Commemorating the fifth anniversary of the evacuation of Afghanistan, the Gulf war era, and honoring Gulf war era veterans.

Whereas, on August 2, 1990, the United States launched Operation Desert Shield to deter Iraqi aggression towards Saudi Arabia and prepare for the liberation of Kuwait;

Whereas, on January 16, 1991, the United States Armed Forces began Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation;

Whereas Kuwait was freed after an impressive 43-day air, land, and sea campaign that demonstrated the unrivaled skill and professionalism of the United States Armed Forces;

Whereas, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom to dismantle al-Qaeda;

Whereas, on March 20, 2003, the United States launched Operation Iraqi Freedom to overthrow the Ba’athist government of Saddam Hussein;

Whereas, on May 2, 2011, the Navy’s SEAL Team 6 successfully eliminated Osama bin Laden in a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan;

Whereas, on June 15, 2014, the United States responded to the rapid rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria by launching Operation Inherent Resolve;

Whereas the United States Armed Forces completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 30, 2021;

Whereas the United States honors those who sacrificed their lives facilitating the Afghanistan withdrawal, including the 13 members of the Armed Forces who were murdered in a terrorist attack on August 26, 2021;

Whereas, as of September 2023, approximately 8,400,000 veterans, about 43 percent of all living veterans, served during the Gulf war era, making them the largest single group of living veterans today;

Whereas August 28, 2026, marks the 5th anniversary of the evacuation of Afghanistan; and

Whereas tens of thousands of members of the Armed Forces remain in the Middle East protecting the United States and its allies from the Islamic Republic of Iran: Now, therefore, be it