Stump, a Marine veteran from North Carolina, launched the effort in 2010 after seeing Desert Shield and Desert Storm veterans repeatedly overlooked at public events and insisted the project use 0 taxpayer dollars.
Congressional approval took about 4 years, including a failed first attempt, a 370-0 House vote in May 2014 and final authorization in the fiscal 2015 defense bill signed by President Barack Obama.
Site selection then stretched to 39 months before backers won their preferred location near 23rd Street and Constitution Avenue on June 21, 2018, after objections over the war's significance and death toll.
The memorial's backers say its placement near other major monuments is meant to restore a conflict they view as underrecognized to the nation's public memory.