Desert Storm VII Corps Veterans and your Families,
On Memorial Day, Monday 26 May 2025, this deeply moving Day, in Ceremonies across America, at our overseas American Cemeteries and wherever our military is currently serving, we honor and remember our men and women who died in military service to our Nation, and we honor their Gold Star Families.
On this special and sacred day, in this our 34th Anniversary year of our VII Corps Victory in Desert Storm that as part of the Coalition liberated Kuwait, Denise and I, on behalf of our Association President Mark Rado and our VII Corps Desert Storm Veterans Association Board, want to thank you and your Families for your own service and our service together in VII Corps during Desert Storm. Together with all of you we honor and remember this Memorial Day and every day our own Fallen, those 111 of our VII Corps Desert Storm Soldiers who in President Lincoln’s words, “gave that last full measure of devotion” and we remember and honor their Gold Star Families.
We said over 34 years ago that “we will never forget” and we have not forgotten our VII Corps comrades nor as a Nation all those who have fallen in military service.
This year at our 34th Anniversary Reunion (held 13-16 February 2025 in Arlington, VA) of our Victory in 1991, faithful to that promise and at the Old Post Chapel next to Arlington National Cemetery, Chaplain COL (Ret) Dave O’Connell, conducted a military Memorial Service, where our past Association President MG (Ret) John Altenburg called out each of the names of our Fallen one by one. One of our former wartime leaders provides remarks in their honor and memory. This year COL (Ret) Gene Thornton, wartime Deputy G-1 and who executed impeccable accounting of our VII Corps casualties, gave inspiring, and informative remarks.
Earlier in the weekend, COL (Ret) Rado led a group of our Veterans to Arlington National Cemetery as they moved around placing wreaths and rendering honors at the graves of wartime Fallen CPT Joseph G. Kime III (3AD) by MG (Ret) Altenburg) and PFC Robert L. Daugherty (1ID) by COL (Ret) Rado, then with honors at the graves of some of our more recently departed Desert Storm Leaders COL (Ret) Rich Walsh (CDR 93D Signal BDE) by Col (Ret) Rado, and COL (Ret) Sam Raines (CDR 7th Engineer Bde) by LTC (Ret) Bob Candido. COL (Ret) Art Hotop rendered honors and the association placed a wreath at the No Greater Love Memorial tree and marker.
LTG (Ret) Robert Wilson wartime CDR of ¼ CAV 1st INF Div and honored Dinner speaker; BG (Ret) Bob McFarlin wartime CG 2nd Corps Support Command; COL (Ret) Rado, and SFC (Ret) Tom Vinette wartime 204th MP Co at the Corps TAC, were honored to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as a tribute to our 111 Fallen JAYHAWK Soldiers… “we will never forget.”
We are pleased to report construction has begun on the Desert Storm National Memorial at the Southwest Corner of 23D and Constitution Avenue NW on the National Mall (north of the Lincoln Memorial) honoring all who served in the Coalition Victory that liberated Kuwait and our Fallen and Gold Star Families. The design of the Memorial is in the shape of our ‘left hook’ our FRAGPLAN 7 we all together executed in contact by turning our VII Corps 90 degrees east into the surprised RGFC destroying them on to that Coalition Victory.
Completion of the Memorial is scheduled for Fall 2026, and we are attempting to schedule our 35th Anniversary Reunion around that date in September 2026.
May we all pause in our own way this Memorial Day 2025 in deep remembrance to honor and remember our own 111 Fallen and all those who gave it all in military service–and their Gold Star Families who bear the pain of their loss.
We deeply treasure our service with each of you as well as your Families. Blessings on this Memorial Day to all of you to stay well and remain in contact with each other and reach out to Families of our Fallen as that is possible for you.
JAYHAWK!!
Fred M. Franks, Jr.
Gen, US Army (ret)
Chairman VII Corps DSVA Board
