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By Chuck Baker 
 
LAS VEGAS-(November 28, 2016) — An event featuring the solemn placement of a wreath commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Gulf War was held today at the State’s Nevada Veterans Memorial, located on the grounds of the Grant Sawyer Building. The wreath was placed by veteran Eadward Dixon, who served as an F-156 aircraft crew chief in Afghanistan.  
 
The keynote speaker was Kathleen Dussault, deputy director of the Nevada Department of Veterans Services (NDVS). As a Navy admiral, she was aboard the USS Concord and received word on August 2, 1990, that Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait. Her ship moved quickly and in anticipation of the conflict was the first U.S. naval vessel at the time to enter the Suez Canal, even before the war had officially begun. That was fortunate, since as a logistic ship it was not out fitted for combat. 
 
Dussault noted that President H.W. Bush declared the start of Operation Desert Shield on August 7, and the strength and expertise of American G.I.’s served to reunite and bring a new cohesiveness to the nation’s military. She also pointed out how technology that was new at the time played a large role in the Gulf War. She said that smart phones were used by U.S. troops as GPS guides in Desert Storm. The devices were so new, their use confounded the enemy who realized they could not hide. She also noted that Saddam’s Scud missiles were completely destroyed by America’s advanced space-age weaponry. 
 
Blake Boles, the emcee and community outreach director for the NDVS, noted that “More than 70,000 who served in the Gulf War have passed on,” and he asked for a moment of silence to honor their memory. Also in honor of Gulf War veterans, volunteer Sharon Davis gave out copies of the hard cover book, “The Liberation of Kuwait,” which she said were provided by the State of Kuwait.