On May 30, 2019, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations joined with The National Desert Storm War Memorial Association to host a public affairs briefing in Washington, D.C. on “Commemorating International Partnership and Statesmanship: Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and The National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial in Washington, D.C.”
Mr. Scott C. Stump, President and CEO of The National Desert Storm War Memorial Association, discusses efforts to build the National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial, and the monument project’s current status.
The featured specialists included:
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General (Ret.) Chuck Horner
General Horner had a distinguished 35-year career in the United States Air Force, retiring in 1994 as a Four-Star General. He commanded U.S. and allied air operations for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia from August 1990 until April 1991 as the Commander of the 9th Air Force and Commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces. His final assignment was Commander in Chief of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command, and Commander of Air Force Space Command.
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Ambassador (Ret.) Edward W. Gnehm Jr.
Ambassador Gnehm had a distinguished 36-year career in the United States Foreign Service. He was Special Envoy to the Kuwaiti Government in Taif, Saudi Arabia, during Iraq’s 1990-1991 occupation of Kuwait and U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait from 1991 to 1994. Ambassador Gnehm is presently Vice Dean, Kuwait Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs, and Director of the Middle East Policy Forum at the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University.
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Mr. Scott C. Stump
Mr. Stump is President and CEO of The National Desert Storm War Memorial Association, where he has led efforts to build the National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial for over eight years. He served for four and a half years as an Infantryman in The U.S. Marine Corps, where for six months he was in support of Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Mr. Stump lives in Waynesville, North Carolina with his wife, Robin, his son, Scotty, and his daughter, Emmy. He is a member of AMVETS, a 19-year member of The American Legion, and a life member of the VFW.
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Dr. John Duke Anthony
Dr. Anthony is the Founding President and CEO of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Based in Washington, D.C., the Council was established in 1983 as a non-profit and non-governmental organization. Its mission is educational. Dr. Anthony was a member of the 1990-1991 Free Kuwait Campaign and among the first American civilians to visit Kuwait in the days after Iraq’s withdrawal in 1991. He is the only American to have been invited to attend each of the GCC Ministerial and Heads of State Summits since the GCC’s establishment in 1981. Dr. Anthony recently accepted an invitation from Secretary James A. Baker, III to serve on the National Desert Storm War Memorial Advisory Board.
In addition to the discussion, the National Council presented its GLOBAL LEADERSHIP AWARD to U.S. Representative Phil Roe, who represents the First District of Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives and is Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Congressman Roe sponsored H.R. 503, the National Desert Storm and Desert Shield War Memorial Act, which was signed into law in 2014 and authorized the construction of a lasting memorial to Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. He also sponsored the joint resolution that approved the site close to the National Mall for the memorial. The award was presented in recognition of the Congressman’s efforts to commemorate and honor those who served in support of Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield.
The National Council also presented Mr. Stump with a special recognition in honor of his work to commemorate an important period in the United States relationship with it’s Arab friends, partners, and allies.
A podcast recording of the program is available below.