Scott AFB supported troops during Desert Storm

Published Jan. 13, 2016
By Airman Gwendalyn Smith
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- -- January 17 marks the 25th Anniversary of the start of the Gulf War, also known as Operation Desert Storm, and members of Team Scott recall this historic event.

During the last months of 1990, the United States began a buildup of troops in the Middle East as a show of strength against Iraqi aggression in a deployment known as Operation Desert Shield. More than 500,000 American troops were placed in Saudi Arabia to help them in case of an attack from the Iraqis, who had already crossed the border into neighboring Kuwait.

The United Nations condemned Iraq and had formed a military coalition to fight Saddam Hussein. As an ultimatum, the United Nations told Hussein to leave Kuwait by Jan. 15, 1991, or face a full attack by the multinational force.

When the Iraqis did not respond to this demand by mid-January, Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm on Jan. 17 when an air campaign began with massive aerial bombings of targets in Iraq and Kuwait.

"I deployed from the Airlift Communications Division, which was part of Air Force Communications Command," said Mark Stanley, a historian who was deployed from Scott at the time. "The mission was to remove Iraq from Kuwait under Operation Desert Storm."

During this period, Airmen under the 375th Airlift Wing, now the 375th Air Mobility Wing, performed important missions supporting the coalition.

Daniel Williams, 375th AMW historian, explained, that "during the Gulf War, the wing used C-12 and C-21 for executive airlift, C-29s were used to inspect navigation aids and radar facilities worldwide, and the wing operated an aeromedical evacuation system on a rotational basis in Southwest Asia with assigned C-9 aircraft."

The C-21 mission provided airlift support to U.S. Central Command by executing "air tasking orders" which required moving reconnaissance imagery and transporting high-ranking officials. Operation Desert Storm was also the first deployment of an operational support airlift unit.

C-29s were used to help Flight Inspection Management and Facility Checking Squadron teams test airfield navigation systems. This mission was originally performed by C-140s, but due to the aging of the planes, the C-29s from Scott replaced them and continued supporting this mission until Oct. 1, 1991.

"Just like our CL-60 flight inspection aircraft do today throughout Southwest Asia, our C-29s were in and out of airfields throughout the warzone ensuring U.S. and coalition aircraft could operate safely out of those airfields," said Williams.

All missions were important, however, aeromedical evacuation became a strong component in the support of the campaign. The AE missions were, and still are, coordinated by Air Mobility Command, which is headquartered here. Scott AFB is also one of only two stateside location to have an active duty AE squadron, and they've been performing those missions since 1966 when the wing was originally the 375th Aeromedical Airlift Wing.

"In addition to rotating in and out of Southwest Asia during the conflict, Scott C-9s were forward deployed to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to fly incoming patients from the warzone to points west," said Williams.

Overall Team Scott played an important part in Operation Desert Storm and still has an important role in today's missions.

"As I reflect of the 25th anniversary of Desert Storm, I find it interesting the similarities between today's wing missions and that of Scott's participation a quarter century ago," said Williams. "Today's missions of aeromedical evacuation, combat flight inspections, and executive airlift were similarly executed then as well."