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 hand 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 their own military but took overall command of a coalition of 42

Nation all working together to liberate Kuwait and topple Saddam Hussein. Desert Shield lasted

from August 2 nd , 1990 to January 17 th , 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 and 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.