This browser does not support the Video element.
Tampa ceremony honors Gulf War veterans
The Veterans Council of Hillsborough County held a commemoration service for the 35th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm. FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - A commemoration ceremony was held at Veterans Park along US-301 to honor those who served in Operation Desert Storm.
Many of the soldiers who served in the first Iraq War said that their contributions have been overlooked because of what happened in Iraq a decade later.
What they're saying:
Lt. Col. Don Gunn was among those who served on the front lines.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Hillsborough County marks 35th anniversary of Gulf War as new conflict begins in the Middle East
"It was pretty intimidating," he said of approaching the Iraqi border with Saudi Arabia. "It was pretty scary. We don't talk a lot about chemical warfare anymore, but then it was a huge threat."
He can hardly believe it has been 35 years since he donned fatigues to help force Saddam Hussein's 300,000 troops out of Kuwait.
He remembers the nighttime scud missiles roaring overhead.
"We'd hear that at night and put on our masks," he said. "And I remember us talking about the casualties and preparing for large numbers of casualties, so it was, you know, it was a scary time."
By the numbers:
The U.S. response to Saddam taking over the Kuwaiti oil fields lasted about five weeks.
700,000 Americans served, with 148 losing their lives on the front lines.
READ: Decorated Gulf War veteran inspiring next generation of leaders: 'It's priceless'
Dig deeper:
The widow and daughter of the commander, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, were on hand.
"He would love to be here again with everybody he served with," said Jessica Schwarkopf. "And he would just have a big thank you for everybody who served under his command and made the war such a success."
The committee surprised six veterans with surprise awards for their service, including Cyndi Hancock, who served in Turkey during the mission, providing security at an air force base.
"At that moment, we didn't think about the service we put into it," she said. "We just did our mission. We all volunteered. We weren't drafted. We chose to go."
Finally, those who waged the first battle against Saddam Hussein have gotten their due, even if they felt there was unfinished business.
Some said they wished they'd gotten a crack at Saddam himself.
"The soldiers that I was around just like, why'd we stop?" said Army veteran Michael McCoy. "We didn't finish the job and that's why we're going through some of the things that we're gonna do today."
The Source: Interviews conducted by Fox 13 with veterans and statistics from the US military.