There have been a series of ongoing conflicts in the Middle East involving the United States. While many of the earlier conflicts involved observation, support, and political saber-rattling between the United States and the Soviet Union, in 1975, Lebanon erupted into Civil War. In 1979, Iran's government was overthrown and held 66 Americans hostage for 444 days. The region was destabilized further by Israel's invasion of Lebanon in June of 1982 to wage war against the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).
In August of that year, a truce had been negotiated that called for the withdrawal of Israeli and PLO forces and established a multi-national force to enforce the ceasefire, including 1,800 U.S. Marines. In October 1983, Hezbollah, a terrorist group sponsored by Iran, attacked the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut with a suicide bomber, killing 241 Marines. Further terrorist attacks occurred throughout the region, often involving American citizens and military personnel. Many of these attacks were state-sponsored, which brought US military involvement on several occasions.
At the same time, major conflicts were occurring in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. While the U.S. was not directly involved in these conflicts, it did provide arms and support to groups and nations that were its allies against groups and nations supported by the Soviet Union. In the late 80's, the Soviet Union was on the verge of collapse, and new conflicts began to arise in the Middle East.
In August 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. A large multinational force launched Operation Desert Storm, begining the First Gulf War. In a month and a half, Iraq had been pushed out of Kuwait and had been placed under restrictions by treaty. Over the next 12 years, attempts to enforce these restrictions were met with both successes and failures. 382 Americans died during the First Gulf War.
In 1998, a terrorist organization by the name of Al-Qaeda declared war against the United States, and began terrorist activities against American military and diplomatic facilities in the Middle East. On September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda, under the protection of the government of Afghanistan called the Taliban, launched a large terrorist attack against sites inside the United States itself. Three of the four planned attacks hit their targets: the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. 2,974 civilians were killed in the attacks on September 11.
The United States responded to the terrorists, terrorist organizations, and states that sponsor terrorism. Military actions began in Afghanistan in October 2001. Shortly thereafter, the Taliban was defeated and the leadership of Al-Qaeda was dead or in hiding. This conflict is ongoing, and as of June 2, 2007, 394 Americans had died in Afghanistan.
In 2002, the government of Iraq's abilities to posess weapons of mass destruction, their support of terrorism, and human rights records were all called into question. Negotiations broke down and in March 2003, the United States began what is commonly called the Second Gulf War. Within six weeks, the government of Iraq was defeated. Various groups continue to struggle for control of Iraq. This conflict is ongoing, and as of June 2, 2007, 3,480 Americans had died in the Second Gulf War.
There are 2 names on the memorial from the Middle East Conflicts. |