{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://roe.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397800", "Roe: The Sacrifice of Those Who Served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm will Forever be Remembered", "2014-12-22", "2014", "2014-12", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Phil Roe", "R000582", "roe.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Rep. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN) released the following statement after President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. Roe\u2019s bill to create a memorial for those that served in Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield was included in the package. \u00a0\r\n\u201cI am so proud this memorial will finally move forward. After working on this for the last two years, it\u2019s an exciting day for myself and my staff. I\u2019d like to thank Senator Boozman for championing this cause in the Senate, and Scott Stump for his service to our country and tireless efforts on behalf of the veterans of Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. This is a win for these heroes, and I look forward to the day I\u2019ll have the honor of visiting this memorial. Every soldier who honorably served our nation should be recognized, and the sacrifice of those who served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm will forever be remembered with honor and gratitude.\u201d\r\nNo federal funds will be spent to build this memorial; all funds will be raised privately by the National Desert Storm Memorial Association.\r\nBackground:\r\nIn 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and, in less than 24 hours, dominated nearly 30% of the world\u2019s oil supply. This brutal dictator then set his eyes on Saudi Arabia. Recognizing Saudi Arabia\u2019s important role in the region, President George H.W. Bush launched Operation Desert Shield, the deployment of American combat forces to Saudi Arabia, and issued a mandate to Hussein stating all Iraqi troops must be out of Kuwait by January 15, 1991. With Kuwait still occupied after the deadline passed, the United States led coalition forces in the liberation of Kuwait, a mission known as Operation Desert Storm.\r\nThese operations\u2014a major coalition victory\u2014resulted in the removal of all Iraqi forces from Kuwait, imposition of sanctions against Iraq and a significantly weakened Iraqi Army. Of the roughly 600,000 American troops who were deployed in both Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 293 died in theater, of which 148 were killed in action.\r\nThe United States currently lacks a national memorial dedicated to the valor and sacrifices made by those members of our Armed Forces who honorably fought in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Roe\u2019s original bill, H.R. 503, passed the House unanimously as a stand-alone measure on May 28th. The bill has more than 100 bipartisan cosponsors.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://roe.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397800"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7012071330100298, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}