MIdeast Gulf War AP Was There

FILE - In this Monday, February 25, 1991 file photo, a Kuwaiti military helicopter herds Iraqi prisoners, arms in the air, across a stream in southeastern Kuwait, as Operation Desert Storm continues. Official sources reported the number of Iraqi troops surrendering at 18,000 - and growing. In February 1991, after months of building an international coalition, U.S. forces entered Kuwait to end the Iraqi occupation of its smaller, oil-rich neighbor. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours, File)

 Laurent Rebours

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs will commemorate the 35th anniversary of the ceasefire that ended Operation Desert Storm with a ceremony on Saturday.

The event will be held at 11 a.m. at the Illinois State Military Museum, 1301 North MacArthur Boulevard, in Springfield.

Operation Desert Storm started in 1991 after Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion and occupation of Kuwait and refused commands by the United Nations Security Council to withdraw. A coalition of 750,000 forces from countries including Britain, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the Soviet Union, and the United States fought for 42 days until President George H.W. Bush declared a cease-fire on February 28. 
 
“This is the 35th anniversary of the ceasefire that liberated Kuwait from the control of Iraq,” said Director Prince. “We remember and recognize those who served and sacrificed from around the globe to defend the freedoms of a vulnerable nation.”
 
Brigadier General Steven Rice (Assistant Adjutant General) will deliver the keynote address.
 
The public and veterans are invited to attend. 
 
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