It is estimated that 467,939 Americans were involved in this war. Probably at least, 350 Shiawassee County residents took part in this war with no casulties from this area.
The numbers below include men and women from Shiawassee County:
Navy...........27
Marine Corps........19
Air Force...........15
Army.............84
144th M.P. Unit...National Guard.......61
146th M.P. Unit.....National Guard......10
On Jan. 6, 1991, the 144th M.P. Unit pulled out of Owosso and headed for the Persian Gulf. Although the war was short lived, 100 hours, some of our soldiers stayed for several months in Saudi Arabia.
Michigan Army National Guard Sergeant First Class Reginald L. Adkins
Reginald Adkins joined the service on April 10, 1990 and was stationed in an infantry unit in Germany. He was 20 years old. He was then sent to the Persian Gulf region on Jan. 1, 1991. He was a private and most of duties were to work at many checkpoints and serve as a sentine at the Safwan Refugee Camp.
Conditions were hot during the day and cold at night with constant sand storms, said Adkins. There was no comfort away from the sand, including shower points, cold water or food without bits of sand getting into it.
He said he was on patrol when the United States started the air campaign to begin the war. Yet, his most humbling experience was working around the refugee camp and watching the conditions deteriorate. Our mission was to evacuate the refugees out in small groups and fly them to other countries, he said. Everyone wanted to be the first. People were trampled over, families and children separated. It was hard to control your anger at the younger, stronger, refugees that were causing all the confusion by fighting to the front.
Even though he is not bothered by past memories, he was disheartened by the treatment of people in the Middle East.
It taught me there is a lot that we have that we can live without and to appreciate those things that mean the most to us. It also helped me to become a stronger person and to realize most of my problems are very small in comparison to others, he said. My outlook is brighter after what I was called to do.
After the Gulf, I truly appreciate our country and our way of life. My heroes are those who fought for our freedom on many occasions to ensure we could remain free. I thank you for your work and for helping others to remember those who fought to keep us free. Every time I see someone with a veteran hat or emblem, I thank them, especially our World War II vets who are each, true heroes.
According to Bill Carr......
The 144th Military Police Company served in The Gulf War from 3 January 1991 to 26 April 1991. The unit trained at Fort Knox and then went to Saudi Arabia. It provided security at Camp Brooklyn Prisoner of War Camp. The Commander was David McLoud (not from Shiawassee County) he returned home early and I took over as commander. The 146th Military Police Battalion Headquarters from Owosso also served in the Gulf War. I do not have the exact dates for 146th MP BN as I was not in this unit.
Looking for more information.