Artifact Friday: Kuwait Liberation Medal

The events leading up to the Gulf War are far too complex to cover in a short article. To put it simply, the greed of Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, led him to invade the small neighboring country of Kuwait on August 2nd, 1990. Kuwait, despite being roughly the size of New Jersey, was producing immense quantities of oil. With Kuwait, and subsequently its oil, in Iraqi hands, the United States launched Operation Desert Shield.

Desert Shield was the lead-up to Operation Desert Storm and often goes overlooked for being simply a staging and preparatory phase of the Gulf War. However, it was the greatest logistical feat of the modern age. Just as the Germans were stunned by American logistics in the Second World War and the Soviets were equally so during the Berlin Airlift, Iraq and the rest of the world would be reminded of the unrivaled logistical capabilities of the United States. The United States not only utilized its own military but took overall command of a coalition of 42 nations all working together to liberate Kuwait and topple Saddam Hussein.

Desert Shield lasted from August 2nd, 1990 to January 17th, 1991. In that time, the Coalition amassed nearly one million personnel and four million tons of equipment. Even nations that did not aid directly with troops or equipment, such as Japan or Germany, provided substantial monetary aid. This colossal undertaking made the Coalition the most diverse and world-encompassing alliance ever formed and ultimately led to a decisive and crushing victory of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

With the liberation of Kuwait achieved, the Kuwait Council of Ministers approved the creation and distribution of a special award, the Kuwait Liberation Medal. Five different medals were designed, made, and distributed based on the rank of the individual receiving it. The fifth class medal, such as the one in our collection, was intended for noncommissioned personnel. The design draws from the country’s heritage as seafarers and falconers, displaying a ship over the falcon. At the top, the words “1991 Liberation Medal” are engraved in Arabic.